Law changes for Incorporated Societies come into force

Existing incorporated societies can apply to reregister under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (the 2022 Act) from 5 October 2023.

• Until an existing incorporated society reregisters, it will remain governed by the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 (the 1908 Act).
• If an incorporated society does not reregister by 6 April 2026, they will cease to exist as the 1908 Act will be revoked.

Societies wishing to incorporate after 5 October 2023 will need to do so under the 2022 Act.

Law changes

The 2022 Act and the Incorporated Societies Regulations 2023 (the regulations) come into force today (5 October 2023), putting in place a modern legal, governance and accountability framework for incorporated societies and those who run them.

The regulations, which were published on 4 September 2023 are the final part of a new regime which will bring greater clarity and protection for New Zealand’s approximately 24,000 incorporated societies and those who run them. These support the effective operation of the 2022 Act by setting out some details of the new regime, such as how societies apply for incorporation or reregistration and matters relating to the administration of societies.

The reregistration process

Existing incorporated societies must reregister under the 2022 Act if they want to remain as an incorporated society at the end of the transition period.

The regulations explain the information that must be contained in a reregistration application. Existing societies will not have to pay a fee when they apply for reregistration.

A society will need to do a few things before they reregister, like ensuring:

• its constitution is compliant with the new Act, including dispute resolution procedures
• it has a committee that’s responsible for managing the operation and affairs of the society
• it has at least 10 members
• it has at least one contact person (these contact details will be used by the Registrar to contact the society).

Registrar of Incorporated Societies

“It’s important that New Zealand clubs and societies are aware of the new regulations that have come into force today so that they can properly prepare to reregister their society under the new Act.

“We wanted to make this process as simple as possible for societies with the information they need available online and ensure there’s no fee to reregister.

“I would strongly encourage anyone that is unsure what actions they need to take, or if their incorporated society will need to reregister, to visit the Incorporated Societies website.”

How to stay up to date

The latest information about the law changes are available for societies to view on the Incorporated Societies Law Change Hub. Societies can also sign up to receive the latest updates automatically.