New Zealand follows Australia and US in banning Huawei 5G gear on security grounds

Huawei identified as 'significant network security risk' by GCSB director general Andrew Hampton

New Zealand has followed the US and neighbouring Australia in banning Huawei networking equipment from 5G communication networks, citing "national security concerns".

Spark, the country's largest telecoms company, claimed on Wednesday that government officials had issued a warned that using 5G equipment from China's Huawei "would, if implemented, raise significant national security risks".

The statement from Spark continued: "While we are disappointed with this decision, we are confident that [it] will not affect our plans to launch Spark's 5G network by 1 July 2020, subject to the necessary spectrum being made available by the New Zealand Government."

Andrew Hampton, the director general of New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), New Zealand's equivalent of GCHQ, confirmed its decision. "I have informed Spark that a significant network security risk was identified," said Hampton in a statement.

In response, the Chinese company merely said that it was "looking into the matter".

Its statement continued: "As the GCSB has noted, this is an ongoing process. We will actively address any concerns and work together to find a way forward."

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US government is putting foreign allies under pressure to ditch networking equipment from the Chinese company.

As part of an "extraordinary outreach campaign", US security officials have reportedly reached out to European and Asian countries where Huawei equipment is already in use - including the UK, where Huawei hardware forms a key part of BT's 21st Century Network - warning them about the "national security risks" posed by the company.

As well as scaremongering about cybersecurity risks, the WSJ's sources claim Washington has been considering increasing financial aid for telecommunications development in countries that shun Chinese-made equipment.

It's also mulling a subsidy for the purchase and maintenance of non-Chinese equipment by its allies, the report adds, noting that one of the government's main concerns surrounds the use of Chinese telecom equipment in countries that host US military bases, such as Italy, Japan and Germany.

Germany has already been considering a ban on 5G equipment from Huawei. In Asia, a ban is also under consideration in Japan.

Australia's 5G Huawei ban was met with fierce condemnation by China's government, which included veiled threats of retaliation.