Vodafone New Zealand has announced plans to change its name to One New Zealand early next year. The rebranding follows the NZD3.4 billion (USD1.9 billion) acquisition of the Kiwi operator in 2019 by infrastructure investor Infratil and Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management.
Vodafone NZ CEO Jason Paris described the rebranding as ‘the next logical step in [the telco’s] ongoing transformation’ from being part of a global group to a domestic operator, adding: ‘We think One New Zealand better reflects our deep connections and legacy in New Zealand, as well as our future ambitions.’ He also highlighted the move means the company ‘will have even more money to invest into our networks, onshore service, and technology solutions for our customers in New Zealand’.
Vodafone will reportedly retain a separate partnership with Vodafone Group under which the British firm will continue to provide a variety of backroom technical services to Vodafone, such as the certification of handsets for its network. The ability of Vodafone customers to roam on Vodafone Group’s networks overseas, and vice versa, will also not be affected.