with Dr Karaitiana Taiuru
Discussions and expert opinions on both New Zealand and International domain names and how they impact Māori and Indigenous Peoples.
This section primarily looks at .maori.nz, .māori.nz the worlds first Indigenous domains. Also discussions and options for new GTLD options from ICANN.
Māori Macrons in Domain Names: The History and a Practical Guide to IDNs in .nz (2006–2026) By Dr Karaitiana Taiuru. Consolidated on 10 October 2026 from twelve posts first published between 28 April 2006 and 31 December 2023. Original publication dates are kept throughout. Key facts at a glance What: Māori macron vowels (ā ē … Read more
The dot io domain name is a common General Top Level Domain Name (GTLD) for many tech companies, but also for some Māori groups in part for the tech abbreviation for input/output but also as it is the name of a disputed Māori deity called Io. The dot io domain is assigned to a country … Read more
First published in 2012 as a pdf and republished in 2024. Discussion about the costs, procedures and the currently vast amount of space on the Internet for Māori that is either underutilised or not utilised at all. The issue that it will take at least two separate, but more likely three separate applications to have … Read more
With information relating to .iwi.nz and .maori.nz and domain name disputes (2016) Karaitiana N Taiuru and Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara Fist published in 2016 as a pdf. Republished in 2023 as a post. Introduction This paper is a beginners guide to Internet Domain names in New Zealand with some reference to other domain names outside of … Read more
How do I transfer my domain name out of the Domain Name Commision holding registrar to my registrar/domain name provider of choice? What to consider when transferring your domain name? Level of support Before transferring your domain name, consider the level of support you need from your registrar, especially if you have multiple .nz domain … Read more
Can non-Māori can use the New Zealand Domain Name maori.nz? As the primary author of the application that lobbied InternetNZ to create maori.nz domain name in 2000, I say yes. Further information about Māori Data Sovereignty is in Compendium of Māori Data Sovereignty. Anyone anywhere in the world can register a maori.nz domain. But, only … Read more
This blog post is an update to my June 05 2011 post “Registering a domain name with a macron“. Since July 26, 2010 in New Zealand, all authorised .nz registrars have to be able to register a .nz domain name with a macron. Not all offer this service though. This type of domain is called … Read more
The regulatory organisation of the Internet Domain Name .nz domain name space asked for feedback on their consultation. My submission considers Māori and Iwi representation and the lack of consultation in past reviews of .nz and it appears they have also been overlooked in this consultation. My feedback is based on 22 years of Māori … Read more
The early years of .nz Internet domain names saw Māori and Iwi marginalized and ignored, Māori domain names held to ransom and Iwi dictated to about their online representation. This is important to remember as a domain name is the digital equivalent of a pepeha, tā moko or whakapapa for online Māori. The consequence of … Read more
By Dr Karaitiana Taiuru. Consolidated on 10 October 2026 from seven posts first published between 27 July 2008 and 23 January 2017. Original publication dates are kept throughout. Key facts at a glance The problem: since .maori.nz launched on 5 September 2002, iwi and Māori domain names have repeatedly been cybersquatted: bought cheaply and offered … Read more
Research into how many .govt.nz web site contact forms and contact email addresses would accept an email address with a Māori macron (IDN). First published in 2015 here. Contents Methodology. 2 Introduction. 4 Summary. 5 Key findings. 6 Conclusion. 7 Appendices. 8 New Zealand Government Departments who accept IDN email addresses in online forms. 9 … Read more
iwi.nz is a moderated 2nd level domain specific to Iwi Māori. It is moderated to protect Iwi applicants from individuals: Using an Iwi name for non Iwi purposes From purchasing an Iwi name in the .iwi.nz area, and offering to sell it back at huge inflated prices Directing an iwi name to distasteful websites, and … Read more
All historical .iwi.nz moderation policies from the original in 1997. The current policy is here. The original moderation policy was casual and was not written or published in in any formal manner until 1997. 1994 Guidelines 1997 2000 2003 2011 1994. Prior to the founding of Internet Society of New Zealand, the following guidelines were … Read more
If you have te reo Māori or macrons in your email address, it is unlikely you will be able to contact a government department, MP, local council or a polytechnic. Read the full report here. Most of the 158 NZ government department website online contact forms surveyed, would not accept an email with macrons. This … Read more
I was asked to present to the ICANN 47th meeting Durban South Africa about Indigenous perceptions of the new GTLD program. The speech I gave is written below and on YouTube. Considering I only had 5-7 minutes and a few weeks to prepare, it was very light on details but does cover a number of … Read more
A recent collaboration between GodZone Internet Services a domain name company and myself as the .iwi.nz moderator will ensure that Iwi can now register their web addresses and names with macrons within the exclusive .iwi.nz address. For example ngāi-mea.iwi.nz is now a feasible web address. Despite such technology being available for the past 3 years, … Read more
Archived from August 20 2012 The new GTLD program from ICANN which closed its first round of applications included a number of cultural identity and society names being applied for by corporations. The public have been able to express their objections to strings and have been busy doing so here. While it may seem as … Read more
Archived from September 10 21012 .kiwi.nz was launched at 10am this morning in an effort to gain at least 500 registrations within a month so that the domain could be a permanent domain. Within one hour 1000 registrations occurred. Already I have noticed a dozen cyber-squatted Māori names. If you have not already done so, I would suggest you … Read more