Tony Veitch
Encyclopedia
Tony Colin Veitch is a prominent New Zealand
reporter and sports broadcaster
. He hosted a Radio Sport
breakfast show and Television New Zealand
's ONE News 6pm sports news until mid-2008.
In July 2008 allegations became public that he had seriously assaulted a former partner in 2006. He resigned from his radio and television positions and in April 2009 admitted and was convicted of recklessly injuring his former partner.
It was reported on June 14, 2009 that Veitch and his wife Zoe Halford had separated, in part due to the stresses of the previous 12 months.
as a teenager and got his start in broadcasting with Nine Network
. He returned to New Zealand at 24 to take up a job as a reporter for TVNZ's Holmes show under Paul Holmes
.
Veitch was mentioned by broadcast journalism academic Yvonne Densem as being a role model for young men considering journalism: "Martin Devlin
and Tony Veitch were certainly considered role models. They're quirky, they're unpredictable, they dress casually, they talk sport, they're cool, they stand with one hand in their pocket you know they don't sit ramrod straight in front of a camera."
On several occasions he MC'd events for the Cure Kids children's charity, and in 2002 he appeared in a celebrity race in the Queenstown Winter Festival (he won fastest man)
In early 2005 Veitch was suspended by TVNZ for about a week after appearing in a horse racing advertisement without asking permission from TVNZ. The same year he appeared in the Auckland City All Stars soccer match for tsunami
relief.
Prior to 7 July 2008 Veitch was a highly visible New Zealand
sports broadcaster who hosted a Radio Sport
breakfast show and the ONE News 6pm sports news until July 2008. He was also involved with other TVNZ programmes such as A Game of Two Halves and Veitch's View.
Prior to his April 2009 court appearance Veitch made a short comeback, appearing as a guest panelist on Deaker on Sport.
adidas Award for Television Reporting and “the judges said that TVNZ’s Tony Veitch was a great talent in contemporary television reporting with a portfolio that showed the range of his considering reporting ability.” In 2006 he won NZ Radio Awards Best sports presenter: Best Presenter or Talk Show and was a finalist in Best news: Best News Story Team Coverage (with Peter Everatt). In 2007 he won a New Zealand TV Guide Best on the Box Award for Best Sport Presenter, an accolade given to him again in 2009, after he resigned.
publications The Press
and the Dominion Post
reported that in early 2006 Veitch seriously assaulted his former partner Kristin Dunne-Powell. The papers alleged that the injuries kept Dunne-Powell away from work for several months and that she had developed a
breakdown that subsequently forced her to quit a managerial position at Vodafone New Zealand
. The papers also said Veitch allegedly paid Dunne-Powell NZ$100,000 not to reveal the assault publicly, and to explain the injuries as a result of falling down stairs. In the following days it was alleged that the assault broke Dunne-Powell's back in four places and that she needed to temporarily use a wheelchair.
presented the sports news on ONE News. TVNZ released a media statement saying “Sports Presenter Tony Veitch has agreed to step down from his role with TVNZ while media allegations are considered by the broadcaster.” It reported that “head of news and current affairs Anthony Flannery said that Mr Veitch would step down while a review was conducted into the allegations made against him by some media organisations.” He added that due to the nature of the allegations——in particular the privacy of others, he could not make comment further.
On 9 July, Veitch held a press conference where he said he "broke, I lashed out". He said that although he had no excuses he had been working seven days a week and was at his bottom. He was not on either of his programs that day.
On 10 July, Rick Ellis released a statement that ONE News’ Lisa Owen described as "bland". It said "Television New Zealand has a review process underway regarding disclosures by sports presenter Tony Veitch. We are giving the situation our most serious consideration, and Tony's personal statement today will be taken into account by the review process," he said. "Violence is a major issue in New Zealand and the profile of our on air presenters is important to the public and to our organisation." Ellis said TVNZ had had a number of conversations with Veitch and his legal representatives, and the review process was being run by the Heads of Television, Human Resources and News and Current Affairs.
Veitch issued a media statement on 17 July 2008 announcing his resignation from both TVNZ and Radio Sport. He was quoted as saying that "TVNZ has been my life, I have loved my job. There have been a lot of statements made that are untrue which make it untenable now for me to continue in my current roles with TVNZ and the Radio Network."
Veitch was sentenced to nine months supervision, 300 hours community service and a $10,000 fine with the possibility of having to attend a Stop Violence programme should this be deemed necessary by parole officials.
Since the sentencing, questions have come to light over the accuracy of some of the character testimonials submitted during the sentencing phase of the case. It has been alleged that Veitch amended character references or procured some testimonials from prominent New Zealanders by saying that their testimonials would be used for a passport or job application. These testimonials were used by the judge in setting Veitch's sentence. In particular, Dame Susan Devoy
and Dave Currie have said that testimonials written by them to support a passport application were edited and submitted on this unrelated matter. The Crown will take no action on the matter.
On the 20th December 2010, Veitch returned to host Radio Sport's breakfast show.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
reporter and sports broadcaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
. He hosted a Radio Sport
Radio Sport
Radio Sport is a New Zealand sports radio network and the talkback sister network of Newstalk ZB. It has commentary rights for most cricket matches, international and domestic rugby union games, some NRL rugby league games, trans-Tasman basketball and New Zealand tennis tournaments. The network...
breakfast show and Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
's ONE News 6pm sports news until mid-2008.
In July 2008 allegations became public that he had seriously assaulted a former partner in 2006. He resigned from his radio and television positions and in April 2009 admitted and was convicted of recklessly injuring his former partner.
It was reported on June 14, 2009 that Veitch and his wife Zoe Halford had separated, in part due to the stresses of the previous 12 months.
Broadcasting
Veitch was born in New Zealand but moved to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
as a teenager and got his start in broadcasting with Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
. He returned to New Zealand at 24 to take up a job as a reporter for TVNZ's Holmes show under Paul Holmes
Paul Holmes (broadcaster)
Paul Holmes CNZM is a radio and television broadcaster in New Zealand. he hosts Q+A on TV ONE, and the Saturday morning radio show on Newstalk ZB, where for 23 years until December 2008 he hosted the weekday breakfast show, the long-standing number one rating breakfast show...
.
Veitch was mentioned by broadcast journalism academic Yvonne Densem as being a role model for young men considering journalism: "Martin Devlin
Martin Devlin
Martin Devlin is a New Zealand broadcaster, specialising in sports broadcasting. He is a former panellist and current host of Game of Two Halves on TV ONE. He also hosts Weekend Sport on Radio Live. He has previously presented Radio Sport Drive, Radio Live Devlin Live, Radio Sport Breakfast and...
and Tony Veitch were certainly considered role models. They're quirky, they're unpredictable, they dress casually, they talk sport, they're cool, they stand with one hand in their pocket you know they don't sit ramrod straight in front of a camera."
On several occasions he MC'd events for the Cure Kids children's charity, and in 2002 he appeared in a celebrity race in the Queenstown Winter Festival (he won fastest man)
In early 2005 Veitch was suspended by TVNZ for about a week after appearing in a horse racing advertisement without asking permission from TVNZ. The same year he appeared in the Auckland City All Stars soccer match for tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
relief.
Prior to 7 July 2008 Veitch was a highly visible New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
sports broadcaster who hosted a Radio Sport
Radio Sport
Radio Sport is a New Zealand sports radio network and the talkback sister network of Newstalk ZB. It has commentary rights for most cricket matches, international and domestic rugby union games, some NRL rugby league games, trans-Tasman basketball and New Zealand tennis tournaments. The network...
breakfast show and the ONE News 6pm sports news until July 2008. He was also involved with other TVNZ programmes such as A Game of Two Halves and Veitch's View.
Prior to his April 2009 court appearance Veitch made a short comeback, appearing as a guest panelist on Deaker on Sport.
Awards
In 2002 he won the SPARCSport and Recreation New Zealand
Sport and Recreation New Zealand is the New Zealand government body responsible for community sport and recreation programs. It was formed on 1 January 2003 and took over the functions of the Hillary Commission, the New Zealand Sports Foundation and the policy arm of the Office of Tourism and...
adidas Award for Television Reporting and “the judges said that TVNZ’s Tony Veitch was a great talent in contemporary television reporting with a portfolio that showed the range of his considering reporting ability.” In 2006 he won NZ Radio Awards Best sports presenter: Best Presenter or Talk Show and was a finalist in Best news: Best News Story Team Coverage (with Peter Everatt). In 2007 he won a New Zealand TV Guide Best on the Box Award for Best Sport Presenter, an accolade given to him again in 2009, after he resigned.
Accusations of violence
On 7 July 2008, Fairfax MediaFairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
publications The Press
The Press
The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is owned by Fairfax Media.- History :The Press was first published on 25 May 1861 from a small cottage in Montreal Street, making it the oldest surviving newspaper in the South Island of New Zealand. The first...
and the Dominion Post
The Dominion Post (Wellington)
The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age, Melbourne, and The Sydney Morning Herald.- Foundation :...
reported that in early 2006 Veitch seriously assaulted his former partner Kristin Dunne-Powell. The papers alleged that the injuries kept Dunne-Powell away from work for several months and that she had developed a
breakdown that subsequently forced her to quit a managerial position at Vodafone New Zealand
Vodafone New Zealand
Vodafone New Zealand is a British owned telecommunications company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Plc operating in New Zealand. It is New Zealand's largest mobile phone operator, based in Auckland, New Zealand and was formed in 1998, after Vodafone purchased BellSouth's New Zealand operations...
. The papers also said Veitch allegedly paid Dunne-Powell NZ$100,000 not to reveal the assault publicly, and to explain the injuries as a result of falling down stairs. In the following days it was alleged that the assault broke Dunne-Powell's back in four places and that she needed to temporarily use a wheelchair.
Resignation from media work
The day after the assault allegations were made public, Veitch turned up to work on Radio Sport, although Andrew SavilleAndrew Saville
Andrew Saville is a New Zealand sports broadcaster who presents the sports news on ONE News 6pm bulletin on weeknights Monday - Thursday. He was formerly the sports news reader on the Paul Holmes breakfast show on Newstalk ZB. He left this role to take up the position of senior rugby reporter on...
presented the sports news on ONE News. TVNZ released a media statement saying “Sports Presenter Tony Veitch has agreed to step down from his role with TVNZ while media allegations are considered by the broadcaster.” It reported that “head of news and current affairs Anthony Flannery said that Mr Veitch would step down while a review was conducted into the allegations made against him by some media organisations.” He added that due to the nature of the allegations——in particular the privacy of others, he could not make comment further.
On 9 July, Veitch held a press conference where he said he "broke, I lashed out". He said that although he had no excuses he had been working seven days a week and was at his bottom. He was not on either of his programs that day.
On 10 July, Rick Ellis released a statement that ONE News’ Lisa Owen described as "bland". It said "Television New Zealand has a review process underway regarding disclosures by sports presenter Tony Veitch. We are giving the situation our most serious consideration, and Tony's personal statement today will be taken into account by the review process," he said. "Violence is a major issue in New Zealand and the profile of our on air presenters is important to the public and to our organisation." Ellis said TVNZ had had a number of conversations with Veitch and his legal representatives, and the review process was being run by the Heads of Television, Human Resources and News and Current Affairs.
Veitch issued a media statement on 17 July 2008 announcing his resignation from both TVNZ and Radio Sport. He was quoted as saying that "TVNZ has been my life, I have loved my job. There have been a lot of statements made that are untrue which make it untenable now for me to continue in my current roles with TVNZ and the Radio Network."
Criminal conviction
Veitch was charged with six counts of assaulting Kristin Dunne-Powell and one of injuring her with reckless disregard, between 2002 and 2006. He was released on bail. On 16 April 2009 he appeared in Auckland District Court and entered a guilty plea to the most serious charge, of injuring with reckless disregard. The Crown did not present evidence regarding the other six charges, and they were dismissed. Dunne-Powell's victim impact statement read to the Auckland District Court evidenced that Veitch's kicks to her back, whilst she was lying on the ground caused her spine to fracture in two places, and that Dunne-Powell was forced to use a wheelchair and crutches for several weeks, as a result of Veitch's violent actions towards her.Veitch was sentenced to nine months supervision, 300 hours community service and a $10,000 fine with the possibility of having to attend a Stop Violence programme should this be deemed necessary by parole officials.
Since the sentencing, questions have come to light over the accuracy of some of the character testimonials submitted during the sentencing phase of the case. It has been alleged that Veitch amended character references or procured some testimonials from prominent New Zealanders by saying that their testimonials would be used for a passport or job application. These testimonials were used by the judge in setting Veitch's sentence. In particular, Dame Susan Devoy
Susan Devoy
Dame Susan Elizabeth Anne Devoy, DNZM, CBE is a New Zealand squash player who dominated the sport in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She won the World Open on four occasions.-Playing career:...
and Dave Currie have said that testimonials written by them to support a passport application were edited and submitted on this unrelated matter. The Crown will take no action on the matter.
Suicide attempts
Veitch has attempted suicide at least three times since the assault allegations were made public, including on 18 April 2009 shortly after sentencing. As Veitch requested, the press published his 2006 email to Kristin.Return to Radio Sport
In January 2010 Veitch returned to Newstalk ZB & Radio Sport as a news reader.On the 20th December 2010, Veitch returned to host Radio Sport's breakfast show.