The Council of InternetNZ (Internet New Zealand Inc) which operates the ccTLD for New Zealand approved today to allow domain names to be registered at the second level in the .nz domain name space.

By allowing registrations at the second level, people and organisations will be able to register theirname.nz instead of theirname.co.nz or theirname.net.nz (the current system, which allows registrations at the third level only).

InternetNZ President Dr Frank March says this move fits with InternetNZ’s principles and aligns the .nz domain name space with a majority of other top level domains that already allow registrations directly at the second level.

“A major principle for us is that the choice for registrants should be maintained and expanded, this move will provide a useful expansion” said Dr March.

Domain Name Commission Chair David Farrar agrees, saying “This change will enable greater choice for people, companies and organisations wanting to get online or expand their online presence.

“This decision will future-proof the .nz domain name space and help it stay relevant to New Zealanders.”

No changes are being made to existing second levels – all existing domain names will continue to be available, and people will still be able to register new domain names in the current second level categories like .co.nz, .org.nz.

So basically New Zealand is going down the road that Nominet has been exploring offering second level .Uk domain registrations.

The big issue for domain holders will be who will get rights to the new .NZ domain and what is the value for domains .co.nz domain names that have sold for big money in the past.

Tim Johnson, CEO of DOT KIWI was quick to comment on the change saying:

“DOT KIWI welcomes .nz to the new era of the internet!

We congratulate the Council of InternetNZ for deciding to approve a proposal to allow Kiwis to register their domain names directly to .nz.

Like .kiwi, we believe this is a far simpler and more compelling proposition than previous iterations like .co.nz.

When .nz becomes available Kiwis will really be making a choice between two domain names – .kiwi or .nz.

I know which one I prefer!

The main issue that InternetNZ will face when introducing registrations directly into .nz is wholesale confusion between .co.nz and .nz and the array of other iterations, like .govt.nz or org.nz.

Organizations and individuals who have invested significant time and money into their .co.nz domain are not guaranteed they will be able to secure their .nz domain.

Some people will miss out.

From our experience bringing new top level domain names (TLDs) to market is time consuming.

After two years of working on .kiwi, businesses will be able to start reserving .kiwi domain names from next month onwards and using them from 2014.

We are proud to have brought to New Zealand the first relevant, simplified domain name in this new internet era.

Old domain name iterations like .co.nz, .org.nz and net.nz will be become relics of the past.

In a world where the internet moves faster than anything else we’re looking forward to proud Kiwi early adopters coming on board.”

So what would you rather own a .NZ or a .Kiwi address?