InternetNZ and ICANN in Exchange of Letters

ICANN is the US-based organisation responsible for managing
the global assignment of domain names and IP addresses.



The exchange of letters means that InternetNZ now officially
recognises ICANN’s role in coordinating the root services of the Internet, and
ICANN officially recognises InternetNZ’s role as the ccTLD (Country Code Top
Level Domain) manager for .nz.



The letters state the intentions of InternetNZ and ICANN to
continue working together to maintain the Domain Name System (DNS) for the .nz
address space for the benefit of the local and global Internet community. They
also set out a range of administrative undertakings.



The signing ceremony took place yesterday at a meeting of
the ICANN board in Los Angeles, California. It was attended by InternetNZ and
ICANN representatives including current ICANN Chair Vint Cerf, ICANN President
Dr Paul Twomey, InternetNZ President Peter Macaulay, InternetNZ Executive
Director Keith Davidson and Domain Name Commissioner Debbie Monahan.



InternetNZ Executive Director Keith Davidson says the
exchange of letters formalises a longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship br />InternetNZ has enjoyed with ICANN since its inception in 1998.

Dr Frank March, who is
representing the New Zealand Government on the Government Advisory Committee of
ICANN in Los Angeles, has welcomed the move saying it provides a useful step
forward in providing additional security and stability for the Internet in New
Zealand.

For more information contact:

Keith Davidson
Executive Director
InternetNZ
021 377 587
exe.dir@internetnz.net.nz