In August we announced that Kickstarter would soon open up to projects based in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. 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 Australia-based projects:

Pledges less than $10 AUD are charged 5% + $0.05 AUD

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

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.

Will Kickstarter host workshops for Australia- and New Zealand-based creators leading up to the launch?

We're glad you asked! Yes, we will be hosting several workshops that will walk through building a project. There will be events in Melbourne on October 27th; Brisbane on October 28th; Sydney on October 31 and November 1; and Auckland on November 5, with more events to come. Hope to see you there!