'The right time': One New Zealand chief executive Jason Paris steps down

The chief executive of telecommunication company One New Zealand is stepping down, with current chief financial officer Nick Judd to take his place with immediate effect.

Jason Paris was currently on leave, with his official last day at One NZ understood to be a couple of months from now.

"Under Jason's leadership, One New Zealand has transformed into a company recognised for innovation, customer focus and long-term value creation. During this period, the company delivered strong shareholder returns alongside increased cash generation," One NZ board chairwoman Phillippa Harford said.

"Jason successfully guided the company through separation from Vodafone Group ownership and helped create One New Zealand, a proud Kiwi brand with a clear sense of purpose. He championed innovation, overseeing the launch of the world's first nationwide satellite-to-mobile service and positioning One New Zealand to become one of the world's most AI-enabled telecommunications companies."

Paris said it was time to step down after eight years in the job.

"There's never a perfect time to hand over the reins, but after nearly eight years, with the business performing strongly and our strategy firmly in place, this feels like the right time," he said.

"I'm looking forward to a break before taking on my next challenge. I don't know exactly what that'll be yet, but I know it'll be exciting."

Harford described Judd as a "well-rounded executive with extensive experience across strategy, operations, sales, commercial and finance".

Prior to joining One NZ, Judd was chief financial officer at Tourism Holdings, and also spent more than 15 years at Air New Zealand, in strategy, sales and growth roles.