.kiwi.nz launch pushes domain names past half-million mark

.kiwi.nz launch pushes domain names past half-million mark

Media release - 11 September 2012

InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) subsidiary the Domain Name Commission has today launched a new second level domain – .kiwi.nz – a move that has pushed the total number of .nz registrations past 500,000.

Domain Name Commissioner Debbie Monahan expresses delight at the half-million .nz registrations and .kiwi.nz launch, describing today as a landmark day for the New Zealand Internet.

The 500,000 milestone comes nearly ten years after InternetNZ introduced a competitive market for .nz domain name registrations. There are now over 80 organisations providing .nz registration services, and Monahan credits their role and commitment in spurring the tremendous growth in .nz names.

“Ultimately, this is the result of the willingness of many thousands of people who have chosen .nz names to represent themselves online, and the hard work that .nz registrars have done in promoting the .nz domain name space.”

Over the past ten years the .nz domain name space has experienced average yearly growth of 38,280, with the upward trajectory showing no signs of slowing. Monahan says this is partly because people identify strongly with the .nz domain. She points to a recent report from Europe which found that most businesses continue to put their faith in the local country’s domain, favouring these over generic names such as .com.

“New Zealanders have a choice when it comes to registering domain names, and we acknowledge and thank the half-million holders of .nz names for their support,” she says.

Monahan expects today’s introduction of the .kiwi.nz second-level will give further impetus to the .nz domain name space. What better way to demonstrate that New Zealand is your home than to register a new .kiwi.nz domain name,” she says.

Registrations for .kiwi.nz opened at 10am and in the first fifteen minutes over 1000 names were registered. Monahan thanks InternetNZ subsidiary NZRS for its firm stewardship of the .nz registry during today’s launch, saying it coped admirably with the influx of .kiwi.nz registrations.

More information about registering a .nz domain name is available online at http://dnc.org.nz/story/faq-registrants?m=324.
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