How .nz dropcatching works

What actually happens when a .nz domain expires - and how we get it for you.

The life (and death) of a .nz domain

Every .nz domain is registered for a fixed term. If the owner doesn’t renew it - they forgot, the business closed, the email bounced - the domain is eventuallycancelled and begins its journey back to the open market:

1

Expiry & cancellation

The registration lapses and the registrar cancels the name. Websites and email on the domain stop working.

2

90 days in “pending release”

The domain sits in the .nz registry’s redemption period(also called pending release) for 90 days. Only the original registrant can reinstate it during this time. Nobody else can register it - yet.

3

The drop

When the 90 days are up, the registry removes the name in its nightly release window - shortly after half past midnight, NZ time. From that instant, it’s first in, first served.

4

The catch

Milliseconds matter. Our catching systems are already waiting and fire registration requests the moment the name is released. If we win the race, the domain is yours.

Your order, step by step

  1. Search & order. Create a free account, enter the domain, and we’ll show you its live registry status before you order. Catch orders are exclusive - one order per domain, first come, first served.
  2. Review within 24 hours. Every order is checked and confirmed by our team within 24 hours. You’ll get an email when it’s locked in.
  3. We watch. Whether the domain drops next week or next year, your order stays active. We track the pending-release timeline so you don’t have to.
  4. Result day. The moment the domain is released we attempt the catch and email you the outcome:
    • Caught - the $32.99 all-up charge ($30 first-year registration + $2.99 catching fee) goes on your account and we arrange handover to you.
    • Missed - someone beat us to it (rare - our average catch rate is over 98%). You pay nothing.

What makes catching hard?

When a good domain drops, you’re not the only one who wants it. Multiple parties - including professional catchers - may fire requests within the same second. Winning consistently takes registry-grade infrastructure, tuned timing, and years of .nz-specific experience. That’s exactly what we built through our wholesale years, and it’s now open to everyone at retail.

Can I just wait and register it myself?

You can try! The registry releases names in the small hours of the morning, and popular ones are gone within moments. If nobody else wants the name you might get lucky - but if it matters to you, a $2.99 catch order is cheap insurance.

Which domains can we catch?

Anything in the open .nz namespace: .nz, .co.nz, .net.nz, .org.nz, .gen.nz, .ac.nz, .school.nz, .geek.nz and .kiwi.nz. Moderated extensions like .govt.nz or .iwi.nz can’t be freely registered, so we can’t catch those. See supported domains for the full rundown.

Further reading

Place a catch order