The two candidates for Telecom's board of directors nominated by United States hedge fund Elliott International say they are standing to be independents representing all shareholders, not just their sponsor.
Mark Cross and Mark Tume also said their bid had become blurred by calls from Elliott for the structural separation of Telecom, The New Zealand Herald reported today.
Mr Cross -- who recently returned from heading the Deutsche Bank acquisitions team in London -- said nominations and debate about structure were separate.
Asked whether he and Mr Tume would be focused on the issue of structural separation, Mr Cross said: "I think we will be more focused on our own independence."
"Elliott's view of structural separation is well known and well documented but we are not Elliott's seats on the board."
Asked whether the issue of separation was fundamental to the business plan, Mr Cross said he had an open mind.
Mr Tume -- who is a director of Infratil, Transpower and NZ Refining Company -- declined to comment on whether Elliott's statement through public relations firm Sweeney Vesty on Monday had harmed prospects for the board seats.
Both Mr Cross and Mr Tume said they had no previous relationship with Elliott.