.NZ Policy Review - Proposes to end of month-by-month renewals

Forums › ICT Policies and Regulation › .NZ Policy Review - Proposes to end of month-by-month renewals - Submit feedback by 2nd April

mcraenz

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#284062 29-Mar-2021 09:58

A bit late in the piece but...

InternetNZ is in the process of reviewing the policy that applies to .nz domain names ahead of the project to replace the registry platform. InternetNZ is proposing to cease support for month-by-month renewal of domain names.

If you feel strongly that month-by-month renewal of domain names should be retained as part of .nz policy and thus a requirement for the replacement registry platform then please write to them at dotnzreview@internetnz.net.nz to let them know. If you can include reasons for your position then the impact will be greater, though not essential.

Further detail including the draft rules and much background information is available at:

https://internetnz.nz/nz-domains/nz-policies/nz-policy-review/nz-policy-review-consultation

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meow
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#2682377 29-Mar-2021 10:47

I've messaged them -

I personally disagree with this change from a developer / sysop's point of view.

Month to month domains are very handy for testing things and also setting up temporary sites (for example, weddings) without having to pay for a domain for a full year.

Whilst I agree domain names are cheap and it doesn't break the bank paying for a domain for a full year at a time this does add a domain to my portfolio for a full year instead of just for the time I need it. This is a very handy feature of my current domain provider, Metaname.

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Beccara

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#2682386 29-Mar-2021 11:12

Same sent something in, Not a big deal for me but can't see a valid reason to take it away. I dont see them dropping prices for the supposed reduction in overheads either so it smells like a cash grab

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alasta

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#2682450 29-Mar-2021 12:27

When I worked in the industry we would often renew a domain name for a month if a customer had failed to pay their renewal but the implications of lapsing the domain name were significant. It meant that we could avoid the financial risk of renewing it for a full year while we were waiting for the customer to pay us, as well as avoiding having the customer screaming down the phone at us because we "cut off their web site".

mcraenz

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#2682476 29-Mar-2021 13:09

Excellent point @alasta. Please do make sure you submit to the above email address. They need to hear all these very valid viewpoints.

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networkn

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#2682514 29-Mar-2021 14:02

I didn't even know month to month existed, I've never renewed for less than a year. At $35 annually or less, I can't see the point of <1 year.

Delphinus

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#2682718 29-Mar-2021 19:09

I've messaged with the following. Some comments above I agree with, along with my own:

I disagree with this move for the following reasons:

I've used 1 month renewals occasionally in the past when someones domain has accidentally expired, and it allows us to get them up and running again without the financial risk of a full years renewal if they subsequently don't pay.
1-2 month domains can be useful for testing purposes, without a full years registration
Because the system is already in place, I can't see a major benefit in removing something that already works.
If international registrars are struggling to understand monthly renewals, then that's their problem. I would prefer to support NZ based registrars that provide a higher level of service, vs the godaddys of the world that provide poor service.
You are not forcing registrars to enable monthly renewals, so I can't see how it lowers barriers to entry. They can opt to support yearly renewals if they want. If not, they don't have to.

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nztim

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#2682739 29-Mar-2021 20:05

I am involved in Toastmasters, which is a not-for-profit and we stand up websites for specific events for several months and while $35 may not seem like much its a lot where every penny counts

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mcraenz

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#2682765 29-Mar-2021 20:39

Good stuff @nztim. I'm in Toastmasters (Onehunga, Auckland) and I gave that example in my submission (of small clubs like Toastmasters which run on a shoe string). Do pop through a submission if you've got time.

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nztim

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#2682770 29-Mar-2021 20:52

mcraenz:

Good stuff @nztim. I'm in Toastmasters (Onehunga, Auckland) and I gave that example in my submission (of small clubs like Toastmasters which run on a shoe string). Do pop through a submission if you've got time.

Nice! I am in Business Breakfast Club Wellington (and Tech Support for District 72)

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CYaBro

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#2682786 29-Mar-2021 21:29

I too sent in an email for this.
With all our other services that we provide for our msp customers on a monthly basis having their domain/s being monthly as well just makes management/billing much easier.

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KiwiSurfer

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#2682793 29-Mar-2021 22:07

mcraenz:

Good stuff @nztim. I'm in Toastmasters (Onehunga, Auckland) and I gave that example in my submission (of small clubs like Toastmasters which run on a shoe string). Do pop through a submission if you've got time.

This is the sort of situations I wish organisations would just leverage the existing domain they often already have. Instead of setting up an entirely new event2021.org.nz domain, do event2021.org-name.org.nz instead. That means you can just pay once as an org for your org domain and freely run as many subdomains as you like. This also benefits organisations which run as branches--the head branch can register one domain and delegate subdomains to the various branches. This also has the advantage you can keep the event site online in case people want to come back to it later (e.g. conference presentations and the like) instead of taking the site down after a few months even though the content would be useful for years to come.

At the low annual cost they offer I can see why they might want to simplify their systems. The monthly fee would work out to very little money given it'd be 1/12 of a very low annual cost.

Test domains are not a great example--I personally just use a subdomain off one I already own for testing purposes. Another possibility is just buy one domain for testing purposes and reuse that for your various projects (using subdomains if needed for clients and so on).

Weddings--people spend so much on these I doubt $35 will break the bank. Plus I presume most who would think of using a domain probably are already in the IT biz already and have a domain name they can easily repurpose or add a subdomain to etc.

I'd not mind the withdrawal of the monthly option as there are plenty of other options for all the use cases in this thread. $35 is not much and gives you full control including getting subdomains for 'free'. Who knows it would encourage people/orgs to think outside the box as I have described and save even more money.

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mcraenz

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#2682828 29-Mar-2021 23:57

@KiwiSurfer, I generally agree with your point about hanging all services off a single domain, but it isn't appropriate in all cases.

I guess my view is - this is .NZ we're talking about. It's a big deal, and while I'm not saying it's trivial to implement month-by-month billing or that it won't add on-going operational cost, I do think for something that so many people have a stake in, we should be trying to make it as flexible, accessible and useful as possible. Month-by-month billing is a useful feature.

The other reason I submitted is that sometime you might have an idea and want to register the domain to reserve it, but then change your mind and want to release it.

I can't afford to spring $35 every time I have a brainwave!

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mattwnz

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#2682831 30-Mar-2021 00:20

alasta:

When I worked in the industry we would often renew a domain name for a month if a customer had failed to pay their renewal but the implications of lapsing the domain name were significant. It meant that we could avoid the financial risk of renewing it for a full year while we were waiting for the customer to pay us, as well as avoiding having the customer screaming down the phone at us because we "cut off their web site".

Yes. It puts a lot more risk on a domain reseller if a clients domain expires, and they can't get hold of them, eg they maybe away, and decide to renew it to keep services online. The alternative I guess is allowing people who renew domains, a grace period where they can get a refund on the renewal, say after 10 days, like they do with registrations.

mcraenz

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#2682867 30-Mar-2021 08:05

@mattwnz, Good points, do pop a note over the submissions email if you have have time.

With regards to retailers - a saving for the .NZ team will result in retailers having to make changes to their systems and change the billing arrangements with their customers.

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mme

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#2877847 2-Mar-2022 16:43

Looks like the public consultation was just a formality, unfortunately, as the latest newsletter states the change will happen this August.

The .nz domain registration minimum term is changing from one month to one year following the .nz policy review. The new .nz domain name term is outlined on our website (under section 2.2.7).

When will the change come into effect?

This change will come into effect after the InternetNZ Registry System (IRS) goes live on 3 August 2022.

Does the billing change affect all .nz registrants?

The change in billing will affect registrants if they pay for their domains monthly or any term less than 12 month blocks.

For registrants with annual registrations of .nz domains, the change of billing won’t affect them.

Source: https://mailchi.mp/dnc/august-8858357

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