Withholding personal information in the register

The Registrar has the ability to remove, omit or restrict access to certain information on the Incorporated Societies Register. The Registrar considers requests on a case-by-case basis, and reviews these against legal requirements.

This guide applies only to 2022 Act societies

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

Role of the Incorporated Societies Register

The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (the Act) requires that basic information about incorporated societies is made available to the public. This helps people to:

• check if a group is officially registered as a society under the law
• learn what the society does, including its purpose and activities
• find out who runs the society (its officers), and
• know how to get in touch with the society.

Information that is shown on the register

According to Section 233(1) of the Act, the register must include certain information for each society, including:

• the name of the society
• the society’s registered office address
• the names of the society’s current officers
• the names of the society’s previous officers, and
• notices of election or appointment of the society’s officers.

Information that can be removed or omitted

Under section 234 of the Act, the Registrar can remove or limit access to certain information so it is not available to the public. This includes situations that involve:

• public interest — if it is in the public interest that the information is hidden
• personal safety — if public access to that information could harm someone’s privacy or safety
• court orders — if someone is protected under laws like the Family Violence Act 2018 or other legal suppression orders. 

If you believe any of the situations above apply to you, you can apply to the Registrar to withhold information in the register.

Public interest

The term “public interest” refers to an issue that is of legitimate public concern (not an issue that is necessarily of interest to the public). An issue must meet a high threshold to be determined as a matter of public interest. 

A reason to withhold information will need to be a public interest factor that outweighs the purpose of the Act and Register — both of which were also enacted in the public interest. We recommend that you seek legal advice if you wish to consider a request under this provision.

Prejudice to privacy or personal safety

If you feel that the publication of certain information would cause harm to a person’s privacy or personal safety, you can seek to withhold that information from the register. You must provide reasons why this would be the case.

The Registrar will consider requests on a case-by-case basis. This review will sometimes require a factual determination. For example, if a person asks for their name to be withheld from the register for the purpose of privacy or personal safety, but at the same time maintains a public social media presence linking themselves to their society, the Registrar is unlikely to accede to the request.

Court orders

Part 9 of the Family Violence Act 2018 allows the Registrar to make private certain personal information on a public register. A person who has a protection order granted by a New Zealand Family Court can apply to the Registrar to have personal information on a register suppressed – making the information unable to be viewed publicly.

Other legal suppression orders may also justify the withholding of certain information on the register.

Making a request to withhold information in the register

To ask the Registrar to withhold information in the register under the grounds of public interest or prejudice to privacy or personal safety, please send an email to processing@companiesoffice.govt.nz.

You must provide the following:

• a letter from you or your society advising what information you wish to be withheld from the register
• a statutory declaration from you or your society, if the request seeks to withhold personal information (such as the name of an officer). Your declaration must:
  • provide reasons why you believe public access to the information would likely prejudice your (or any other person’s) privacy or personal safety, and
  • advise whether this information is otherwise in the public domain in connection with the society.
• any evidence to further support your request.

To ask the Registrar to withhold information in the register under the grounds of a court order, please send an email to familyviolence@companiesoffice.govt.nz.

You must provide the following:

• a letter from you advising what information you wish to be withheld from the register
• a copy of the relevant court order.

Related articles

• Updating your society's contact details on the register From Keeping society details up to date
• Updating officer details on the register From Keeping society details up to date

Other guides in

Keeping society details up to date

• Confirming your authority to manage information
• Updating your society's contact details on the register
• Updating officer details on the register
• Changing your society's rules or constitution
• Changing your society's name
• Updating your AGM month or balance date on the register
• Requesting a correction to the register
• How societies amalgamate

Other help topics