Domain name registrars celebrates 10 year anniversary

Registrars – the bodies able to sell .nz domain names to the public – has celebrated ten years of being able to connect to a shared registry system.

In late 2002 the Domain Name Commission (DNC) started authorising private companies to apply to become .nz registrars and today there are 82 such authorised registrars.

With 516,456 active .nz domain names currently, DNC Commissioner Debbie Monahan says the 2002 decision to have authorised private registrars has helped to create a safer and fairer marketplace for .nz domain name holders and has kept costs low for consumers.

“The registrars do an excellent job and fulfill their services admirably,” she says.

“Most people online don’t really think about it. People and businesses buy their website or e-mail addresses and that’s that.

"But having privately owned registrars ensures that people who register .nz domain names are paying for them based on market-driven prices and that they have a fair chance at renewing them when required.

"This isn’t true for every country.”

The infographic outlines that, currently, the top four .nz registrars capture 44.2 per cent of the market share, with 31.9 per cent going to the next four registrars, and 23.7 per cent to the remaining ones.