The new domain name suffix .nz became available from 1pm on 30 September.
This means that ‘second level domains’ like .co.nz, .net.nz and .org.nz will become optional and you’ll be able to also get a .nz domain. So if your domain was ‘anyname.co.nz’ you may also be able to get ‘anyname.nz’.
Why would I want the .nz domain name?
The .nz domain name gives you another option when choosing a domain name for your website.
If your business has a website, you may wish to protect your brand by registering or reserving the .nz version of your domain.
If you’re happy with what you’ve got and don’t want a shorter .nz domain – that’s fine. Your existing domain will work as normal and you’ll still be able to register and use names with endings like ‘.co.nz’ and ‘.org.nz’.
There will be a six month period from 30 September 2014 until 31 March 2015 where those eligible can register or reserve the shorter domain name. This is called the PRE, or Preferential Registration Eligibility period.
Am I guaranteed to get the shorter domain name for my business if I already have a New Zealand domain name?
If a New Zealand domain name exists already for the name you want, the owner of the business or organisation with this domain name will get first option to take the shorter .nz domain name. If you are the owner and you want the shorter version too, you must prove you are the registrant of an existing NZ domain name to be eligible to register or reserve the shorter version of your domain name during the PRE timeframe.
To do this you will need your Unique Domain Authentication ID – your UDAI – from your current domain name registrar. Many of these provide a link on their website for generating a UDAI from your secure login page.
Once you have your UDAI you can pre-register your new .nz domain name.
What does it mean if the domain name status comes up as conflicted?
If someone else has a domain that’s similar to yours, you may find you both want the shorter .nz version. For example, if you had anyname.co.nz and someone else had anyname.org.nz and anyname.net.nz, you would each have the chance to have your say on who gets the .nz name. This is called ‘conflicted status’.
Any .nz domain name that has been registered in at least two second levels is automatically given conflicted status, and so its registration needs to go through the conflicted process application.
This is the reason for the 6 month pre-registration period.
You can check the availability status for your domain name now on the anyname.nz website.
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