Activity report Q4 2025–26

100% availability DNS. 

99.9% availability registry services (excluding scheduled maintenance).

In Q4, we undertook further targeted engagements to develop an operational strategy to respond to DNS abuse in .nz. This included meetings with the Chief Censor, other ccTLD peers and internal stakeholders.

We created a draft strategy and presented it to the .nz Advisory Committee at its 23 February meeting. After making changes to address the Committee’s feedback, the strategy was presented to the InternetNZ Board at its 13 March 2026 meeting, where it was adopted as the in-principle strategy (pending .nz Rules consultation).

Version 3.2 of the .nz Rules was approved for adoption at the end of Q3 at the 5 December 2025 Board meeting. Version 3.2 came into force on 17 March 2026, and during Q4 we notified the community of the changes.

InternetNZ is a member of a TCCM Secretariat, which runs the coalition and drives its work. During Q4, our Internet Governance Lead chaired the Secretariat as it developed a proposal for what TCCM will focus on in 2026, engaged members for input on this proposal, including online meetings and written feedback, and organised and ran an in-person members’ meeting in the margins of ICANN85 to develop a TCCM work plan for 2026.

Planning for the second NetTalks, to be located in Wellington, began in earnest in Q4. Speakers are being confirmed.

InternetNZ Group supports the delivery of Māori-led Internet governance event, Kauwaka te Ipurangi 2025.

Facilitate Māori and rangatahi Māori participation in Internet Governance opportunities.

The year ended with developments in the indigenous tech community toward increasing Māori involvement in Internet Governance. Te Puni Māori team continued to be in touch with people who attended Kauwaka in May 2025, and learnings and aspirations developed in that context will be further developed in 2026–27

Ka Awatea initiative was achieved and reported on during Q2 and Q3.

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*Domains Under Management

Develop a new 2026+ product strategy that aligns with the 2026–2031 InternetNZ Group Strategy

The product strategy represents a combined vision and roadmap to contribute to the four strategic focuses of the InternetNZ 2026-31 strategy. Whilst Q4 was the final quarter of our current product strategy implementation, the work to revise has been deprioritised until late Q1. This allows for three key inputs that will enable a more effective strategy. 

1. The focus of our 2026-31 strategy to achieve $100M in revenue over five years requires us to build clarity in the complementary roles of core .nz growth and innovation. To best facilitate this, during Q4 we prioritised the completion of a marketing strategy to build momentum in the growth of .nz, feeding in a number of market-led insights into the next iteration of our product strategy. 

2. Engagement on the government's critical infrastructure requirements. The subsequent recommendations will have a large impact on the capacity of the team. Gaining a clearer view of this work is necessary ahead of completing our refreshed strategy, and this is currently in progress. 

3. Our future platform architecture. Our goal of supporting a greater number of registries requires more questions to be asked of our platform capabilities in building for scale. 

Whilst we completed the critical work required to support our previous corporate strategy, a number of ‘secondary’ elements of the product strategy remained incomplete or unstarted. This highlights the need to complete a retrospective and re-prioritise our focus areas as we enter into the next product strategy.

Our current pricing strategy was reviewed during Q4 to inform our registrar co-marketing and rebate strategy. This relates to the need to balance revenue growth with our goal under the revised InternetNZ corporate strategy to reach 1m domains under management by 2030. 

A paper for co-marketing and rebates has been submitted to the .nz Rules subcommittee for review on 22nd April 2026. The outcome of this will enable us to make further progress on a multi-year pricing strategy.

We develop for InternetNZ Group: A shared Te Tiriti Centring vision.

The new five year strategy includes guidance on how we will give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. For example, key elements of our approach to giving practical effect would be to:

• Continue to fund kaupapa Māori entities or individuals through our Community Fund.

• Grow the cultural capability of everyone in the organisation so that in five years we have a Te Tiriti intelligent culture.

• Gather the perspectives of the Māori Internet community on key Internet governance issues and share their views into global forums.

• Support the Māori community in their aspirations for national and international engagement with Internet governance.

• Ensure Māori community engagement on our .nz Rules.

• Tikanga-based dispute resolution services are offered.

• Gather more explicit information on Māori businesses’ experiences of .nz domain names.

In this way, our five-year strategy reflects an integrated approach that continues to have specific annual initiatives directly focused on outcomes for Māori as well as other underserved communities in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Internet community.

In Q4, we finalised the strategic plan for 2026-31, which was approved by the Board at the March 13th 2026 meeting.  The Strategy itself is underpinned by the Constitution, our values framework Ngā Uara, and Te Korowai o Ipurangi Aotearoa.  

DNC funded seven mediations.  No tikanga accredited provider or accessibility support was requested.