Applying to remove your society from the register

You can apply to the Registrar to have your society dissolved and removed from the register.

Before submitting your application, your society must deal with any financial matters as specified in its rules, and the requirements of the Incorporated Societies Act 1908. You will also need to hold a general meeting and pass a resolution to dissolve the society.

Read section 28 of the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 for more information on dissolving a society.

You can apply to have your society dissolved by confirming that it —

• is no longer carrying on its operations
• has no assets – all surplus assets have been disposed of as required by your society's rules and the Incorporated Societies Act 1908
• has no liabilities (debts) including contingent liabilities
• is not a party to any legal proceedings or disputes
• has passed a resolution at a general meeting to apply to be dissolved. 

Who can apply

One of your society’s officers can apply or an authorised agent (such as your society’s accountant or lawyer).

How to apply to dissolve an incorporated society

Apply to dissolve your society by using our online service. To apply online you must have:

• a RealMe® login
• an online services account for the Incorporated Societies Register
• authority to update information on the register for the society.

Step by step

1. Log in to your online services account.
2. On your dashboard, select the incorporated society you wish to dissolve from 'My Businesses'.
3. On the 'View Details' page, from the ‘Maintain Incorporated Society’ menu, select ‘Request to Dissolve’.
4. Confirm the required conditions for dissolving the society (as stated above), and that a resolution has been passed to apply for dissolution.
5. Once you have confirmed the above, complete the ‘Signatory Details’ section and click the 'Submit' button.

What happens next

We will review your application to ensure all requirements are met. If we have any questions about your application or need more information, we’ll get in touch with you and let you know what we need.

If we accept your application, we’ll make a declaration dissolving the society. Within the next month we will publish a public notice in the New Zealand Gazette and on our website that confirms the society has been dissolved.

If your society is no longer operating, it can submit a request to the Registrar asking to be removed from the register.

Grounds for applying for removal

You can apply if your society has ceased to operate and —

• paid in full its debts and liabilities to all its known creditors (see note), and
• distributed its surplus assets as set out in your constitution, and in line with the 2022 Act (see note).

How to request removal of an incorporated society

Who can apply

Your society must pass a resolution authorising one of its members to make a request for removal from the register.

There are specific requirements in the 2022 Act around the resolutions needed to support a request for removal. Please refer to sections 227 – 230 of the 2022 Act for full details.

How to apply

If you have been authorised to request removal of your society, apply using our online service. To use our online services, you must have:

• a RealMe® login
• an online services account for the Incorporated Societies Register
• authority to update information on the register for the society.

Step by step

1. Log in to your online services account.
2. From 'My Businesses' section of your dashboard, select the society that you’re asking to be removed.
3. On the 'View Details' page go to the ‘Maintain Incorporated Society’ menu and select ‘Request to Remove’.
4. Confirm that you are authorised by the society to apply for its removal.
5. Confirm which grounds for removal apply (as above).
6. Complete the ‘Signatory Details’ section and select 'Submit'.

What happens next

We’ll give public notice of intention to remove a society

The Registrar is required to:

• give public notice of the intended removal, and
• provide a period of 20 working days for any objections to be made by the public.

The notice is published on the Incorporated Societies Register website and the New Zealand Gazette.

We’ll send the applicant an email confirming the date the Registrar will give public notice of their intention to remove the society from the register.

Wait 20 working days to allow for any objections

Once the notice has been published, the public has 20 working days to object to the removal of the society.

People can object during this time, but only if their objection is for a reason defined under section 178 of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.

Remove the society from the register

If we've received no objection after 20 working days, the society will be removed from the register (generally the next working day).