Dot Kiwi for those wishing to fly flag

New Zealanders wanting to show their online loyalty will get the chance next year when the Dot Kiwi (.kiwi) domain name is expected to become available.

Dot Kiwi Ltd filed an application on January 12 to own the .kiwi name with chief executive Tim Johnson saying it will offer New Zealand organisations and individuals greater choice.

The application is with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and its new generic Top Level Domain programme which ushers in a wave of potential new domains beyond traditional geographic and organisational identifies such as .co.nz or .org.

"As you can imagine, it opens up a great deal of opportunities for adding a local flavour - particularly around New Zealand-focused online promotions and web portals."

Dot Kiwi came about from a group of ex-pat New Zealanders living in Vancouver, Canada.

It was a registered NewZealand company and a percentage of the .kiwi domains would be donated to a trust established to provide funds for the rebuild of Christchurch, he said.

A trust chaired by Sir John Hansen was being formed to receive, administer and distribute funds as they were earned and donated.

"I was keen to provide a way for New Zealanders around the world to connect and claim their Kiwiness online," Mr Johnson said.

"I could also see a great opportunity to provide on-going financial support for the rebuilding of Christchurch - one of New Zealand's most beautiful cities and my hometown."

One of the directors of the company is Peter Dengate Thrush, a barrister specialising in intellectual property, competition and internet law.

Previously, Mr Dengate Thrush had chaired both Internet New Zealand and Icann and had been involved in the moulding of the laws applicable to Icann's governance since inception.

Mr Thrush said in a statement that to be able to bring the next stage of the internet to fruition was exciting.