A similar game of pass-the-parcel occurred with director Meg Matthews.
Fellow board members Trish Carter, Keiran Horne and Aliesha Staples did not respond to questions.
Director Toko Kapea said he had spent the last week sick with Covid and had not been briefed about developments concerning the former Breakfast host, but also referred questions to Green.
Green, acting general manager of communications at TVNZ, in turn issued a statement this morning attributed to Malloy saying while the board was not able to comment on specific employment matters it was "confident the situation has been handled swiftly and appropriately throughout".
The statement references chief executive Simon Power's review of recruitment policies, noting "he has informed the board it is his view they haven't been followed or applied consistently, and that's why he has called in an independent employment lawyer to look at them".
It emerged yesterday that the head of news and current affairs at TVNZ, Paul Yurisich, is on leave while that review of hiring takes place.
It is understood that Yurisich recruited Santamaria from Al Jazeera, where the pair also worked together.
Meanwhile, a TVNZ staffer confirmed that Power apologised to staff yesterday about the organisation's initial claim that Santamaria's resignation was related to a "family emergency".
They confirmed he apologised and said it was "wrong".
Santamaria last week left his job at TVNZ after just 32 days. The Herald has since spoken with a number of women who claim to have received questionable messages from him.
The Herald's phone calls and messages to Kevin Kenrick, who finished up as chief executive of TVNZ in March, were also not returned.
