Kamahl Santamaria

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Kamahl Santamaria is a New Zealand journalist who gained international recognition as a anchor for Al Jazeera from 2005 to 2022. In 2022 he briefly joined TVNZ’s Breakfast program in New Zealand, but he resigned after a short stint amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour toward female staff.

Early life
Santamaria was born on 14 February 1980 in Auckland, New Zealand. His parents were born in Aden, Yemen, and his father’s side has Goan (India) roots. He grew up in Auckland, attended Macleans College, and served as a Youth MP in 1997.

Career highlights
- TV3 (New Zealand): Began his journalism career in 1998 as a news and sports reporter, later producing nightly sports bulletins.
- Sky News Australia: Worked in Melbourne from 2002 to 2004 as a reporter, presenter, and producer on the Sky Business Report.
- Al Jazeera English (Doha, Qatar): Joined in 2005 and spent about 16 years with the network. He fronted news and current affairs shows, including Newshour and Inside Story, and hosted Counting the Cost from 2009 to 2016. He was also the main presenter of the newsgrid program (2016–2019). Santamaria reported from many countries and covered major events such as U.S. presidential elections in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, and anchored inauguration coverage in January 2021. He left Al Jazeera in March 2022.
- Return to New Zealand: In March 2022 he returned to NZ and joined TVNZ to present Breakfast from April 2022, taking over from John Campbell. He made his final TV appearance for Breakfast on 18 May 2022.

Controversies and aftermath
Santamaria’s brief tenure at TVNZ ended amid allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour. TVNZ conducted reviews of the hiring process, and the head of news at TVNZ, Paul Yurisich, stepped down. In October 2022, Santamaria publicly apologized, saying that some of his behaviour was not appropriate, and he claimed that some allegations lacked context or were exaggerated. In November 2023 he announced he would sell his house to fund legal action against TVNZ.

Current note
Santamaria remains a notable figure in New Zealand media for his long-running international career and the subsequent public discussion surrounding his departure from TVNZ Breakfast.