Underfire online tramping retailer Aorangi Methven has been shut down following a number of complaints.

There had been multiple reports of people buying top-of-the-line gear from the website, only to receive cheap equipment accompanied by an often random assortment of items. Complaints to the website went unanswered. 

In March, Wilderness ran a story highlighting people’s experience with the website and just weeks later, the Domain Name Commission moved to terminate the website.

 The commission is responsible for monitoring and registering .nz domain names. Commission spokesperson Henry Williams said after a number of complaints, the commission checked the website’s details and found them in breach of its terms and conditions – the contact details for the domain were incorrect, and attempts to contact the company were unsuccessful. 

The domain name was cancelled and locked on April 10.

The commission has been criticised for failing to ensure that .nz websites provided correct details and were not fraudulent, but Williams said the DNC was stepping up compliance work.