The Freename Forum

The New Zealand Domain Name Commission (DNC) has announced that the New Zealand Dispute Resolution Centre (NZDRC) will be responsible for the out-of-court resolution of disputes relating to .nz domains. The NZDRC will commence operations on 01 October 2024. ‘We want to ensure .nz is world-class, and we have chosen the NZDRC based on their extensive experience and established presence in the market,’ said Barbara Pearse from the DNC in a press release. The NZDRC has more than three decades of experience as an independent provider of services for the out-of-court settlement of commercial disputes as an alternative to traditional civil court proceedings. As part of the amended arbitration rules, there will also be a Tikanga-based option. Tikanga is a term for Māori law; it is the customary law, attitudes and principles of the indigenous legal system that applied before the colonisation of New Zealand. The dispute resolution procedure for .nz also distinguishes between ‘mediation’ and ‘expert determination’; in both cases there is no basic cost decision.

Further information on dispute resolution under .nz can be found at:
https://www.nzdrc.co.nz/dnc-dispute-resolution-scheme/