| Ref: | 2LD |
| Title: | Second Level Domains |
| Date Issued: | 28 April 2014 |
| Status: | CURRENT |
| Version: | 2.6 |
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SECOND LEVEL DOMAINS
PART A - POLICY
1. Statement of Purpose
1.1 This policy covers all aspects relating to Second Level Domains ("2LDs"), including what 2LDs are currently offered, how moderation operates, and how 2LDs are established.
2. Background
2.1 InternetNZ has the ultimate responsibility within New Zealand for the .nz domain name space ("DNS").
2.2 InternetNZ has appointed the Domain Name Commission ("DNC") to manage and administer the .nz domain name space on behalf of InternetNZ.
3. Principles
3.1 This document details a set of guiding principles describing 2LD names. Central to these principles is the notion of "communities of interest".
3.2 Under normal circumstances if a group of individuals or organisations can demonstrate that they both meet the criteria set out in this policy that define a community of interest and they meet all of the conditions that may be imposed under this policy, then they can reasonably expect to be able to create a 2LD to reflect their community of interest.
3.3 There should be a clear statement of a common interest shared by entities that reside within the domain, e.g. tertiary educational institutions.
3.4 Communities of interest should not overlap. This means that minimum ambiguity should exist between different 2LDs. Overlap with generic 2LDs such as .gen.nz or .co.nz is not material to the application for a new 2LD.
3.5 The 2LD name should be an obvious derivative of a word that properly describes the community of interest, e.g. .org.nz for organisation, or a complete word, e.g. .māori.nz.
3.6 The community of interest should be long lived, e.g. tertiary education is long lived, the 2005 Lions Rugby Tour is not.
3.7 InternetNZ views the creation of new 2LDs very seriously. Such domains, once created, might never be removed and are very unlikely to be removed in the medium term.
3.8 Domain names may only be registered in the third level of the .nz domain name space in accordance with current .nz policy.
3.9 In some circumstances, registration of names may be restricted. The DNC may grant permission for moderation of membership of a community of interest to be managed by that community of interest. If a new 2LD is intended to be subject to moderation, this should be disclosed when the application is made and the requirements for a moderated 2LD followed.
3.10 Names in unmoderated 2LDs are available to all potential registrants and are obtained through authorised .nz registrars on a first come, first served basis.
4. Selection of an Appropriate 2LD when Registering
4.1 Prospective registrants are strongly encouraged to select the 2LD that most appropriately matches the community of interest; doing otherwise may cause confusion.
4.2 For use of a moderated 2LD, permission must be sought from the moderator. Contact information for moderators is held by the DNC. Conditions may apply to the applicant and/or to the name requested.
4.3 For the unmoderated 2LDs the final choice of the appropriate 2LD to use, and the name chosen, rests with the applicant.
4.4 The current 2LDs are set out in Schedule 1 of this policy.
5. Creation of New 2LDs
5.1 Any individual or organisation may initiate the process of creating a new 2LD, or changing the definition of a current 2LD within the .nz domain name space, by sending a proposal to the DNC together with any applicable application fee. Applications for creating a new 2LD close on 30 April 2014. Applications received after this date will not be considered. The only requests for new 2LDs received after that date will be those requested under Clause 10 of the proposed RMC policy relating to registrations at the second level.
5.2 Details of the process followed for creating a new 2LD are detailed in Part B of this document, and application fees are set out in Schedule 2.
5.3 All new 2LDs must meet the 2LD criteria set out below. The onus is on the initiator of the proposal to justify the new domain by ensuring the application clearly states how the proposed domain meets the criteria set.
5.4 The criteria for a new 2LD are that the 2LD:
5.6 For moderated 2LDs, a copy of the proposed moderation policy is to be submitted with the application so that it too is subject to public evaluation and comment.
5.7 An initial evaluation of the application against the criteria will be made by the DNC:
5.9 All submissions addressing the application are to be made public. The only exception to this may be where a submitter can demonstrate, to the DNC's satisfaction, that exceptional circumstances exist that justify the submission not being publicised.
5.10 Once the consultation period is complete, and taking public input into account, the assumption is that the application for the 2LD will in principle be allowed, provided the criteria set out in clause 5.4 are met.
5.11 The final decision to create a new 2LD remains with the InternetNZ Council following a recommendation from the DNC. There is no appeal process.
5.12 For unmoderated 2LDs, a provisional registration period will be opened where persons interested in registering a domain name under the 2LD can list their proposed domain name under the proposed 2LD. This will be used to test public interest. If the threshold of provisional registrations is met, the application will be adopted and the 2LD will be added. The proposed threshold, taking into account the potential size of the community of interest, will be agreed in conjunction with the applicant.
6. Creation of Moderated 2LDs
6.1 The DNC has the management authority of all listed 2LDs. Under specific circumstances, authority to moderate membership of a 2LD may be granted to a moderator, by the DNC.
6.2 The community of interest seeking a moderated 2LD is subject to additional criteria to those in paragraph 5.4 above. The community of interest must:
6.4 The moderator will publish a moderation policy based on the Moderation Agreement and incorporating any operational issues which need to be publicised.
6.5 The operating principles for moderated domains are:
6.9 Requests to change the moderator or the moderation policies are made to the DNC. Where a proposed change to a moderation policy is significant (that is, where a name not previously registerable under the policy will become registerable, or vice versa), there will be a public consultation process, and the changes must be supported by (near) unanimous agreement of existing registrants.
7. Maintaining and Monitoring 2LDs
7.1 It will be necessary for the 2LD name space to evolve over time to reflect the changing needs of society. These needs will be ascertained through a consultative process and may lead to:
No decision to close, or amend, an existing 2LD will be made without full consultation with and (near) unanimous agreement of the affected registrants.
8.1 A range of current information about .nz policies, registrant rights, and domain names in general is publicly available on the Internet at http://dnc.org.nz.
8.2 Additional information relevant to the interpretation and operation of this policy can be found in the RMC (Registering, Managing and Cancelling Domain Names) policy at http://dnc.org.nz/content/registering_managing_cancelling.pdf.
8.3 This policy operates subject to all applicable Internet technical standards.
8.4 If anyone has any questions regarding this document please email policies@dnc.org.nz
PART B - PROCESS
B1 Applying for a new 2LD
B1.1 All applications for new second level domains are to include the following:
B1.3 On receipt of an application, the DNC will make an assessment as to whether the application meets the requirements of this policy in accordance with section A5.7. The application will either be passed for public consultation or returned to the applicant with a full explanation of either:
B2.1 Within ten working days of an application passing the screening check outlined in clause B1.3 above, it will be published on the DNC's website (http://dnc.org.nz) with a call for public submissions.
B2.2 Submissions are to be made by email to 2LD@dnc.org.nz. They may also be made by fax to +64 4 495 2115, or by post to Domain Name Commission Limited, PO Box 11-881, Wellington.
B2.3 When publishing the application, the DNC may also publish with the application, a report highlighting any particular issues which need to be addressed by submitters.
B2.4 Submissions will be accepted for a defined period determined by the DNC, of at least twenty five working days, and will be expected to focus on the merits of the proposed 2LD and how it meets the criteria set out in this policy. All submissions addressing the application will be published on the DNC's website.
B2.5 The DNC may solicit submissions whether to be in the defined period, or afterwards, from relevant parties to assist in gaining useful feedback on the application. Given registrations at the second level are being implemented into .nz, the DNC will contact any registrants of a name at the third level that may be impacted by the application.
B2.6 Once submissions have closed, the DNC will evaluate the submissions against the criteria. The DNC will make a recommendation to the InternetNZ Council.
B2.7 If the application is for an unmoderated 2LD, the DNC recommendation will include a proposed threshold for provisional registrations. The proposed threshold will be agreed in conjunction with the applicant and will take into account the potential size of the community of interest.
B2.8 InternetNZ Council will consider the DNC recommendation at its next meeting, and make a final decision as to whether the application will be accepted.
B2.9 If the decision is to not proceed, the applicant will be advised in writing.
B3 Implementation - Unmoderated 2LDs
B3.1 If the InternetNZ Council decides that an application for an unmoderated 2LD will proceed, then a provisional registration process will be conducted to test the market prospects of the new 2LD.
B3.2 Provisional registrations will open after InternetNZ Council's decision on a date agreed with the applicant and the registry, and with at least twenty working days' public notice. Provisional registrations will be made through authorised .nz registrars.
B3.3 Provisional registrations are undertaken prior to the implementation of a new 2LD to test the level of public interest in the new 2LD. Provisional registrations are not intended to provide a promotional tool for registrars. Accordingly, the DNC reserves the right to manage how registrars promote registrations in the proposed 2LD. Registrars' terms and conditions will include specific clauses for provisional registrations, including whether they will refund monies from the provisional registration if the 2LD fails to meet the threshold and is not implemented.
B3.4 The provisional registration process involves potential registrants applying for a domain name on a first come, first served basis, and paying the fee specified by the registrar.
B3.5 The domain names applied for during provisional registration:
B3.7 If provisional registrations do not meet the threshold level set after one month, the 2LD will not be created. Applicants for provisionally registered domain names may receive a refund of the fee paid at the discretion of the registrar, and any domain names provisionally created in the proposed 2LD will be cancelled. No refunds will be made by the registry to registrars.
B3.8 If provisional registrations meet the threshold level set, the 2LD will be declared active, and the new 2LD included in the next practicable zone push to the DNS. Registrars may commence offering ordinary registrations, with their usual .nz domain name terms and conditions, as soon as the declaration is made.
B3.9 A notice will be published on the DNC's website, announcing the new 2LD and pointing prospective registrants to the list of .nz registrars.
B4 Implementation - Moderated 2LDs
B4.1 If InternetNZ Council decides that an application for a moderated 2LD has succeeded, then the moderator will advise the DNC when they are ready to accept registrations.
B4.2 The DNC will, on a date agreed with the applicant, and with at least five working days' public notice, make a public announcement of the opening of the new moderated 2LD, and will publish the moderator's contact details and the moderation policy on the DNC's website.
B5 Changes to the moderation of existing 2LDs
B5.1 This clause applies to the following proposals for changes to the .nz domain name space:
B5.3 Proposals will be subject to public consultation along the lines outlined in clause B2 above. The process may be amended by the DNC depending on the nature of the proposed change.
B5.4 The DNC will consider the proposal after public consultation, and will make a recommendation to InternetNZ Council which will make a final decision.
SCHEDULE 1
Current 2LDs
List of .nz 2LDs as at 11 September 2012
| 2LD | Community of Interest |
| .ac | Tertiary educational institutions and related organisations |
| .co | Organisations pursuing commercial aims and purposes |
| .cri | Crown Research Institutes |
| .gen | Individuals and other organisations not covered elsewhere |
| .geek | For people who are concentrative, technically skilled and imaginative who are generally adept with computers |
| .govt | National, regional and local government organisations operating with statutory powers |
| .health | Registered practitioners and organisations whose principal purpose is to provide health and disability services. |
| .iwi | A traditional Māori tribe. Hāpū that belongs to a traditional Māori Iwi or taura here Iwi group operating with the permission of the main Iwi |
| .kiwi | People (and organisations) that associate themselves with being Kiwi |
| .maori/.māori | Māori people, groups, and organisations |
| .mil | Military organisations of the NZ Government |
| .net | Organisations and service providers directly related to the NZ Internet |
| .org | Not-for-profit organisations |
| .parliament | Agencies and individuals who are part of the parliamentary system but not a part of the executive government |
| .school | Primary, secondary and pre-schools and related organisations |
2. InternetNZ has granted permission to organisations to moderate membership of sixspecific 2LDs. These are .cri.nz, .govt.nz, .iwi.nz, .health.nz, .mil.nz and .parliament.nz. Moderation means that applicants need to meet specific additional criteria in order to be included in each community of interest. The current moderation policies and contacts are at http://dnc.org.nz/moderated-domains.
1 Fees
| Fee | Amount |
| Unmoderated 2LDs | |
| Application fee | $1,000, of which $500 will be refunded should the 2LD be created. |
| Moderated 2LDs | |
| Application fee | $3,000 |
2 Payment methods
2.1 Application fees are accepted by cheque (payee should be [Domain Name Commission Limited], and cheque must be drawn on a New Zealand bank account), by credit card (Visa, Mastercard), or by direct credit to our bank account (details available on request to 2LD@dnc.org.nz).
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This form is issued by Domain Name Commission Limited (DNC or Domain Name Commission) on behalf of InternetNZ, Internet New Zealand Incorporated.
Name:
Name of organisation (if applicable):
Trading Name (if applicable):
Address:
Email address:
Phone number (business):
Phone number (mobile):
Phone number (after hours):
Please return this form along with the payment set out in Schedule 2, to the following address:
Domain Name Commission Limited
PO Box 11-881
Wellington 6142
NEW ZEALAND
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This form is issued by Domain Name Commission Limited (DNC or Domain Name Commission) on behalf of InternetNZ, Internet New Zealand Incorporated.
Name:
Name of organisation (if applicable):
Trading Name (if applicable):
Address:
Email address:
Phone number (business):
Phone number (mobile):
Phone number (after hours):
Please return this form along with the payment set out in Schedule 2, to the following address:
Domain Name Commission Limited
PO Box 11-881
Wellington 6142
NEW ZEALAND
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This document outlines how the applicant proposes to moderate a second level domain for .nz.
Legal Name of Organsiation:
Trading Name (if applicable):
Contact Person:
Address:
Email address:
Phone number (business):
Phone number (mobile):
Phone number (after hours):
Name:
Position/Title:
Email address:
Phone number:
You:
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Signed |
Date |