Communications Minister Amy Adams has welcomed today's signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between InternetNZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) on the management of the .nz domain name.

'The agreement will help ensure this important resource continues to be managed in a transparent way that supports the interests of the local internet community and end users of digital services."

The Memorandum of Understanding sets expectations for how InternetNZ will operate the domain name in the interests of New Zealand internet users, and sets out a process for dealing with any concerns between parties.

It provides a clear statement of how the relationship between InternetNZ and MBIE should operate.

'A stable, reliable, and responsive domain name system is a key part of a modern communications infrastructure.

'The success of the .nz domain name lies in consulting with, and being accountable to, New Zealand internet users."

InternetNZ has been the designated manager for the .nz domain name for 20 years. As New Zealanders' use of the internet has grown, .nz registrations have also grown - from around 8,000 names in 1997 to over 650,000 names today.

This document is a further step forward in the Government's relationship with InternetNZ. It is designed to demonstrate to users and the wider international community how the existing processes for the .nz domain name work.

Source: Office of Amy Adams.