This morning I went to see Hon Barry Paterson, the retired High Court judge who chairs the IOG. I was a bit apprehensive – got to this stage of life without connecting with High Court judges – but he proved to be very approachable and personable (“call me Barry”).
He was very interested in TUANZ and our role in the scheme of things, and has obviously got his head around the separation issues comprehensively.
The IOG is about to launch a Web site which will bring them out of the closet, so to speak. They’ve also offered to meet the CEOs of several of the major telcos. In turn I’ve invited him to meet the TUANZ Board at a future meeting.
I took him a nice bottle of Central Otago red. He wasn’t sure about that (“secret commissions and all that.”) But we agreed if I recorded it on the blog it would no longer be “secret” and was therefore kosher.
For the same reason, let me record that he in turn, bought me a flat white, and offered me a second which I turned down.
Good that these guys are moving into open and transparent mode. As I said to him Telecom seem to be approaching the process in a very honorable way, but the IOG will still have a very important role in giving comfort to industry customers going forward.