Online Māori urged to be proactive with new changes in .nz

Online Māori urged to be proactive but cautious with new changes in .nz

The managing body of New Zealand domain names; InternetNZ’s subsidiary company The Domain Name Commissioner, announced that next year it will be possible to register a web address that ends in .nz without the need for .iwi, .māori, .co or any of the other 12 pre-assigned suffixes that currently must be used. The pre-assigned suffixes such as .maori.nz and .co.nz will still be an option though not likely to be first choice for new registrations said Karaitiana Taiuru of The New Zealand Maori Internet Society (NZMIS).

NZMIS have always supported the option to remove the pre-assigned suffixes as it will bring Aotearoa/New Zealand into line with many other countries in the world including the popular .com extension and will remove much of the current issues with Māori names on the Internet.

People will also have an option to choose between a new extension .kiwi and .nz next year. Karaitiana Taiuru said that NZMIS will be asking the Domain Name Commissioner to follow the lead of .kiwi and prevent registrations of sensitive Māori names.

Iwi and Māori share the same concerns as many businesses and brand owners will in regards to protection of their existing names being available without the pre-assigned suffix in the new .nz.

In its original submission supporting the change to the Domain Name Commission, NZMIS asked that all .iwi.nz registrations be made unavailable in the new .nz structure and that this include all of the other moderated names .mil, .govt, .parliament, .health and .cri . The latest announcement from the Domain Name Commissioner states there will be a public consultation in 2014 of which NZMIS will lobby Iwi and the Maori community to participate in.

NZMIS is also urging caution the proposal to remove the current extensions as historically with any new domain name changes in Aotearoa New Zealand, there is usually widespread cyber squatting and offensive name registrations. NZMIS urges any Maori organisations and Iwi who have become victims of identity theft in a .nz domain name, cyber squatting or false name registrations to use the free dispute service at the Domain Name Commissioner www.dnc.org.nz or to contact NZMIS to act as their representative with a dispute.

Background Information
Domain Name Commissioner Media Release http://dnc.org.nz/story/new-level-internet-domain-names-provide-more-choice-online-new-zealanders
NZMIS submission (2012) http://dnc.org.nz/content/registrations_second_level_karaitiana_taiuru.html

ENDS

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