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Time to get ready for the new .nz registry system

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Renew or register .nz domains before 1 November, and prepare for a longer minimum registration period.

InternetNZ is completely replacing the .nz registry platform soon. The new system, called the IRS (InternetNZ Registry System), will go live on Tuesday, 1 November. For anyone with .nz domains there are actions that we recommend you take before then.

Firstly, de-risk your own operations by not relying on the new registry platform to work perfectly from day one. Take action now and:

  • Renew any domains with a 2022 expiry date

  • Register any new domains that you want to put into use before the end of the year.

Secondly, make sure you won’t be caught out when the new platform introduces a minimum registration period of one year.

  • If you have any auto-renewals on a period shorter than 12 months, prepare your budget and systems for an automatic switch to 12-month renewals.

Thirdly, if you use the SiteHost API to manage domains, look out for a separate message about changes that we’re making to the API. These changes are necessary to keep everything working like it should and won’t significantly change the functionality of the API.

This registry replacement project is obviously a major undertaking. It’s not exactly unusual for big projects like this to introduce unexpected bugs or issues when they go live. That’s just the nature of tech.

Our recommendation to bring forward any November or December renewals is based on caution. We don’t want anyone to suffer downtime if the IRS implementation happens to go badly. And even if it goes well, there’s no real downside to having added another year (or more) to your domains’ lifespans.

Check your domain renewal dates

1. Log into the SiteHost Control Panel

2. In the left-hand menu, click Domains

3. Either sort your domains by clicking the Expires column heading, or filter them using the Renewal Date drop-down menu above the table.

Auto-renewal changes

The new IRS will introduce a new minimum registration period of one year for all .nz domains.

If you have domains set to auto-renew in a shorter time period than 1 year, this will automatically change to annual auto-renewal. You can always change your auto-renewal settings in the SiteHost Control Panel.

After the new IRS goes live (Tuesday, 1 November), you will be unable to register new .nz domains for less than 1 year.

Have lots of monthly domains? Stagger them.

If you’re someone who has a lot of monthly domains or manage clients who do, you may rightly be concerned by them all being renewed for 12 months in November. This has the potential to cause a massive annual workload or potentially cash flow issues.

The main suggestion we can offer is to spread them out now by getting ahead of renewals. Right now you can still renew for three, six or nine months. So if you have 800x domain names, you could renew 200x of them for 3 months, 200x of them for 6 months, and 200x of them for 9 months, leaving the last 200x to be renewed for 12 months in November, and in that way spread your renewals over a year.

Want to know more?