Charities Services

Charities Services, Ngā Rātonga Kaupapa Atawhai is part of the Department of Internal Affairs, and is legislated by the Charities Act 2005. Our role is to promote public trust and confidence in the charitable sector and to encourage and promote the effective use of charitable resources. We do this by registering and monitoring charities and processing annual returns. We also encourage good governance and management practices by providing educational support, advice and materials.

Charities Services maintains the Charities Register, which contains more than 27,000 registered charities. The Charities Register is the public record of registered charities that operate under the rules of the Charities Act 2005.

Charities Services has approximately 30 staff based in Wellington – many of whom have direct experience in the charitable sector. We work closely with the Department of Internal Affairs’ nationwide team of Community Operations Advisors and staff from other government agencies, such as Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. We also provide advice to Government and other stakeholders in the wider not-for-profit sector, and commission and publish relevant research and data to help further understanding, trust and confidence in the charitable sector.

An independent three person Charities Registration Board meets regularly to apply the law and make decisions regarding the charitable status of organisations.

Organisation Size
Large
Organisation Stage
Established
Serves the following communities
Any sector
Based in the following regions
Wellington City

Resources from Charities Services

Helpful tips for organisations who have decided to apply to become a registered charity, making sure you have all the…

Charities Services has developed a statement of the qualities that it considers contribute to making a charity efficient and effective,…

A charitable trust is an agreement between people (called trustees) to manage property, over which they have control, for charitable…

Information about conflicts of interest and how to manage them, including an example conflict of interest policy.

The reporting standards for registered charities and the preparation of financial statements that comply with the standards.

This governance resource is a starting point to help new officers understand their role as an officer of a charity.