Presenter lists home to fund court case
Former TVNZ presenter Kamahl Santamaria has placed his multimillion-dollar Remuera home on the market while he prepares to take the broadcaster to court.
Santamaria recently said he would need to sell his home to fund his ongoing expenses and legal battle against his former employer.
The former Breakfast host last year admitted his exit from TVNZ followed a complaint he inappropriately touched a colleague. The 43-year-old lasted just 32 days on Breakfast before leaving the network last year. TVNZ originally said his departure was the result of a “family emergency”.
Advertising material called the home “desirable” and read: “in a prime location at the end of a soughtafter northern slopes cul-de-sac, this beautiful and substantial double bay-fronted villa enjoys a wonderful sense of privacy, peace, and quiet”. The house is set to go under the hammer in March.
NZME’s OneRoof estimated the house has a capital value of $3.15m, which the listing says does not reflect recent improvements.
The QV website shows the 4-bedroom,
3-bathroom home last sold in May 2020 for $2.5m.
Talking to Duncan Garner’s Editorin-Chief podcast last year, Santamaria discussed his interactions with former colleagues, his mental health, and impending legal action.
Santamaria confirmed to Garner he was taking TVNZ to the Employment Relations Authority and had already lodged a statement of problem with the authority.
The coverage of his departure from TVNZ had been inaccurate and had not been fair to him, he claimed.
However, he had apologised for behaviour that had made any of his former colleagues uncomfortable.
He had tried to find a new job but had only received a “generic email back saying not at this time kind of thing”. Santamaria wanted to stay in the media industry but acknowledged he faced a challenge: “I do believe I’ve got plenty to offer . . . This is what I do. I believe I’m still pretty good at it.”