Huawei has today responded to the decision from the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to ban Huawei 5G equipment from the Spark network.
Yesterday the GCSB declined Spark’s proposal to use Huawei after "a significant network security risk was identified" with the Chinese owned telco.
But Huawei is unhappy with the decision and is appealing to the Government for clarification and wants an urgent meeting.
It’s a Chinese company and experts warn there will be consequences from Beijing.
Andrew Bowater, Huawei New Zealand Deputy Managing Director, says the GCSB and Ministers have not engaged with Huawei in the process and although the announcement was publicly noted, he says there was no formal notification or contact from the GCSB.
"In the interests of natural justice and fairness, Huawei is seeking an urgent meeting with the relevant Ministers and officials to understand the Government’s position and get clarification of the process from here," he says.
"There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by Huawei presented and we strongly reject the notion that our business threatens New Zealand in any way. We deserve the opportunity to have our voice heard and to address any concerns in good faith."
Mr Bowater says the biggest potential impact will be on New Zealand consumers both in terms of technology and price due to the lack of competition.
The US and Australia have made a similar move over the Chinese company.
The US has warned that Huawei is a security threat due to the possibility of Chinese government interference. However, Huawei has denied carrying out any intelligence work for the Chinese government.
On Sunday TVNZ1 Q+A host Corin Dann questioned GCSB Minister Andrew Little about the decision New Zealand would have to make, after the Wall Street Journal reported the US urged Five Eyes countries to avoid using Huawei.
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