.co.nz or .nz: which domain should your NZ business use?

For most New Zealand trade businesses, .co.nz is the safer choice for your main website and email, because it's the ending Kiwis are most used to typing, and Google doesn't favour either one since both are New Zealand country-code domains. If the matching .nz is free, buy it too and point it at your main site. Whichever you choose, make sure the domain is registered in your name or your company's name, not your web developer's.

What's the difference between .co.nz and .nz?

Both endings are part of New Zealand's .nz domain space and work identically for websites and email. A .co.nz name sits one level down in a space set aside for commercial use, while a .nz name is registered directly, without the "co". The real differences are familiarity and whether your preferred name is free.

A short history

For most of the internet's life in New Zealand, businesses had to pick a "second level" such as .co.nz, .org.nz or .net.nz. Registering a name directly under .nz, like smithplumbing.nz, opened on 30 September 2014.

There was a six-month priority window, running until 30 March 2015, for people who already held a .co.nz or similar to claim the matching shorter name. After that, any available .nz name went to whoever registered it first. So if you've had your .co.nz since before 2014 and never claimed the .nz, someone else may now hold it.

Direct .nz names have grown steadily but are still the minority. In early 2026 they made up roughly a fifth of all .nz registrations, going by InternetNZ's registry figures.

Who runs the .nz domain space?

InternetNZ is the designated manager of .nz. It sets the rules and runs the registry. The Domain Name Commission (DNC) is its wholly owned subsidiary and acts as the independent regulator. It authorises registrars, deals with complaints about them, runs the dispute resolution service for .nz names and hosts the public WHOIS lookup.

You don't buy a domain from either of them directly. You buy it from a registrar, which is a company authorised to sell .nz names. The same .nz Rules apply to .co.nz and .nz names alike. To hold one, you have to be an identifiable individual over 18 or a lawfully constituted organisation. You don't have to be based in New Zealand.

Does Google treat .co.nz and .nz differently?

Google doesn't treat .co.nz and .nz differently, and its documentation doesn't distinguish between them. Both are New Zealand country-code domains, which Google reads as a sign that the site is aimed at people in New Zealand. Choosing one over the other won't change your rankings.

Google's own guide to multi-regional sites lists "clear geotargeting" as a benefit of a country-specific domain.

Google retired the old Search Console setting for choosing a target country in 2022, saying it had "little value". A country-code domain does that job on its own, so there's nothing to set.

What decides where you rank is everything else: whether your pages clearly cover the work you do and the areas you cover, your reviews, and your Google Business Profile. Our local SEO checklist for NZ tradies covers those.

Which do customers trust more: .co.nz or .nz?

.co.nz is the more familiar of the two, because it was the standard New Zealand business address for decades and most .nz names still use it. That doesn't make .nz untrustworthy. It just means some people will type ".co.nz" out of habit.

That habit matters most for email. Say your address is [email protected]. A customer who types [email protected] without thinking will get a bounce, or their email will go to whoever owns that domain. The same thing happens with a website address someone half-remembers from your ute.

A .nz-only name makes sense when:

• the .co.nz version is taken, and the .nz is free
• you want the shortest possible address
• you also own the .co.nz and redirect it, so habit-typers still reach you

Should you register both .co.nz and .nz?

If both the .co.nz and .nz versions of your name are available, it's worth registering both. The second costs about as much as the first. It stops a competitor or squatter grabbing your name, and it catches people who type the wrong ending. Choose one as your main address and redirect the other.

Setting it up properly:

• Choose a primary domain. That's the one on your ute, your quotes and your email signature.
• Point the second domain at the first with a permanent (301) redirect. Don't run two copies of the same site.
• Set up email forwarding on the second domain if your email provider allows it, so stray emails still reach you.
• Put both domains on auto-renew with the same registrar so neither one lapses.

Unless you're protecting a bigger brand, you don't need every variation (.net.nz, .com, misspellings) as well.

How much does a .co.nz or .nz domain cost?

At the time of writing (November 2026), the New Zealand registrars we checked charged roughly $38–$45 a year at renewal for a .co.nz or .nz, including GST. Cheaper first-year deals are common.

Both endings cost about the same because InternetNZ charges registrars the same wholesale fee for each: $22 a year plus GST since 1 July 2025. Each registrar adds its own margin on top.

Two NZ registrars we checked:

Prices change, so check before you buy. Things to watch for:

• Renewal price, not just the first year. A cheap first year means little if the renewal is high.
• "Free domain" bundles. These are fine as long as you're the registrant and you know what renewal costs if you leave.
• Unexpected "renewal" invoices. Only pay domain invoices from the registrar you actually use.

For what a domain costs alongside everything else, see how much a website costs in NZ.

How do you pick a good domain name for a trade business?

Use your business name if it's short and easy to spell. If it's long, generic or already taken, try a short version of your trade plus your area. Keep it short, skip hyphens, and make sure it passes the phone test: say it once and the other person can type it correctly.

Business name or trade plus town?

Your business name (smithplumbing.co.nz) matches your Google Business Profile, signage and invoices, and it still works if you expand to new areas or services.

Trade plus town (northshoreplumber.co.nz) says what you do and where, but it can box you in. Start taking jobs further afield and the domain no longer fits, and changing domains later is a hassle.

Don't pick a keyword domain just to rank. Google's John Mueller has said publicly that there's no SEO bonus for having keywords in your domain name. Pick the name that's easiest for customers.

A quick checklist for a trade domain

• Short. Fewer characters means fewer typos.
• No hyphens. People forget them, and "smith dash plumbing" is awkward to say over the phone.
• No confusing spellings or numbers. Is it "4" or "four"? "Kiwi" or "Kiwis"? Avoid anything you'd have to explain.
• Watch where words join. Run them together and check it doesn't spell something unintended.
• The phone test. Say it once to a mate and ask them to type it. If they get it wrong, so will your customers.
• The ute test. It should be readable at a glance on the side of a ute at 50 km/h.
• Matching email. You'll be saying it on every call, so make sure you're happy with yourname@yourdomain.
• Not someone else's name. Search the name online first to check nobody else is trading under it in your area.

Should a NZ-only business use .com instead of .co.nz?

A business that only works in New Zealand is usually better off with .co.nz or .nz than .com. A New Zealand ending tells both people and Google straight away that you're local. Google treats .com as a generic domain with no particular location. If you already have an established .com, though, don't switch just for this reason.

Google's documentation describes generic domains like .com as "not associated with specific locations". With a .com, Google has to work out that you're a New Zealand business from other signals, such as your content, service areas and Google Business Profile. A local tradie with a .com can still rank fine, but a .co.nz makes it obvious from the start.

There are practical reasons too. A good short .com is often already taken, and New Zealand customers often type .co.nz without thinking. If you own a .com and like it, keep it and buy the matching .co.nz to redirect.

Who owns your domain: you or your web developer?

Your domain should be registered to you or your company. The registrant is the legal holder of the domain, and the record should show you or your company, not your web developer, designer or hosting company. The registrant controls renewals, transfers and where your website and email point. The Domain Name Commission gives the same advice.

Why it matters

If someone else is the registrant, you don't control your business's address online. That bites when:

• the developer stops replying, retires or goes out of business
• you fall out over a bill, and the domain gets held back as leverage
• renewal reminders go to their inbox, the domain lapses, and your website and email stop working
• you want to move to a new provider and need their sign-off for every step

How to check who the registrant is

1. Search your domain on the DNC's WHOIS lookup. It shows which registrar holds the name and when it was registered, and may show registrant details depending on privacy settings. What the public lookup displays has changed over the years, so don't stop there.
2. Ask the registrar directly, or log in to the account if you have one. Ask: "Who is the registrant on record for mydomain.co.nz, and what email address is on the record?" The answer should be you or your company.
3. Check the email address on the record is one you control and will keep. It shouldn't belong to the developer, a former staff member or an old work account.
4. Not sure what you hold? The DNC can search for every .nz name registered to you or an entity you represent. You apply with its domain name holder search form, and it aims to reply within 48 hours of acknowledging your request.

What to do if the domain isn't in your name

1. Ask your developer, in writing, to change the registrant to you or your company. A good developer will do this without fuss. A change of registrant is its own process, separate from moving to a new registrar. The current registrant and the new registrant both confirm the change through the registrar.
2. If you want to move registrars as well, the registrant asks the current registrar for the authorisation code (it used to be called the UDAI). Registrars must hand it over promptly and at no charge. You then give it to your new registrar.
3. Keep your records. Hold on to invoices showing you paid for the domain and website, your business registration, and any emails or messages about the domain.
4. If they won't cooperate or you can't reach them, talk to the registrar, then contact the Domain Name Commission. The DNC handles complaints about registrars and runs a dispute resolution service for .nz names, and it can tell you which route suits your situation.

Once it's sorted, keep the registrant as you or your company with an email you'll keep, turn on auto-renew, and store the login safely. Your developer can still help manage the domain without owning it.

Where does NZ Web Services fit in?

Every website we build includes a .co.nz domain registered so that you own it, and it stays yours if you ever leave. Sites start from $1,000 one-time, which also covers hosting setup, SSL, professional email and Google Business Profile setup. You pay up front, then we build the site and keep refining it with you until it's right.

You don't need us to get a domain, though. You can register one yourself with any authorised NZ registrar in about ten minutes, and if you already have a site you're happy with, there's no reason to change. If you'd like to talk through a site on your own domain, request a callback or check the monthly plans.