New Zealand splits .nz three ways: a registry, a regulator and authorised registrars. Knowing who does what tells you where to go when something goes wrong. The sources are the Domain Name Commission’s .nz Rules (version 3.2, in effect since 17 March 2026) and pages from InternetNZ, IANA and the New Zealand Dispute Resolution Centre, all checked 1 November 2026.
IANA lists InternetNZ as the manager of .nz, and IANA’s records show .nz was created on 19 January 1987. The same questions are answered for Germany in .de domains and for Mexico in .mx domains.
What the Domain Name Commission is and does
The .nz Rules describe the set-up plainly: “The Domain Name Commission Limited (DNC) is a subsidiary of InternetNZ. Through the DNC Operating Agreement InternetNZ has appointed (DNC) to manage aspects of .nz on behalf of InternetNZ. Ultimate responsibility for .nz remains with InternetNZ.” The same page adds that the “DNC acts independently of, and is not responsible to, InternetNZ for the performance of its functions and responsibilities.”
Rule 1.3 separates the functions. The registry function is performed by InternetNZ, “which runs the .nz Register”; the regulatory function is performed by the DNC; and the registrar function is performed by the companies the DNC has authorised. InternetNZ creates and consults on the .nz Rules, and the Domain Name Commission enforces them. It has five full-time staff, including Barbara Pearse, the Domain Name Commissioner, appointed in May 2023.
Its listed functions include enforcing the rules, authorising and removing registrars, running a dispute resolution service and investigating complaints about registrars. It can have a registration cancelled if the Register data is incorrect, and can cancel a name “without warning” if it was obtained by fraud or deception. It may also ask a holder to verify their identity.
It refers on complaints about a website’s content and “illegal or malicious use of a domain name (e.g. spam, phishing, or possible breaches of New Zealand legislation)”.
Who can register, and the .nz second levels
Rule 2.2.1 lets a person apply through an authorised registrar “if the person is an Identifiable Individual over the age of 18 or lawfully constituted entity.” The .nz Rules set no residency or local-presence requirement. Names go to whoever applies first, “on a first come, first served basis”, and the holder does not own the name: under rule 2.2.6 they hold “a licence from InternetNZ to use it as long as it remains Registered.”
There are three ways to register: directly at the top level (example.nz), under an unmoderated second level such as .co.nz, or, if you qualify, under a moderated one.
| Space | Moderation | Who can register (checked 1 November 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Direct (example.nz) | Unmoderated | Any individual over 18 or lawful entity |
| .ac.nz, .co.nz, .geek.nz, .gen.nz, .kiwi.nz, .maori.nz, .net.nz, .org.nz, .school.nz | Unmoderated | Any individual over 18 or lawful entity |
| .govt.nz | Moderated; new names only via the Government Registrar (Department of Internal Affairs) | Bona fide central or local government bodies |
| .cri.nz | Moderated | Bona fide Crown Research Institutes |
| .iwi.nz | Moderated by Tū Ātea Limited | Traditional Māori tribes or hapū belonging to a traditional iwi, or related iwi entities |
| .health.nz, .mil.nz, .parliament.nz | Moderated by the Ministry of Health, New Zealand Defence Force and Parliamentary Service | As each moderator allows |
Two points catch people out. First, .ac.nz is unmoderated under the current rules. Second, there is no .com.nz: names may not end in “.com.nz”, “.gov.nz”, “.government.nz”, “.edu.nz” or “.nic.nz”. Use .co.nz or a direct name instead. Rule 1.2 adds: “No new second level domains will be created.”
Characters are limited to lowercase a–z, digits 0–9 and the hyphen, up to 63 characters, with no hyphen at the start or end. Vowels with a macron (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) are allowed.
Terms, renewal and the 90-day Pending Release Period
“The default term for a .nz domain name is 1 year,” and the maximum is 10 years, in whole years. A name “will be automatically renewed on the expiry of its term (subject to the Auto-Renew Grace Period) unless it is cancelled.” That grace period ends 45 days after the automatic renewal, and there is no charge if the name is cancelled within it. Prices are covered in how much a domain name costs.
Once a name is cancelled, it “is not available for registration until 90 days have passed since its cancellation (the Pending Release Period)”, which the rules note is “known internationally as the ‘redemption period'”. During that time the registrar (or a new registrar the holder moves to) can reinstate it, but must not “assign it to a third party”. After 90 days InternetNZ removes it and anyone can register it.
Changing registrar is free by rule: the holder “must not be charged for changing the Registrar by the existing Registrar or the new Registrar.” The authorisation code “will expire after 30 days”.
The .nz Dispute Resolution Service
The .nz Dispute Resolution Scheme sits in Schedule 2 of the rules (version 5, in effect since 1 October 2024). The New Zealand Dispute Resolution Centre (NZDRC) is “the company subcontracted by DNC to administer the Scheme on DNC’s behalf”, and claims are filed on its site.
A claimant must show they have “Rights in respect of a name or mark which is identical or similar to the Domain Name”, and that the name, in the respondent’s hands, “is an Unfair Registration”. The standard is “on the balance of probabilities (more likely than not)”. NZDRC adds that “the onus is on you as the claimant”.
There are two routes. Mediation is “voluntary, private and confidential”. Expert determination “is binding on the parties (subject to any appeal)”, and the dispute only goes to an expert once the claimant has paid the fee. Either party can appeal “within 10 working days” to a panel of three experts; the appellant “must pay the appeal panel’s fee currently NZ $8,337.50 ($7,250 plus GST)”. An ordered transfer is enacted when the appeal period ends. The other fee amounts were not found on the pages read.
Complaints about a registrar or reseller are a separate DNC process. Disputes under other extensions, and UDRP, are covered in domain name dispute resolution.
How big .nz is, and what to check before buying one
InternetNZ says there are more than 750,000 .nz domain names registered (checked 1 November 2026). The DNC’s Market Data portal has been unpublished since 16 October 2026. For the share country codes hold of all registrations, see the domain name market. Whether a country code affects rankings is covered in domain extension SEO.
Buying an existing .nz name means buying the licence to use it, moved to you by a registrar transfer. Before you pay, check four things. Confirm the name is not in its Pending Release Period, because the registrar may not assign a cancelled name to a third party. Check its age with the Domain Age Checker, which flags names that were dropped and re-registered. Make sure you meet the eligibility rule for the level, which matters most for moderated spaces. And look for a trademark claim that could lead to a dispute. Similar checks apply to .si domains and .ai domains.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to live in New Zealand to register a .nz domain?
No. The .nz Rules allow any identifiable individual over 18 or any lawfully constituted entity to register, and they set no residency requirement.
Is the Domain Name Commission the .nz registry?
No. InternetNZ runs the .nz Register. The Domain Name Commission is its subsidiary and regulates .nz, acting independently in its functions.
Is there a .com.nz?
No. The rules bar names ending in .com.nz. The nearest options are .co.nz or a direct name such as example.nz.
What happens when a .nz name is cancelled?
It enters a 90-day Pending Release Period, when the registrar can reinstate it. After that InternetNZ removes it and it can be registered again.
The takeaway InternetNZ runs .nz, the Domain Name Commission enforces the rules, and anyone 18 or over can hold a name under licence. If you want aged names with the registry age and an archive spam scan shown up front, browse aged domains on the SERPHeroes marketplace, where the seller is paid only after the transfer is confirmed.
