KEY POINTS:
Sports presenter Tony Veitch left his former partner lying on the ground for up to six hours before picking her up and taking her to hospital, the Herald has learned.
A source said Veitch threw Kristin Dunne-Powell down a flight of stairs, then kicked her as she lay
on the ground.
She passed out, and the source, who did not want to be named, said Veitch left her at the bottom of the stairs for about six hours before picking her up and taking her to hospital.
Veitch has stepped aside from his roles presenting One News sport, the TV quiz show A Game of Two Halves and Radio Sport breakfast while his employers investigate claims he assaulted Ms Dunne-Powell in 2006, breaking bones in her back and leaving her temporarily unable to walk.
TVNZ said last night that veteran broadcaster Peter Williams would replace him as its frontman for the Beijing Olympics. Williams will present the evening coverage, and the sports news within the 6pm bulletin.
Veitch has not given details of the incident - for which he has apologised to Ms Dunne-Powell and paid her up to $170,000 in compensation - saying only that he "lashed out in anger".
He told the Herald on Sunday he could say only that there had been a terrible incident that he had regretted ever since.
Veitch did not return calls from the Herald yesterday.
Broadcasting Minister Trevor Mallard is pressing TVNZ to disclose exactly what senior managers knew about the assault and when they learned of it.
Mr Mallard rejected a report from TVNZ chairman Sir John Anderson, saying it was too light on details.
He wants to know why the matter was not reported to TVNZ chief executive Rick Ellis and whether staff knew the incident was a physical assault rather than "some kind of altercation".
On Saturday, it was revealed that TVNZ's head of television, head of corporate affairs, head of news and current affairs and a news and current affairs lawyer met Veitch at his request on December 17 last year.
Yesterday, Mr Mallard suggested that, as inquiring people, some of whom were experienced in news-gathering, the managers should have asked more questions of Veitch.
Sir John said on One News last night that an agitated and stressed Veitch told managers he wanted to talk about a domestic matter just before he was due to marry Zoe Halford, who is now his wife.
At the meeting, Veitch said he was under severe pressure from a former partner, which culminated in a request from a lawyer for money.
Some time after the meeting, Veitch told TVNZ he had settled the matter with a payment.
Rick Ellis has said that at no time during the meeting were the TVNZ managers told that Ms Dunne-Powell had been kicked, had bones broken in her back and needed a wheelchair, as alleged last week.
But Mr Mallard questioned whether it was right for TVNZ to continue promoting Veitch after the meeting as the face of the Olympics.
Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday that if senior managers knew of the assault and "failed to join up the dots", it indicated a moral crisis at the state broadcaster.
Mr Mallard said it was clear TVNZ managers had been left with the impression of something quite different from the assault that appeared to have occurred.
He said he would be concerned if the affair ended in a payout from TVNZ to Veitch.
TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards said the company was limited by privacy and employment laws as to what it could tell the public and Mr Mallard. She said it would be telling the minister all it could.
The manager of talk programming at The Radio Network, Bill Francis, said the company was "working through a steady and logical process" over Veitch's employment.
