The .nz domain lifecycle: expiry, the 90-day pending release, and the drop
Basics9 June 2026· 3 min read· by the Dropcatch NZ team
If you are waiting for a .nz domain to become available, the single most useful thing you can learn is its lifecycle. Every .nz name follows the same path from expiry back to the open market, and the timing is predictable.
Stage 1: Registration and expiry
A .nz domain is registered for a fixed term of one to ten years. The registrant can renew at any time, and most registrars send multiple reminders as the expiry date approaches. Nothing about an approaching expiry date is visible drama: the domain keeps working right up until it is cancelled.
Registrars differ in how quickly they cancel a domain after its expiry date passes. Some cancel promptly, others hold the name briefly while they chase the owner for payment. This is why two domains with the same expiry date can drop weeks apart.
Stage 2: The 90-day pending release period
Once the domain is cancelled, it enters the registry’s redemption period, commonly called pending release. This lasts 90 days from the date of cancellation.
During pending release:
- Websites and email on the domain stop working.
- Only the original registrant can get the name back, by reinstating it through a registrar.
- Nobody else can register it, no matter how fast they are.
The pending release period exists to protect owners from losing domains by accident, and it works: plenty of names are reinstated during those 90 days. If the name you are watching gets reinstated, a catch order simply stays on file in case it lapses again, and you have paid nothing.
Stage 3: The drop
If the 90 days pass without reinstatement, the registry removes the name from the register in its nightly release window, shortly after half past midnight New Zealand time. From that instant the name is available, first-come, first-served.
This is the moment dropcatching exists for. Desirable names are typically re-registered within moments of release by automated systems. If you plan to compete for a name manually, this is the appointment you are keeping: the small hours of the morning, against machines. Our guide on catching a domain yourself covers how that tends to go.
How to tell where a domain is in its lifecycle
You can query any .nz domain’s status through the official WHOIS service or through a registrar’s lookup tool. The useful states are:
- Active / registered. The domain has an owner. It may still expire in future, and a catch order placed now waits patiently for that day.
- Pending release. The countdown is running. This is the ideal time to place a catch order, because the release date is now a matter of arithmetic.
- Available. The lifecycle is complete. You do not need a catching service, just register it at any registrar before someone else does.
When you enter a domain in our order form, we query the registry live and show you exactly which state the name is in before you commit to anything.
The practical takeaway
The lifecycle rewards people who move early. An order placed while a domain is merely registered costs nothing to hold and secures your place, because we accept only one catch order per domain. By the time a good name is visibly about to drop, someone else has usually claimed the attempt.
Learn more about how dropcatching works, or see our pricing: $32.99 all-up on success, nothing if we miss.