What is Lemmy?
Lemmy is a link aggregation platform similar to Reddit, except it is free open source software that is hosted across multiple decentralised servers known as “instances”. Lemmy instances are interoperable with one another through “federation” and users of each instance can post to, comment on, and interact with, any other instance so long as they are federated.
For more information about federation, and other federated services, see the About the Fediverse page.
What is PieFed?
PieFed is a platform that is very similar to Lemmy in concept, but it has a different set of features. Lemmy and PieFed share content, so you will see mostly the same content whichever platform you use.
How do I access Lemmy?
Lemmy instances are accessible through default websites like Lemmy.nz or through apps. A list of available lemmy apps is available through https://www.lemmyapps.com/.
Some instances also enable alternative website layouts if you don’t like the instance’s default theme. LemmyNZ’s alternative themes are listed in an Alternative frontends post on LemmyNZ.
How do I access PieFed?
PieFed instances are accessible through default websites like Piefed.nz or through apps. For more info on mobile apps, see Mobile apps
Some instances also enable alternative website layouts if you don't like the instance's default one. PieFedNZ's options are listed on the Web apps page.
Does it matter what instance I join?
Yes and no. You can post to, comment on, and interact with, any other instance so long as they are federated with the instance that you signed up to. If you're not sure, just pick one that sounds good. You can create a new account somewhere else later if you don't like the one you picked first.
Each Lemmy or Piefed instance has its own admins who set the instance's rules and policies. This means there is variability in acceptable content, approach to moderation, sign-up requirements, and federated instances and services, across instances. As instances can have conflicting rules and policies, an instance may choose to “de-federate” from another instance which blocks all interaction between the instances. You are unable to see posts from a de-federated instance and vice versa. Due to this, the feed of each instance is different from every other instance, and the user experience can vary depending on where you sign up.
Generally, the front page of an instance will have links to its rules, policies, and federated and de-federated instances, enabling you to get a feel for the instance before signing up. The list of instances federated with LemmyNZ can be viewed on the Instances page. The equivalent for PieFed can be found on it's own Instances page.By selecting “Blocked Instances” you can also view the instances the instances do not federate with.
Unlike many other platforms and websites, having multiple Lemmy or PieFed accounts on different instances is fine and even encouraged, so long as you are not using them for vote manipulation or ban evasion. Having accounts on multiple instances can be necessary if there is de-federated content you wish to access.
What is special about LemmyNZ and PieFedNZ?
Sign-ups are welcome from anywhere in the world, but LemmyNZ and PieFedNZ are primarily for an NZ audience. If you're not from NZ and are interested in a more globally focussed instance, an instance from your own country or region, or even an instance dedicated to one of your interests, you can search this instance list to find one.
No matter the instance you sign up to, you are welcome to subscribe to our communities, and to post and comment in them.
Whether you are signed up to LemmyNZ or another instance, you won't be able to create a community on LemmyNZ. If creating your own community is important to you, then PieFedNZ might be a better fit. For more information on picking between our platforms, see the Join page.
What are the rules?
The primary rule is a Kiwi take on the golden rule: “Don't be a dick”
Further information is available on the Rules page.
Breaching the rules may result in a temporary or permanent ban as determined by the admins.
Who runs LemmyNZ and PieFedNZ?
LemmyNZ was set up and is run by lead admin Dave in 2023. PieFedNZ followed in 2026. MadPsyentist and terraborra are the other two admins. If you need to contact a member of the admin team you can privately message through Lemmy. Alternative contact methods are listed on the Contact page.
LemmyNZ was set up and is run by lead admin Dave. MadPsyentist and terraborra are the other two admins. If you need to contact a member of the admin team you can privately message through Lemmy. Alternative contact methods are listed on the Contact page.
LemmyNZ is a volunteer effort and survives on donations towards the instance’s hosting costs. To support LemmyNZ, please consider donating via the Donations page if it’s within your means. More information on donating can be found in this post on LemmyNZ.
Contact one of the admins either via a private message to Dave, MadPsyentist or terraborra, or through one of the alternative contact methods listed on the Contact page. The admins can help with account lockouts, rejected sign-up applications, and ban appeals, as well as general support for the instance.
What do I do if Lemmy or PieFed aren't working properly?
Lemmy is an independent platform and the LemmyNZ admins have limited ability to assist with Lemmy bugs and issues, however, you can raise issues by creating a post in !support@lemmy.nz and we may be able to assist you. This community is also used for PieFedNZ support.
PieFed still new and some things may not work right. If you believe you have found a bug consider reporting it through the PieFed project page on Codeberg.
How do I use Lemmy or PieFed?
These platforms don't have detailed user documentation. If you're having trouble, feel free to post in !support@lemmy.nz with your question.
Over time we hope to flesh out more help or support the projects to improve their documentation.
How do I find new communities to subscribe to on Lemmy?
The easiest method is to browse the “All” feed to discover active communities. However, if you’re searching for something specific, the LemmyNZ Search page allows you to search for communities by keyword. If you are the first person to search for a specific community from LemmyNZ you may get no search results due to the way federation works between instances. Repeating the search after a couple of minutes will pull through the search results if communities with the keyword exist.
You can see a list of communities that LemmyNZ has federated with through the Communities page. By default, this will show you all of the “Local” communities on LemmyNZ. By selecting “All” you can see the globally federated communities.
LemmyNZ also maintains a list of NZ related communities in this post. There is also a dedicated !newcommunities@lemmy.world community where users post new communities they have created or found.
As an alternative to Lemmy’s search engine, you can use the Lemmy Community Explorer site someone set up. To subscribe to a community from the Community Explorer click the house to set your home instance and enter “lemmy.nz”. This will convert the links on the Community Explorer to open via LemmyNZ allowing you to subscribe so long as you are logged into your account.
How do I find new communities to subscribe to on PieFed?
At the top of each page there is a Communities button that will show all of the communities that PieFedNZ knows about.
There are a very large number of communities, so have a look at the Explore menu. This allows selecting a Topic to browse posts in communities related to that topic, or you can create a Feed or subscribe to a Feed that someone else has created.
How do I create a new community?
LemmyNZ has a policy not to allow users to create communities. This was a deliberate decision to ensure that all communities on the instance remain dedicated to NZ and NZ focussed interests.
PieFedNZ allows users to create communities. From the Communities page, click the "Create local community" button then follow through the form to selected the community settings.