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How the .nz domain name is managed put into clear language
Tue, 10th May 2016
FYI, this story is more than a year old

InternetNZ recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and employment on the management of the .nz country code top level domain.

Essentially, the MoU clarifies the two organisations' respective roles in the management of .nz. It also sets clear rules regarding how InternetNZ manages the .nz domain name space on behalf of the Internet community, explaining how any issues or problems that do arise would be resolved.

According to InternetNZ chief executive Jordan Carter, the MoU puts how the .nz domain is run into clear language.

“This MoU is part of giving the public confidence that the management of .nz will always be expected to serve the best interests of all Internet users in New Zealand,” says Carter. “It sets high standards about the roles and responsibilities involved in governing and managing a country code domain, consistent with global best practice.

Carter says that InternetNZ acknowledges that they're managing .nz on behalf of New Zealanders and that they're not owners – they're stewards, responsible for its effective and reliable management.

“As well as giving a clear sense of how .nz operates, the MoU sets out a new commitment by InternetNZ to test the views of the Internet community on various policy issues and to share these results back with the community,” Carter says. “This will strengthen InternetNZ's work, and will help the Internet community learn more about their views on a range of Internet issues.

Carter affirms that the model set out in the MoU is one that should be taken up by other countries around the world that share a similar ‘community control' model for their country code top-level domain.

After being founded in the 1990s, InternetNZ has been the designated manager for the .nz domain name for nearly 20 years.

“We are proud to have the role of managing .nz, and remain committed to providing a reliable, high quality service on behalf of all New Zealanders,” Carter says.

A copy of the MoU agreement is available here.