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The .health.nz proposal


Date of publication: December 2007
Submissions closed: Friday 8 February 2008

A summary of reponses on the proposal is now available

The Ministry of Health (Ministry) proposes to apply for the .health.nz domain name for the exclusive use of the Health & Disability Sector (Sector). An exclusive domain name will enable improved security for electronic communication and provide significant membership and confidence related benefits.

Background: Internet domain names in New Zealand


  • Names on the Internet, such as moh.govt.nz, are made up of levels called domains – .nz is a first level domain and .govt.nz is a second level domain. There are currently 13 possible second level domains in New Zealand. Many of these, such as .co.nz are open to anyone, but some are exclusive to particular business divisions. Names ending in .govt.nz can only be obtained by bona fide central or local government bodies, a restriction which maintains the exclusivity and the authority of them.
  • Exclusive domains like .govt.nz are said to be moderated whereby access to them is controlled by an entity that has the confidence of the sector to enforce the moderation policy, a set of rules to maintain the exclusivity of the domain. Several other moderated second level domains exist, for instance, the New Zealand Bankers’ Association has recently successfully applied for .bank.nz for the exclusive use of registered banks.
  • New Zealand domain names are administered by the not-for-profit organisation InternetNZ in accordance with policies it publishes and consults on from time to time. InternetNZ policy allows for new second-level domains to be added if applied for by a “community of interest”, as has happened recently for .parliament.nz and .bank.nz.
  • There is currently no Internet domain for the exclusive use of the Sector – no online identity. Instead, health providers use a wide variety of domain names including .org.nz, .co.nz and .govt.nz.
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Why establish a .health.nz domain


Information and communication technology within the Sector is constantly changing. A .health.nz domain will provide improved security for the next generation of health networking. In particular:
  • It will provide the opportunity to develop and use a confidentiality layer over external email which can be restricted by domain name. Email can then be used to transfer identifiable health information classified as sensitive.
  • The public can use the .health.nz domain name to help distinguish fake websites from originals in ‘phishing’ attempts.

Use of a .health.nz domain name will also provide membership and confidence related benefits. In particular:
  • A standardised naming convention will provide synergy within the Sector, which will assist with collaboration.
  • It will indicate to the public that they are dealing with a legitimate health body.
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Proposal: Establishing a .health.nz domain
  • The Ministry proposes to apply for the .health.nz domain name for the exclusive use of the Sector.
  • The Sector will be defined as organisations whose principal purpose is to provide health services through registered practitioners and government bodies whose role is to support health delivery or public health. This definition rests on professional registration as defined in legislation (HPCA Act 2003).
  • The exchange of information with non-registered practitioners will continue as it does today.
  • The Ministry will apply to be the moderator for the .health.nz domain on behalf of the Sector. The moderator’s role is to offer the domain names and manage policy. The Ministry has drafted a moderation policy, the main features of which are:
    • Names in .health.nz are restricted to the Sector as defined above.
    • Names chosen in .health.nz are expected to reflect the actual or trading names of the bodies or practitioners using them.
    • The moderator will adjudicate in cases where names are sufficiently similar to cause confusion.
  • The Ministry will pay the domain name fees for .health.nz names. DHBs and practitioners will remain responsible for any costs associated with changing their business collateral, including signage, stationery, or website.
  • .health.nz domain names will be available only through the Health Internet Registrar at register.health.nz. Those providing support for registered practitioners will be able to apply on their behalf, but the practitioners will be the legal holders of the names, not the support providers. The Health Internet Registrar will offer an optional name service for dot health names. This is a technical function necessary to use a domain name. Name service may alternatively be provided by Internet service providers or directly at larger sites such as DHBs.
  • Domain names will be issued to practices, clinics and surgeries rather than individual practitioners, although exceptions can be made if there is no obvious organisation through which a particular practitioner works. For example, Dr John Smith working through the Newlands Clinic might be john@newlandsclinic.health.nz or john.smith@newlandsclinic.health.nz. The domain name would be granted to the clinic of which John is part, even if he is its only practitioner. How the clinic allocates its email addresses, and whether it makes them available to the public, is up to the clinic. The most common form for email addresses in New Zealand is firstname.lastname.
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Sector support
  • The .health.nz proposal is supported by the Health Information Strategy Action Committee (HISAC) and ACC. Both fully support the approach and concur with the Sector definition used, which will limit the domain name to registered health practitioners and relevant government agencies.
  • The Ministry is seeking support from the wider Sector before proceeding with the application.

Process
  • The Ministry is consulting the Sector about whether the proposal should go ahead and is currently soliciting feedback from regulatory authorities, DHBs, and key Sector representatives.
  • If this consultation shows sufficient Sector support for the proposal, the Ministry will apply to the Domain Name Commission for the .health.nz name. The application will include a moderation policy, covering the definition of the Sector given above and the appointment of the Ministry as moderator.
  • On receiving an application the Domain Name Commission will also consult the Sector and the public about the application and the moderation policy. The Commission will only agree to grant the .health.nz name if there is broad support for the name and proposed moderation policy.

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Submissions closed on Friday 8 February 2008
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