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 many other dubious schemes.
- To ensure that Iwi can be assured that their Iwi names have a Kaitiaki, and will remain in the rightful hands.
The same issues corporate entities and businesses face in the online world in regards to branding and identity are also faced by Iwi.
There is no difference between the commercial and Iwi groups and many other Indigenous Peoples of the world. The only exception is that Iwi have an authentic and protected area on the web with .iwi.nz .
.iwi.nz is a specifically Iwi/Hapu/Taurahere Ropu only web address that is moderated by a real human who checks the authenticity of Iwi names and declines names that are not being registered by the Iwi.
Only two companies have the authority to register .iwi.nz names which further offers authenticity and security in .iwi.nz and is a further assurance to web site visitors and whānau that the web site they are visiting is really the genuine Iwi web site.
The importance for Iwi to register only in .iwi.nz is vital to ensure that Iwi protect both their online identity and for the online safety of Iwi members and whānau.
The issues of a non .iwi.nz address for Iwi.
So often we hear of a web search for a tribe that takes a user to a gambling web site, an imitation site offering fake jewelry and resources or to pornographic content.
In New Zealand the issues Iwi have faced is people who register Iwi names out of the .iwi.nz address and then offer them for sale at sometimes hundreds of dollars the original price to register the name in the first place. Another issue that Iwi face is having their genuine web site duplicated so as it looks the same as the genuine Iwi web site. The scammers then use the fake site to gain personal information, credit card details etc.
Sometimes a site is registered with the Iwi name out side if .iwi.nz and appears first in Google searches. This issue can be combated by asking your web developer or web expert to make your web site rank higher in search engine rankings by using key words etc.
Previous widespread issues.
When .maori.nz was launched in 2002, a businessman bulk registered the majority of Iwi names and then offered them for sale.
Likewise in 2012 the launch of the new .kiwi.nz domain name saw a handful of individuals register Iwi names. In 2013 The New Zealand Maori Internet Society began its investigation and logged formal complaints about several of the names.
Potential issues on non .iwi.nz
Imagine someone searching the Internet for an Iwi organisation and finds IWIname.maori.nz and registers their personal details in a manner one would expect to find on an authentic Iwi web site. But unbeknownst to the visitor, the web site is run by criminals who now have a database of contact details of whānau and individuals. It is very simple to do and is often seen with criminals registering names similar to a bank or other business name and creating almost identical web sites. It is called a phishing attack and happens more often than most people think.
Another common trick that online scammers use is ascertaining commonly miss spelt word variants and registering those as genuine web addresses. For Iwi there is the added security concern that macrons can be added into web addresses, hence ngāi or ngāti can be added to a web address. Again this is another reason to use .iwi.nz as it is almost impossible for any fraudulent names to be registered, or at least for very long without the contact details of the person being recorded and the address cancelled.