Objecting to removal

Objecting to the removal of a society from the register

New legislation for incorporated societies

Between 5 October 2023 and 5 April 2026 there are 2 Acts in force

The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (2022 Act) applies if your society —

  • registered for the first time on or after 5 October 2023, or
  • registered before 5 October 2023 and has reregistered since then.

The Incorporated Societies Act 1908 (1908 Act) applies if your society registered before 5 October 2023 and has not yet reregistered.

This section applies to societies currently registered under the 2022 Act

If you’re not sure which Act applies to your society, you can check by searching the Incorporated Societies Register for free. How to search the register

Any person may object to the removal of a society from the Incorporated Societies Register, but only if they valid grounds for objecting (see below)

When to lodge an objection

Your objection must be lodged within the period stated in the public notice.

You need to confirm which grounds for objection apply. You must also supply copies of any evidence you have to support your objection.

Grounds for objecting to removal

  1. The grounds for removal relied on by the Registrar do not exist, or
  2. The society is still operating or there is a proper reason for it to continue in existence, or
  3. The society is a party to a legal proceeding, or
  4. The society is in receivership, or liquidation (or both), or
  5. You are a creditor or another person who has an undischarged claim against the society, or
  6. You believe there is a right of action under Part 4 of the 2022 Act that you intend to pursue, or
  7. That for any other reason, it would not be just and equitable to remove the society from the register.

How to lodge an objection

Lodge your objection using our online service. To use our online service you must have:

  • a RealMe® login
  • an online services account for the Incorporated Societies Register

RealMe logins and setting up your online services account

Step by step

  1. Log in to your online services account.
  2. From your dashboard, use the 'Search Business' option to search for the society.
  3. From the ‘Maintain Incorporated Society’ menu, select ‘Lodge Other Documents’.
  4. Select 'Objection to Removal' from the list of document types.
  5. Confirm your grounds for objecting
  6. Upload the relevant documents (evidence that supports your objection).
  7. Add any comments you’d like to make or additional information to support your objection.
  8. Select 'Submit'.
Object to the removal of a society

What happens next

We will review your objection and if it’s accepted, the Registrar will suspend the removal of the society, allowing the applicant sufficient time to complete their dealings with the society.

  • For an objection accepted under grounds 1, 2, 3, or 4 removal will generally be suspended for 6 months.
    • We'll periodically review the objection by writing to the applicant and asking them to reconfirm their objection to the removal of the society.
    • If no confirmation is received, we'll proceed to remove the society from the register.
  • For an objection accepted under grounds 5, 6, or 7 removal will be suspended for 20 working days.
    • This will give the applicant time to apply to the High Court to either place the society in liquidation, or to apply for an order preventing the society from being removed.
    • The Registrar cannot extend the period of suspension for any objection made under these grounds.

All help topics

Getting started on the register 8 guides

Find out about incorporated societies and the Incorporated Societies Register, and what's needed to register and maintain an incorporated society in New Zealand.

Searching the Incorporated Societies Register 2 guides

Find out how to search our registers for information about incorporated societies, and other entities

Starting an incorporated society 5 guides

To incorporate a society in New Zealand you must submit an application, along with the required documents, and pay a registration fee.

Reregistering under the 2022 Act 6 guides

To remain on the register, existing societies will need to reregister under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 before April 2026

Running your incorporated society 7 guides

Once you’ve registered, you’ll need to keep your details on the register up to date, and follow the rules that apply to incorporated societies and how they are run.

Meeting your annual filing requirements 3 guides

Once you've registered your incorporated society, you'll need to file annual financial statements. Societies registered under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 must also complete an annual return.

Keeping society details up to date 8 guides

Once you've registered your incorporated society, you'll need to file annual financial statements and update other society details when they change.

Ending an incorporated society 3 guides

When an incorporated society reaches the end of its 'life', it must be wound up and removed from the register. Here we outline the ways this can be done, and the steps involved.

Restoring an incorporated society to the register 2 guides

An application can be made to us to have an incorporated society restored to the register, by the society itself, or by a creditor. You'll need to provide evidence to support your application.

Forms and fees 3 guides

The forms you might need to update a society's details, along with the fees that apply and ways you can pay.

Managing your online account 7 guides

To update society details on the Register of Incorporated Societies you need a Companies Office online services account. It's free to set up, but fees apply for some transactions.