Indigenous cyberspace: The Māori renaissance and its influence on the web space of Aotearoa/New Zealand¹

The colonization of Aotearoa (Maori name for New Zealand) in the 19^th century and assimilation process during the early decades of the 20^th century saw the survival of the indigenous Māori society and its culture threatened. The Māori language, cultural practices, social organizations and tribal affiliations became less relevant in everyday life as participation in ‘mainstream’ New Zealand society required proficiency in English and the acceptance of western ways. Global liberal social movements of the 1960s and their local articulation, however, prepared the soil for a cultural revitalization. The Māori renaissance gained momentum during the 1970s first promoting a pan-tribal Māori culture. Social and political changes of the mid-1980s advocating a focus on biculturalism in Aotearoa allowed a shift towards a ‘re-tribalization’ of Māori society. This paper argues that the Māori renaissance and the increased importance of tribes were both greatly influential in the shaping of New Zealand's web space. An outline of these developments will serve as a background for this discussion. Closer attention is directed towards the development, introduction and uptake of two second-level domains –.iwi.nz and.maori.nz. The first has been instigated by government and is restricted to tribal organizations, whereas the latter was created out of the initiative of the New Zealand Māori Internet Society with the vision to provide a more inclusive domain name system catering for a bicultural society. The paper closes with an outlook on plans by the New Zealand Māori Internet Society to further indigenize Aotearoa's cyberspace.