Why this matters more than it should
You can run a perfectly good business from a free webmail address. Plenty of people do. But three things happen when you do, and they compound.
- You look temporary. Fair or not, a quote from daves.building.nz@gmail.com reads as a side hustle, and a quote from dave@davesbuilding.co.nz reads as a business. On a large job, that difference in perception is worth real money.
- You do not own the address. The webmail provider does. If the account is locked, suspended or lost, every client, supplier and quote history goes with it, and you have no leverage at all.
- Someone else can take your name. While you are deciding, the domain that matches your business name is available to anyone. Buying it back afterwards, if it is even for sale, costs vastly more than registering it would have.
Everything else on this site can be changed later. You can switch accountants, change your prices, register for GST, even become a company. A domain someone else registered is simply gone.
The email address is the actual product
Most sole traders do not need a website. Almost all of them need an email address, and this is the part people miss: the mailbox comes from the domain, not from a website. Register the domain and you can have you@youridea.co.nz working the same day, with no site behind it at all.
What that buys you day to day:
| Situation | Free webmail | Your own domain |
|---|---|---|
| Quoting a large job | Reads as informal | Reads as an established business |
| Invoices reaching accounts payable | More likely to be filtered or queried | Processed normally |
| Adding a second address | A whole new account to manage | accounts@, quotes@, receipts@ as you need them |
| Taking on staff or a subcontractor | Share a password | Give them their own address |
| Signwriting the van | Long and awkward to read at speed | Short and memorable |
| Changing provider later | New address, tell everyone | Address stays the same, mail moves |
| Becoming a company later | Everything changes | Nothing changes |
Set up receipts@youridea.co.nz and email every receipt photo to it the moment you get one. At tax time your entire year of expense records is in one searchable folder rather than a shoebox. More on records.
.co.nz, .nz, or both?
| Ending | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| .co.nz | The long-established New Zealand business address. What most Kiwis expect and type by default. | Almost every sole trader |
| .nz | Shorter, newer, increasingly common. Fits better on a van door. | Anyone wanting a short, modern address |
| .kiwi.nz | Explicitly local in flavour | Community and local-first brands |
| .org.nz | Non-profit and community convention | Clubs, societies, charities |
| .com | International default | Anyone selling beyond New Zealand |
For a New Zealand sole trader serving New Zealand customers, .co.nz is the safe default. If both .co.nz and .nz are free, registering both and forwarding one to the other is inexpensive insurance: it stops a competitor picking up the twin of your name and confusing your customers.
What it costs
A New Zealand domain is one of the cheapest business expenses you will have, comparable to a couple of coffees a month, renewed annually. It is also fully deductible as a business expense.
Put it next to the alternatives and it is not a close call:
What comes with it at Moreweb
This site is run by Moreweb NZ, a New Zealand owned domain registrar, so we will be upfront that we would like you to register with us. Here is what is actually included, so you can compare it fairly with anyone else:
- One free mailbox on your domain, you@youridea.co.nz, with webmail, and IMAP so it works in Outlook, Apple Mail or your phone.
- Free mail forwarding, if you would rather have business mail land in the inbox you already check.
- Free URL forwarding, so the domain can point straight at your Facebook or LinkedIn page. More on that here.
- 5 GB of cloud storage for quotes, photos and paperwork.
- Free DNS management, so you can connect Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or a WordPress site whenever you want one.
- Domain privacy available, to keep your personal details out of the public ownership record, worth knowing about if you run the business from home.
- Support from people in New Zealand, by phone, email or chat, in your timezone.
Setting it up, start to finish
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Check the name is free
Use the box below, or search directly at Moreweb. Check both .co.nz and .nz while you are there.
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Register it
A few minutes. You will need your contact details for the ownership record; add domain privacy at this point if you would rather those details were not public.
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Create your mailbox
Pick the part before the @. firstname@ is friendly and works well for a one-person business. info@ is anonymous and slightly less effective at getting a reply.
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Connect it to your phone and computer
Use webmail if you like it, or set it up in Outlook, Apple Mail or Gmail using the IMAP settings. Do the phone too; most quotes get answered from a phone.
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Point the domain somewhere
Forward it to your Facebook or LinkedIn page for now, or connect it to a website when you build one. Both are free. Your options.
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Update everything that shows your address
Invoice template, email signature, business cards, van, Google Business Profile, social profiles, and your trade association listing.
Check your name
Type your business name in. You will see whether it is available and what your email address would look like.