Does an olive farm on Waiheke beckon for former HP chief Barry Hastings? The 49-year-old resigned suddenly last week, citing "personal reasons" and "a lifestyle choice".
Hastings has been with Hewlett-Packard for a decade and was country head of the pre-merger company. At the "new" HP he was general manager of both the personal systems and imaging and print groups.
Hastings missed out on the top job at the new entity to proclaimed friend and rival Russell Hewitt, former head of Compaq New Zealand.
In a statement, Hewitt says he accepts the resignation of his "good friend" with "regret".
There is "no better time than now to make this move", says Hastings in the statement.
"I will be staying in touch with Russell and give him as much support as I can over the coming months. I will maintain a strong interest in the company."
Hastings and Hewitt were unavailable for comment. HP spokesman Ken Erskine says he didn't expect Hastings' departure, which is likely to happen within the next month or so. Erskine would not comment on whether any payoffs will be made to Hastings, but says regional and local chiefs will be reviewing his job roles for a possible restructure.
At the time of the merger announcement Hastings said he helped his wife grow olives at their 750-tree plantation on Waiheke Island.
He said then that olives would not be his new business, but this perspective may have changed over recent months.