By Patrick Gower
The Government has admitted its security agencies gave clearance to a deal with Chinese company Huawei to install New Zealand’s ultra-fast broadband network.
The admission has caused dissent within the Government's own ranks, because Huawei has been accused in the United States of being both a threat to national security and to individual privacy.
Because of this, the United States wants to shut Huawei out, congressman Mike Rogers says.
“Do we trust the Chinese? If I were an American company today – and I tell you this as the chairman of the House permanent select committee on intelligence – and you were looking at Huawei, I would find another vendor if you care about your intellectually property, if you care about your consumers' privacy, and you care about the national security of the United States of America.”
The Congress report says Huawei would assist espionage or cyber warfare by the Chinese government and must be stopped.
It follows Australia, which in March blocked Huawei from involvement in its broadband roll-out because it was a security threat.
Yet New Zealand has signed up Huawei as part of the $1.5-billion broadband roll-out, with Prime Minister John Key saying "it should be fine". But that is because the Huawei deal was vetted by New Zealand security agencies, most likely spy agency the GCSB.
“Our security agencies have… worked through the exercise before and after the contract was let,” Minister of Economic Development Steven Joyce says.
The GCSB will now monitor Huawei, which is a cause of concern within the Government's ranks. United Future MP Peter Dunne is one of those worried about the GCSB’s capability.
“There are a number of things that need to change to restore a level of confidence in its ability to do its job. And it's just when the Huawei issue comes along that highlights the need to have a credible functional intelligence service that people can have confidence in.”
Huawei has won broadband contracts across New Zealand. Details are commercially sensitive, but could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Green Party is worried that money could be going towards something else.
“We don't want to be in a situation where the taxpayer is paying hundreds of millions of dollars to make it easier for Beijing to spy on us,” Green MP Gareth Hughes says.
So even if it could, the Government does not appear willing to get out of the Huawei deal, and its message seems to be “trust us – our spies know what they are doing”.
3 News