2degrees founder Tex Edwards offers $5000 reward after Grey Lynn home break-in, Lexus car theft

Two degrees of separation: Telco founder Tex Edwards is offering $5000 to anyone who can reunite him with his Lexus. Photo / Supplied

“I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking the house seemed cold,” says 2degrees founder Tex Edwards.

The back door was open.

The keys to his beloved 17-year-old Lexus had been taken from the kitchen table.

The vehicle was gone from outside his Grey Lynn home, with his 6-year-old’s car seat inside it.

This was around 3am on Monday.

Police arrived and dusted for prints, but it was just another theft.

Insurer AMI recently said stolen vehicle claims rose 43 per cent last year across Auckland and Canterbury last year.

Tex Edwards' 17-year-old Lexus. A thief broke into his Grey Lynn house and took the keys to the vehicle.

But for Edwards, his 17-year-old Lexus IS 250 was a talisman. He bought it in 2006 after finally securing finance for 2degrees’ launch.

Staff put an 022 decal on the roof. He had an almost superstitious reluctance to sell it.

Edwards told the Herald that police had better things to do than hunt for his car. Instead, he’s taken to social media to offer a $5000 reward for recovery of the vehicle. [LATEST: Tex Edwards’ car recovered by police - who gets the reward?]

The registration is ECT620.

It’s wrapped in matte black “with ice white underneath”, Edwards says.

A lot of Facebook comments expressed outrage, while others delivered some good-natured ribbing.

“Tell the police to look for the car full of coffee cups,” posted telco executive Martin Edge.

Edwards left 2degrees in 2016. He became one of the directors of Hawaiki Cable, which broke the (then) 50 per cent Spark-owned Southern Cross Cable’s monopoly on NZ’s broadband connection to the outside world.

Most recently, he has been campaigning for more competition in the building materials and supermarket sectors.

Last June, Edwards was appointed to Building and Construction Minister Megan Woods’ Gib crisis taskforce.

AMI’s 10 most stolen vehicles for NZ last year

1. Toyota Aqua
2. Mazda Demio
3. Nissan Tiida
4. Mazda Atenza (Mazda 6)
5. Toyota MarkX
6. Toyota Vitz
7. Subaru Legacy
8. Toyota Corolla
9. Subaru Impreza
10. Mazda Familia

Chris Keall is an Auckland-based member of the Herald’s business team. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is technology editor and a senior business writer.