Registrar Advisory Group

Lee has been an elected member of the RAG since it began in 2003. He is responsible for Voyager’s domain name offering under brands 1st Domains and RegisterDirect. Entering the Internet industry in 1995, Lee has valuable experience in the technical operations and commercial aspects of operating a registrar with a large customer base. Voyager continues to actively develop offerings for .nz.  Lee believes this, combined with his previous experience, allows him to continue to represent registrars’ best interests.

Glen has already served two terms as an elected member of the RAG. He has been operating a niche ISP as Director, Administrator and Technical Resource for the past 15 years. GodZone Internet Services has been a registrar of the NZSRS since the beginning of 2003.  GodZone Internet Services is a small player in the industry, but Glen believes that he has experienced many of the issues in common with other registrars and he can represent the interests of other smaller registrars. 

Glen has also been employed for the last 30 years in IT Services at Massey University. He has experience as a customer in the domain market and internet services in general.

Mel Tohiariki has been working in the domain name industry for over 12 years.
 
During her tenure at Domainz Limited and Melbourne IT, she has been involved in numerous product launches. These included the opening of the .nz second level and .KIWI. Her in-depth knowledge of domain name policies covers both domestic and international spaces, including the recent advent of new GTLDs.
 
Mel has also had a vital role in the retail and partners corporate channel sales of domain names. She balanced industry policies with the commercial needs of registrar businesses within the Melbourne IT Group.

Shaun Fisher has been working within the Internet, technology, and domain namespace for over 12 years. Having built from the ground up, and still in operational control of locally owned ISP and authorised registrar Vetta Online, Shaun maintains a strong technical understanding and input in the day-to-day implementation and upkeep of systems and integrations, together with balancing against commercials and policies not only with the DNC & InternetNZ, but the wider Internet & technology industry.

Shaun brings an open mind and strong voice to the table for the Registrar Advisory Group on behalf of registrars, collating concerns or suggestions from fellow registrars to the table in order to ensure feedback is brought forward and we’re all on the same page to provide solutions, with the end goal of improving service to our end customers.

Newly elected RAG Member Prudence has over a decade’s worth of experience in the  Domains sector. She has  Prudence comes from MarkMonitor a Global Corporate Domain Registrar part of the Clarivate family of products and shall be representing Corporate Registrars in the group. With extensive experience from a policy and development perspective, Prudence is actively engaged with a number of Policy groups across the globe including the Registrar Stakeholder Group at ICANN level, EURid Policy Advisory Board, Belgian Registrar Advisory Group, .IE Policy Advisory Committee, the Dynamic Coalition on Data and Trust, CENTR. In conjunction with these positions, she’s also previously worked closely with various Law Enforcement Agencies (such as Interpol, Europol and City of London Police) participating in various Operations tackling DNS abuse, including phishing and fraud, helping maintain the safety of our Clarivate client’s online.

 Prudence shall be providing the perspectives of the corporate registrars and adding breadth to the perspectives and viewpoints of the group…and a charming English accent too!

Johan started out as a Unix systems engineer back in South Africa for one of the largest ISP’s in the late 90's. Since then he has been working for various hosting providers, and telco’s over the world. Today he works for Newfold digital, as the current GM for the Freeparking group of companies, and also oversees all Technical Operations within the group.  With a keen eye on emerging technologies and a close eye on cybersecurity matters, he is an advocate for change, promoting a digital presence for all companies and consumers.

Here are the terms of reference for the Registrar Advisory Group. The terms of reference explain why the group was established and what it does.

Previous Registrar Advisory Group Minutes

Rationale

A Registrar Advisory Group has been set up by InternetNZ as part of its obligations under the Shared Registry System (SRS). The Registrar Advisory Group is chaired by the Domain Name Commissioner (Commissioner). It comprises up to six Registrar representatives, and such InternetNZ and Domain Name Commission Limited (DNCL) staff as may be required. It is intended to represent the collective interests of the Registrar community. Thus it provides a key advisory element in the ongoing monitoring of the market by the DNCL. This group will meet as and when necessary.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Registrar Advisory Group will:

1. provide input to the Commissioner and InternetNZ on matters affecting the .nz domain name space, including providing advice on their preferred priority work areas
2. act as one point of contact between the authorised registrars and the DNC and InternetNZ
3. provide a forum for Registrars to share issues affecting the .nz market and offer possible solutions
4. provide input to help resolve technical issues regarding the register, its interfaces and the .nz DNS, and to identify and evaluate possible SRS enhancements and changes
5. be consulted as part of any .nz external policy review
6. provide input to the DNCL communication strategy regarding .nz domain.

The Registrar Advisory Group will meet as required, probably quarterly. It is required to act in a positive, constructive manner.

The Registrar Advisory Group, and members, will not: 

• make any decisions that bind either the Commissioner or InternetNZ given its advisory role.
• use the forum to present any personal agenda that doesn't have a wider benefit to the registrar community or .nz environment.
• make public statements purporting to represent the .nz position on any matter.

Membership

The Registrar Advisory Group shall comprise:

• up to six Registrar representatives, as elected by Registrars
• the DNCL chair
• such InternetNZ and DNCL staff as may be required.