Choosing hosting
Does your NZ business website need to be hosted in New Zealand?
Key takeaway
NZ businesses should choose hosting around their website’s performance, support and data-location requirements. Lightning Web Hosting uses AWS servers, with CloudFront delivering public files. If your business has specific requirements for where information is held, discuss them with us before setup.
In this guide
Check your requirements before choosing a location
A business serving New Zealand customers does not automatically need every website file stored in New Zealand. The right location depends on your visitors, the way the website works and any requirements for where information is held.
Ask two separate questions: where does the main website run, and where are its content, database and backups stored? An NZ-dollar invoice or an NZ business name does not answer those questions.
Server distance is one part of speed
Distance can affect how long a request takes, especially when a page needs a fresh answer from the main server. But large images, heavy scripts and slow page generation can also make a nearby website feel slow.
Compare the actual pages your customers use on a phone, rather than buying on a location label alone. An information page and a live stock lookup have different needs. Ask for evidence of performance for the kind of website you run, not an unexplained “fastest” claim.
How a CDN shortens the trip for public filesFind the cause of a slow website
A CDN changes how public files reach people
A content delivery network stores eligible copies of website files at delivery locations. Visitors can receive a picture or script from that network instead of making every request to the main server. CloudFront uses edge locations for that delivery.
A CDN does not mean the whole application or database is copied into New Zealand. Private requests and content that needs a current answer may still reach the main service. The cache settings need to match what the website does.
Sources: How Amazon CloudFront delivers content (opens in a new tab)
Where Lightning hosts websites
Lightning hosts your website on AWS servers. Amazon CloudFront delivery is included in both plans, alongside SSL, platform security and daily AWS website backups. We are locally owned and offer NZ-dollar plans for New Zealand businesses.
Tell us if your organisation, customer agreement or project requires a particular data location. We confirm suitability before setup. A page-delivery location alone is not evidence that all your information meets that requirement; separate services and backups need consideration too.
Support and upkeep still matter
Location does not tell you who updates the software, answers a question or helps restore a website. Compare those responsibilities alongside the infrastructure. Check whether the domain and email can stay where they are and how you will make everyday changes.
Thunder is NZ$55 + GST a month per website. Lightning is NZ$99 + GST and adds Arc’s everyday updates, subject to fair use. Both include SSL, CloudFront CDN, platform security, daily AWS website backups, free domain registration and DNS. We agree the website’s setup before launch; hosting billing begins when it is live with us.
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