.nz
 |
|
| Introduced | 1987 or 1995 |
|---|---|
| TLD type | Country code top-level domain |
| Status | Active |
| Registry | NZRS Limited |
| Sponsor | InternetNZ |
| Intended use | Entities connected with  New Zealand
|
| Actual use | Popular in New Zealand |
| Registered domains | 669,714 (31 December 2016) |
| Registration restrictions | No restrictions under most second-level names; a few are "moderated" meaning that eligibility is checked before registration is granted |
| Structure | Names are registered at the second level or at the third level within certain second-level categories |
| Dispute policies | Dispute and Complaint Process |
| Website |
NZRS Limited Domain Name Commission |
| DNSSEC | Yes |
.nz is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for New Zealand. It is administered by InternetNZ through its subsidiary, NZRS Limited, with oversight and dispute resolution handled by the Domain Name Commission Limited (DNCL). Registrations are processed via authorised registrars. As of 31 December 2016 there were 669,714 registered .nz domains.
As with many long-standing domain registries the registry was maintained informally for some time. The first formally recognised administrative organisation was the University of Waikato until the responsibility was delegated to InternetNZ when it was formed in 1995.
Prior to the current structure, the registry operator of .nz was Domainz. Historically, Domainz was a subsidiary of InternetNZ which also operated as a registrar and vendor of other add-on services such as DNS. This combination of a natural monopoly (the registry activities) and vertical integration (the registrar and other services) was seen by some as restricting competition so InternetNZ moved to separate the provision of registry services into a separate organisation with strong oversight. The final part of this transition process was the sale of Domainz to Melbourne IT in August 2003.
From 1 April 2008 the "Office of the Domain Name Commissioner" (several employees of InternetNZ, including the Domain Name Commissioner herself) became the "Domain Name Commission Limited", a subsidiary company of InternetNZ.
As is the case with most other English-speaking countries apart from the USA, Canada and Republic of Ireland, there are a number of second-level domains that identify whether the user is a company, a non-commercial organisation, government body or other classification.
In October 2013, InternetNZ decided to allow domain names to be registered at the second level in the .nz domain name space, aligning the .nz domain name space with a majority of other top level domains that already allow registrations directly at the second level. The second level domain names were launched with a sunrise period from 30 September 2014 to 30 March 2015 (to allow people with similar domains to register the shorter version). From 30 March 2015 .nz domain names were available to everyone.
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