Background
In December 2002, substantial change occurred to the environment in which domain names are registered and maintained in the .nz register. Previously, a monopoly situation existed and a single registrar, a company known as Domainz, had exclusive access to the register. Registrants (people registering domain names) were required to register their domain names through Domainz, or through third-party providers accredited by Domainz. In December 2002, a Shared Registry System, known as the SRS, was implemented, allowing competitive registrars into the .nz market with direct access to the register to manage domain names on behalf of their customers. Since then, a number of registrars have become authorised, resulting in an increased variety of services and competitive pricing.

How does this affect you?
If you have registered a .nz domain name, you may have already been contacted by your .nz provider and had the changes explained. If, as at 1 March 2003, Domainz was the party you dealt with for the payment of registration or renewal fees for your domain name, you may be contacted over the next few months by the Office of the Domain Name Commissioner (the DNC) and asked to nominate your registrar of choice. If you have recently cancelled your domain name and do not intend to reactivate it, you will not be affected by these changes and no action is required. Regardless of whether or not you are directly affected by the changes outlined on this page, if you have registered, or intend to register, a .nz domain name, it is strongly recommended that you understand the general principles of how the .nz market operates and your rights and responsibilities as a registrant.

Selecting your Registrar of Choice
If you received an email from the DNC asking you to nominate a registrar, you should visit www.dnc.org.nz/reselect.php to make your selection. The DNC's office will then arrange the transfer of the domain name to your nominated registrar within one business day. It is possible you will receive a later communication from your new registrar if any additional information or arrangements are necessary.

To authenticate your right to select a registrar for your domain name, you will be prompted to provide a password. This will have been provided to you in the email from the DNC's office. Please note that this is a temporary password only, specifically for this purpose, and will not be used for any future purpose.

Before making your selection, it is recommended that you use the links provided to visit the registrars' web sites and become familiar with their pricing, services, terms, and conditions.

If you have more than one .nz domain name, it is possible that you will receive several emails from the DNC's office. Your domain names will need to be dealt with individually when you receive each email, as the DNC's office has no safe means of identifying and grouping all your domains. Alternatively, you can make arrangements directly with your new registrar for your other names to be transferred, following the standard transfer process provided by the registrar.

What is the Prize Draw?
The DNC would like to encourage all registrants contacted by email to understand the changes to the .nz market and actively nominate their registrar of choice from the list provided. As an added incentive, registrants of affected domains who nominate a registrar through the Registrar Selection web page will go into a prize draw for an overseas trip for two. The prize draw will occur on Monday 8 September and will only apply to domain names that are still active (ie. not cancelled) on that date. The details, terms, and conditions of the prize draw may be found on the web page.

What if you do nothing?
The changes outlined on this page do NOT affect your rights to your .nz domain names in any way, nor do they affect the current term of registration. If you do nothing, Domainz will remain as your registrar. Currently, Domainz has a special status as the 'stabilising registrar' for the transition to the new environment. It is likely to retain this status until at least the middle of 2003, after which it currently expects to become an authorised .nz registrar. If you do nothing, your domain name will not be included in the prize draw.

Any questions?
If you have any questions regarding this process, please email reselect@dnc.org.nz. For further information about domain names or the .nz name space in general, please refer to the relevant pages on this site, including the Frequently Asked Questions for REGISTRANTS.