Incorporated Societies Act 2022 — check your society still exists

Before you apply

Check this before you apply for anything else in this directory. Almost every fund here requires a legal entity, and a society that failed to re-register is not one any more.

Between 5 October 2023 and 5 April 2026, every incorporated society had to actively re-register under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. It did not happen automatically. Societies that did not re-register were removed from the register on 6 April 2026 and ceased to exist as legal entities.

Community sport clubs are named as particularly at risk. Sector bodies reported before the deadline that a significant portion had not re-registered, and that many were either unaware it applied to them or assumed it could be dealt with later.

What ceasing to exist actually means, and it is worse than losing eligibility. The members become a group of individuals who are personally liable for the organisation’s commitments — debts, liabilities, staff. The IRD number no longer applies. A bank may refuse to let officers access the accounts. The society cannot hold or deal with property or assets.

How to check. Search your organisation on the Incorporated Societies Register at is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz. It takes a minute and it tells you exactly where you stand. If someone else handled it and you assume it was done, check anyway.

If you were removed, you can be restored. Applications go through the Companies Office online and cost $177.78 plus GST. Societies removed on 6 April 2026 have until 6 April 2032 to apply. Until restoration is approved the society is still treated as having ceased to exist, so do it before you need to sign anything.

The Companies Office run a free online constitution builder that meets the baseline requirements of the 2022 Act, which is a reasonable starting point for a smaller organisation. Sport NZ have published guidance and will help sport organisations — governance@sportnz.org.nz.

If your rōpū never was an incorporated society, none of this applies to you. Charitable trusts and Māori land trusts are governed separately. And an unincorporated group can still access most funding by partnering with a legal entity, which several funders here recommend rather than turning people away.