2026-08-12 .nz registrar news in August 2026: Summit registrations are open, conflicted names update, and more
Kia ora
Welcome to the .nz registrar update. You are receiving it because you are subscribed to the .nz registry updates.
In today’s email:
Tim Johnson’s departure from .nz
Summit registrations are now open
Conflicted domains update
Important dates
15 September: cut-off registration date for receiving performance report at the Registrar Summit
October: .nz Rules review consultation
2-3 November: .nz Registrar Summit
Tim Johnson to join CIRA
After four years at InternetNZ, Tim Johnson has decided to take on a new international chapter in his career in the domain name industry. The impact that Tim has had on our registry business is immense, and we wish him all the very best in his next venture. Luckily, it hasn’t taken him far, joining our registry services platform partner, CIRA, as Director of Strategic Growth based out of Auckland. We look forward to working with Tim closely in his new capacity.
For any matters you would have previously engaged Tim in, please do not hesitate to reach out to David.Parker@internetnz.net.nz moving forward. After a year working closely with Tim as Business Operations Lead, David is now in the interim role of GM of Revenue and Innovation and is looking forward to engaging more closely with our registrar community as part of this.
Registrar Summit registration is live
.nz Registrar Summit 2026 registration is open! The summit tickets are free for .nz registrars, but you need to register to attend.
Date: 2-3 November 2026
Time: Registration will open at 8.30 am on the first day. We aim to finish the presentations by 3.30 pm on the second day.
Location: Holiday Inn Remarkables, Queenstown, New Zealand
Accommodation: We’ll cover your accommodation costs. Please let us know ASAP if you need a 2-night stay.
Format: in-person or online. We’ll live-stream and record the sessions.
Please register before 15 September to receive a guaranteed custom performance data and insights report for your company.
Schedule 3 conflicted domain name offers
This is the first year of the new annual process for resolving conflicting domain names under Schedule 3 of the .nz Rules. The review takes place once a year and is expected to commence around July.
As part of the 2026 review, InternetNZ has offered 70 second-level .nz domain names to the remaining eligible domain name holders. The current offer period closes on 22 September 2026. Registrars sponsoring the qualifying third-level domains have been notified directly.
During the offer period, these domains remain tagged as conflicted names in the registry and may appear available through some registrar systems.
A CREATE request will receive the EPP Poll response “This domain has conflicted name restrictions applied to it. Approval is needed from the registry.” InternetNZ will then verify the initial domain name holder details against the eligible domain name holder before approving the registration. CREATE requests that do not match the eligible name will be rejected.
The annual review is based on eligibility at the time the review is undertaken. Any other conflicted domains that become eligible after this year’s offers have been issued will be considered in the following year’s review.
At the end of the offer period, we will remove the conflicted restriction from any unclaimed offered domains and will release them for general registration.
For questions about the process or registration requirements, please contact registry@internetnz.net.nz.
.nz Rules consultation coming up
InternetNZ regularly reviews the .nz Rules to ensure they remain relevant and fit for purpose. In October 2026, we will be consulting on proposed changes to the .nz Rules, and we would value feedback from registrars. We’ll reach out when the consultation opens.
.nz hit another all-time high
.nz went over 780k domains under management - another all-time high. Let’s keep growing and hit 790k!
Kind regards
.nz team at InternetNZ