Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media Minister Kris Faafoi says allocation of a slice of the 5G spectrum to Māori will act as a "stepping stone" toward recognising Māori interests in the radio spectrum.

OPINION: Earlier this week Stuff reported "Māori will get a slice of 5G spectrum as part of a Government decision to pave the way for the speedier deployment of the new generation of mobile technology".

It seems a cohort comprising Māori groups and individuals has been working on this for some time, but the decision raises questions.

First, it's important to understand 5G and its capabilities. According to Spark, 5G is the "fifth generation of our existing mobile connectivity" and it works using radiofrequency waves. Its rival, Vodafone, has stated 5G is "poised to change the way we work, live and play in New Zealand… New Zealand is set to see advances in everything from farming to healthcare, from retail to transport, from manufacturing to finance, and much more."

How so? 5G has the potential to bring super-fast downloads at a speed of up to 100 times faster than 4G, low latency to support real-time technologies and the ability to connect far more transmitting devices per square kilometre. A 5G network can handle 1 million Internet of Things devices per square kilometre, compared with 100,000 such devices on the 4G network.

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Tom Pullar-Strecker / Stuff Vodafone boss Jason Paris says market will decide if 5G deserves a price premium.

So why has the Government allocated a slice of the 5G spectrum to Māori? According to Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media, Kris Faafoi: "The short-term allocation of spectrum to Māori will act as a stepping stone for Māori and the Crown to reach an enduring agreement which recognises Māori interests in radio spectrum." Industry sources have said long-term rights for Māori are likely.

Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I've found that whenever the Government says "Māori interests" that is code for select organisations and individuals, not all Māori. In other words, I don't believe financial benefits from ownership of a slice of the 5G spectrum will trickle down to Māori who need it the most.

In this instance, the Government is working with the "Māori Spectrum Working Group" comprised of the New Zealand Māori Council; Ngā Kaiwhakapūmau i Te Reo (Wellington Māori Language Board); Graeme Everton, on behalf of Rangiaho Everton, who "took the Crown to the Waitangi Tribunal over its refusal to recognise Māori ownership of radio spectrum"; Haami Piripi, on behalf of Iwi leaders; Te Huarahi Tika Trust; and Antony Royal and Robyn Kamira, as "Māori industry representatives".

So now we know who "Māori" are for the 5G spectrum, what is their argument for ownership?

Matthew Tukaki, of the New Zealand Māori Council, said: "What everyone needs to be aware of is that spectrum is a resource that Māori should own and have a stake in, much like water and so on. So, to establish a clear path to ownership of a resource must be a key focus."

I am, of course, a supporter of Tukaki's advocacy work, including his efforts for Māori suicide prevention, but I am yet to be convinced spectrum is a resource "Māori should own". Tukaki's position is based on Sir Graham Latimer's 1990 claim on behalf of the Māori Council to the Waitangi Tribunal that "sought findings that Māori have rangatiratanga over the allocation of radio frequencies".

The Māori Council claim acknowledged that "existence of radio waves was discovered by Heinrich Hertz [a German physicist] in about 1886", but "whether discovered or not, the [Māori] chiefs and tribes had absolute chieftainship over all resources, discovered and undiscovered, in New Zealand in 1840".

So, a German physicist discovered radio waves, in Germany, about 1886, so therefore Māori should own 5G mobile technology today because the spectrum was a resource, albeit undiscovered, before or at the signing of the treaty? That's just as nonsensical as the Waitangi Tribunal's report that found: "The spectrum is a taonga to be shared by the tribes and by all mankind." A taonga. Really?

Being Māori, of course I'd like to see Māori up and down the country reap the benefits of ownership, for example, home ownership and business ownership. But, no matter how I look at it, I cannot see a logical, rational argument for the Government to give "Māori" a slice of 5G spectrum. Moreover, government actions such as this feed into the hysteria that Māori are given preferential treatment and handouts when in fact your Māori neighbours and work-mates won't see a cent. Who then benefits?

Steve Elers is a senior lecturer at Massey University, who writes a weekly column for Stuff on social and cultural issues