New Zealand leader says no final decision on using Huawei

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tuesday that no final decision has been made on whether Huawei equipment can be used in a planned network upgrade.

New Zealand's international spy agency in November stopped mobile company Spark from using the equipment in its planned 5G upgrade, saying it posed a "significant network security risk."

But in a television interview with Newshub, Ardern said Spark had the option of mitigating the spy agency's concerns. Ardern said it was important to note there had been no final decision.

"I'm not here to pass assessments on vendors ..." Ardern told Newshub.