Incorporated Societies Act

The new Incorporated Societies Act came into effect on 5 October 2023. Existing societies must reregister under this new Act before 5 April 2026 to remain on the register. If you don’t your society will cease to exist, which can have significant impacts on your funding and operations.  

There are a few things your society will need to do before it reregisters, such as preparing some documents and possibly adopting some new processes to comply with the new Act, so it's a good time to look at how your organisation runs and whether your rules and processes are fit for purpose. 

Why start now?

• The process can take a few months.
• Your constitution must be approved at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) or Special General Meeting (SGM).
• Most organisations need to start by February 2026 to meet the deadline.
• It’s mandatory by law – all incorporated societies must re-register with a compliant constitution before 5 April 2026.

What happens if you miss the deadline? 

• Frozen bank accounts
• Loss of legal status
• Inability to operate

Check out the New Zealand Companies Office for further information and to access the constitution builder to help you draft a compliant constitution.

Sport NZ have created a great toolkit with key resources (which apply to all incorporated societies) that you can view here: https://sportnz.org.nz/resources/incorporated-societies-act-2022-and-regulations/.

Community Governance Aoteraroa have a webinar recording you can view here.  

Parry Field Lawyers has also created a helpful guide to navigating registrations that you can view here. Plus, they have some webinars coming up which is a great place to ask questions.  See details here.

The new Incorporated Societies Act introduces several important changes to financial reporting. The External Reporting Board has put together a handy Need to Know session explaining what’s changing, including an overview of the Tier 3 and 4 Standards and key things to consider.  Watch the recording and download the slides here.