Kickstarter sets NZ launch date

Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects, has revealed it’s opening up New Zealand-based projects from November 13.

Announced via the company's official blog site, big thinking Kiwis will benefit from the crowd funding website in less than a month.

"In August we announced that Kickstarter would soon open up to projects based in Australia and New Zealand for the first time," wrote Michael McGregor, creator, Kickstarter.

"Today we're happy to announce that the day has finally come!

"Beginning today (like, right now!), people in Australia and New Zealand can start building their projects by clicking on the "Start a project" button on the Start page.

"Beginning Wednesday November 13, people in those countries will be able to launch their projects. We'll send an email that day letting everyone know when they can click the launch button."

Let's run through the basics on how things will work:

So Australia- and New Zealand-based creators can start building their Kickstarter projects as early as today, and launch them beginning November 13?

Yes. We thought the month-long gap would give everyone plenty of time to build and tweak their projects before launching. Beginning November 13, they can launch and share their projects with the world.

Will there be Australia- and New Zealand-specific Kickstarter sites?

Nope. Australia- and New Zealand-based projects will be listed alongside all the other Kickstarter projects.

Can people outside Australia and New Zealand pledge to projects based in those countries?

Yes! Just as with every other project on Kickstarter, backers can pledge to Australia- and New Zealand-based projects from all around the world.

What currency will Australia- and New Zealand-based projects be listed in?

Australian projects will be listed in Australian dollars (AUD), and New Zealand-based projects will be listed in New Zealand dollars (NZD). If you are pledging from outside Australia or New Zealand, you will see the approximate conversion to US dollars before you complete your pledge.

Will backing Australia- and New Zealand-based projects be similar to backing US projects?

The mechanics of Kickstarter (all-or-nothing funding, rewards, etc.) are identical for all projects. When pledging, however, backers of Australia- and New Zealand-based projects will enter their payment information directly on Kickstarter rather than through Amazon Payments. All pledges will be processed securely through a third-party payments processor.

Are the fees for Australia- and New Zealand-based projects the same as those for projects in other countries?

Yes, Kickstarter will charge a 5% fee to successfully funded projects and no fee to unsuccessfully funded projects in Australia and New Zealand. Payment processing fees for Australia- and New Zealand-based projects are similar to those for UK and Canada-based projects. Here are the details:

For New Zealand-based projects:

* Pledges less than $10 NZD are charged 5% + $0.05 NZD

* Pledges of $10 NZD or greater are charged 3% + $0.20 NZD

* If a project is not successfully funded, there are no fees.

For all those unaware, check out seven things to know about Kickstarter.