This No-Fuss New Zealand Host Brings Reliable Web Hosting to the South Pacific

TL; DR: Why is local expertise so important? MyHost, a New Zealand-based web host that has supported local businesses for nearly 25 years, knows the answer. Technical Director Quintin Russ emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique needs of Kiwis and adapting strategies to thrive in a rapidly changing tech landscape. We also spoke with Quintin about MyHost’s journey so far and what may next be on the horizon.

One of the best movies I’ve ever seen is a New Zealand film called “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Written and directed by Taika Waititi, it’s about a preteen boy who moves in with his new foster family on a farm.

I won’t spoil it — you absolutely need to see it for yourself — but it’s a hilarious and heartwarming adventure through the New Zealand bush. Trust me: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you might even sing along.

Ricky Baker, Ricky Baker, happy birthday. Once rejected, now accepted by me and Hector, we’re a trifecta. Ricky Baker, ahhh, Ricky Baker, ahhh…

Now that song will be stuck in my head all day but I’m not mad about it.

Anyway, I mention this movie because it’s the first thing that popped into my head when I learned about MyHost, a New Zealand-based web hosting company that has come a long way with a proud team of “Kiwis who nerd out about technology.”

New Zealand may not be a big country, and much of it is tough to live in — about 60% of the South Island is covered in mountains, and the North Island has its own rugged spine. So the fact that MyHost is dedicated to providing fast, reliable, and affordable web hosting to this remote part of the world? I think that’s worth talking about.

We talked with Quintin Russ, Technical Director of MyHost, about how this small yet mighty provider has prevailed for nearly a quarter century in providing the most reliable web hosting services in what is affectionately known as Middle Earth, New Zealand.

MyHost has come a long way since it was founded almost 25 years ago.

Since its founding in 2000, MyHost has gone through several mergers and acquisitions. The first major step was in 2009 when it teamed up with SiteTech Group, New Zealand’s largest hosting provider, to further its services across the country.

Fast forward to 2017, and SiteTech Group acquired WebSliceNZ. By 2021, MyHost and WebSliceNZ officially merged through SiteTech, combining MyHost’s 20+ years of experience with WebSliceNZ’s strong infrastructure.

“When we acquired WebSliceNZ, we ended up with two very similar brands that were both looking after hosting in the same way,” Quintin explained. “Even though WebSlice was larger than us, our brand was stronger, so it just made sense to bring the two together.”

Since the merger in 2021, MyHost’s business has doubled. MyHost is used by more than 9,000 NZ business owners, backed by a 95% satisfaction rate.

Now, MyHost has four data centers. Three are in Auckland and the other is in Sydney, just a stone’s throw away over the Tasman Sea. Quintin also said MyHost uses a couple of other infrastructure providers further abroad for better connection.

“The majority of what MyHost does is look after New Zealand customers,” he said. “We fully understand what’s happening for them, from the hardware up, which gives us unique insights into how the hardware is performing and how we can build solutions that truly meet their needs, especially as we expand our data center space.”

Impressively, the data center expansion is happening all through organic growth.

To put it in perspective, many web hosts expand by first setting up in a new region, then marketing to that audience, like, “Hey! We’re here now, so you should use us.” But with MyHost, it’s the opposite — its growth is so natural and driven by demand that customers are pulling them into new international markets.

MyHost has a variety of web hosting solutions, from domain registration to web building within MyHost’s platform.

“We’re really focused on our customers, and what we’ve learned along the way is that they want the best performance and value from their hosting,” Quintin said.

Here’s a closer look at everything MyHost offers:

• Hosting
  • Web Hosting: From $8.95/mo to $27.95/mo, enjoy unlimited storage, bandwidth, databases, and email accounts.
  • WordPress Hosting: Get the same deal as basic web hosting, but on the world’s most popular content management system.
  • Reseller Hosting: Start your own hosting business with reseller options from $44.95/mo to $74.95/mo for up to 30 accounts.
  • Email Hosting: Ditch the generic email and get serious with your domain. Private email starts at $4.95/mo (two mailboxes) and group email at $9.95/mo (10 mailboxes).
  • Domains: Secure top-level domains like .nz, .au, and .com with hassle-free registration or free transfers from other registrars.
  • Website Builder: I’ve noticed more web hosts are adding website builders to their solutions, and I love it because you can’t have one without the other. Build and host your site for $15/mo, complete with all features and hundreds of templates.
  • Managed Services: Want to forgo the technical headaches? MyHost can manage your infrastructure so you can focus on your business. Get 24/7/365 monitoring and outage response, access to emergency on-call engineers, and more for $200/mo.
• Servers
  • Virtual Private Servers: Looking for more than basic hosting? VPS hosting prices start from $19.95/mo to $59.95/mo and guarantee better scalability and security.
  • Dedicated Servers: Custom-configurable dedicated servers range from $149/mo to $480/mo.
  • cPanel Servers: If you have too many clients to count, then you need to manage your hosting environment with a control panel — like cPanel. MyHost cPanel servers start at just $230/mo.
  • Colocation: If you already have your own hardware but want to relocate it, MyHost has got your back. It offers space in their very own Auckland data centers, and prices range from $179/month to $399/month..

There’s a decent amount of services to choose from, whether you’re a budding small business owner or an expanding agency with a dozen clients. But Quintin said the most popular services are web hosting and cPanel servers.

“We have a really good sort of culture and framework for understanding our customers and their needs,” Quintin added. “And this means not just necessarily listening to what they’re asking for, but what the sentiment behind the request is — and what’s driving that.”

I always like to see how companies stay relevant in such a fast-changing market. Let’s be honest: Web hosting — and the entire tech sector — is so saturated that it’s hard to even get your foot in the door.

What I appreciate about MyHost is its focus on a specific demographic. While many web hosts aim to expand internationally (and MyHost may have similar plans), it’s refreshing to find a provider that truly specializes in serving the Oceania region.

“We were actually early adopters of AMD CPUs for our hardware switching to NVMe storage. We’ve also been making use of tiered storage as well, which is part of how we’re able to keep our costs low,” Quintin explained.

Here’s how: MyHost optimizes storage based on how frequently data is accessed. Critical, frequently accessed data (like active website content) is stored on fast NVMe drives, while less important, infrequently accessed data (like old log files or emails from years ago) is stored on slower, more cost-effective storage.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that the industry talks about moving quickly with agile methods. But Quintin has a different thought: In hosting, stability, and performance are more important than speed.

“It’s understanding we do need to move fast, but we can’t move fast and break things,” he explained. “It means getting that information early so we can identify what those trends are and then move from there.”

Which is a perfect segue into what MyHost is working on next: Bad bots.

“There’s been a real rise in unwanted traffic using resources that our customers would have rather used. It sounds like an upsell — but for us, it’s an opportunity to solve a problem,” said Quintin.

This means figuring out which IP addresses are legitimate — that is, distinguishing between bot traffic and genuine customers. According to Quintin, this challenge has grown with the rise of AI in web traffic, particularly in the realm of customer data crawling.

Unfortunately, poorly designed bots are flooding the internet, gathering as much consumer information as they can, including behavioral and financial data. But as Quintin puts it, MyHost is focused on “flattening the curve” to manage these traffic spikes and ensure reliable performance.

As MyHost continues to sail through the ever-changing landscape of web hosting, its dedication to customer happiness and innovation is clear. So if you’re in New Zealand or Australia’s South Coast, try MyHost out for yourself.