How to search the Incorporated Societies Register

Information about incorporated societies, and how to find it

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.

You can search the register free of charge for information about incorporated societies and their status.

What you can search for

Information available on the register for an incorporated society includes its:

  • name
  • incorporation number
  • New Zealand Business Number
  • status — Either ‘Registered’, ‘External Administration’ (for example, if a society is in liquidation), or ‘Dissolved/Removed’
  • date of incorporation
  • date of reregistration – but only if it has reregistered under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022
  • registered office address
  • officer details (where recorded)
    • If a society is registered under the 2022 Act it must record the details of every officer and you will be able to see their names and start dates (when they were either elected or appointed as an officer). You will also see details of former officers.
    • For societies registered under the 1908 Act it is optional to record officer details on the register.
  • constitution or rules
  • annual financial statements and annual returns (for societies that not registered as charities)
  • certificates of incorporation and amalgamation.

You can check which Act a society is registered under

It is quick and easy to check which Act a society is currently registered under. Simply carry out a free search and look for the ‘Incorporated Societies Act’ marker on the ‘General Details’ screen. We will display ‘2022’ for any society that’s registered under the 2022 Act and ‘1908’ for all societies that are still registered under the old 1908 Act.

Screenshot of a search result with the Incorporated Societies Act highlighted.

Searching the register

To conduct a search, enter a society’s name, incorporation number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) into the search bar on the register’s homepage.

A ‘quick-search’ list of results will appear immediately, providing basic information for societies matching your search criteria, including society name, incorporation number, NZBN and current status and the Act they're registered under.

For a more detailed list of results, which includes addresses and incorporation date, click on ‘All results’ at the top right-hand corner of the page, or the ‘View more detailed results’ link at the bottom of the quick-search list of results.

Search for societies

Refining your search

You can use the ‘Advanced Search’, located in the top right-hand corner of the quick-search page, to find specific results for the following criteria:

When choosing ‘Search Business’:

  • business type
  • business status
  • registration date
  • address keywords

When choosing ‘Search Role’:

  • role type
  • role status
  • business type
  • business status

Organising your search results

You can sort your results by ascending or descending order, and have the choice of printing your results, attaching them to an email, or saving them either as a PDF or Excel file.

Viewing a society’s information

To view the publicly available information we hold for an incorporated society, click on its name in the search results list.

Access to a society’s documents

All public documents filed with us are available free of charge. These include:

  • a copy of the society’s rules or constitution
  • copies of the annual financial statements and annual returns
  • change of address forms (if any)
  • certificate of incorporation (includes reregistration date) and amalgamation (if applicable).

To access a society’s documents

  1. Search for the incorporated society, as described above.
  2. Click on the society’s name.
  3. On the ‘View Details’ screen, click on the ‘Filings’ tab.
  4. Choose from the list of documents by clicking the link.
  5. Click on the document number to view, or export the document as a PDF.

Archived documents

All documents filed since April 2002 are available electronically. Prior to 2002, the last complete set of amended rules or trust deed variations are also available electronically.

Archived documents for incorporated societies that were declared dissolved prior to 31 Dec 2002 are available from Archives New Zealand. A search for any archived document can be made on the Archives New Zealand website.

If the records are not available electronically or through Archives New Zealand, the society should be approached directly for a copy.

All help topics

Getting started on the register 8 guides

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

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.

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