Traditionally members ofwhānau (extended family) andhapū (sub-tribe) lived together while those of aniwi (tribe) lived within a distinct tribal area. In the mid-20th century Māori, a largely rural people, moved in large numbers into the cities. This rural to urban migration, the Māori diaspora, led to the majority of Māori living outside their rohe (tribal area).Iwi members stay in touch by returning to homemarae forhui, tangi or reunions. They have also formed urban-based groups linked toiwi, known as taura-here. But the internet has provided a new means foriwi interaction.

Virtual marae

Iwi andhapū members can connect to theirmarae over the internet. One well-used site formarae is www.naumaiplace.com. Its aim is to have everymarae throughout the country registered, so tribal members can accessmarae-related information through the site. It aims to connectwhānau andmarae around the world.

The Old Friends site also offers the option for members to sign up to connect to amarae, as well as workplaces or schools.

The internet has also provided a forum for people advocating Māori causes. Aotearoa Café is a site providing alternative stories and views to those in the mainstream media.

Iwi websites

Mostiwi have their own websites. There is a variety in the form of the domain names. Besides using .iwi.nz, tribal websites utilise .maori.nz, .co.nz and the top-level domain, .com, for example:

• Muaūpoko – www.muaupoko.iwi.nz
• Ngāi Takoto – www.ngaitakoto.com
• Te Rarawa – www.terarawa.co.nz
• Ngāi Tai – www.ngaitai.maori.nz
• Ngāi Te Rangi – www.ngaiterangi.org.nz.

While content varies on tribal websites, they share the function of keeping tribal members in touch.

Iwi websites can contain:

• news about theiwi – newsletters, pānui (notices) and calendars
• lists of tribalmarae
• history of theiwi
• iwi registration information
• iwi-themed merchandise
• information about Treaty of Waitangi settlements and fisheries assets
• forums
• iwi language and dialect revitalisation.

Te reo resources

A number ofiwi have set up specific websites to assist in the revitalisation of their dialects. The Ngāi Tahu tribe has the Kotahi Mano Kāika website – ‘one thousand homes’. Their goal is to have a thousand Ngāi Tahu homes speaking Kāi Tahu reo (the Ngāi Tahu dialect of Māori) as a natural language of communication by the year 2025. Taranaki Reo is another site which includes information about language strategies. It lists events, and is making a digital archive for future students of the Taranaki dialect.

Virtual hui

Māori university staff and researchers have utilised a telecommunications link known as KAREN, which provides high-capacity, super-high-speed connectivity between New Zealand’s tertiary institutions, research organisations, libraries, wānanga, schools and museums, and the rest of the world.

In a seminar series named Manu Ao (Māori Academic Network across Universities in Aotearoa) Māori staff and those with Māori research interests were able to hold weekly discussions via KAREN.

Cultural threat

While the digital age has assisted Māori in many ways, it also has its disadvantages.

Cybersquatting on Māori andiwi-specific names has been a problem. In the initial rush of access to domain names many Māori andiwi-specific domain names were purchased specifically for resale to people who treasured those names.

Digitised information using Māori themes has also been a concern. Intellectual and cultural property ownership issues have arisen over the use and display ofwhakapapa (genealogies), and digitisation of paintings or photographs of ancestors displayed on the internet. Songs, stories andhaka have been exploited by businesses, and computer games made by large international companies have used Māori themes.

Social networking

A 2007 study showed that Māori using the internet utilised social network sites more thanPākehā – and the same amount as those of Asian ethnicity. Pasifika peoples used the sites more than any other group. The high use of social networking sites by Māori and Pasifika peoples led to the Electoral Enrolment Centre commissioning Bebo profiles for the 2008 election.