Did you miss the deadline to reregister or end your Incorporated Society?

Created: March 26, 2024 at 5:17 PM | Updated: April 7, 2026 | By NZ Navigator Trust

Did your organisation miss the 5 April 2026 deadline?

If your society did not reregister and was removed from the register as a result, you can apply to be restored to the register.

Apply to have your 1908 Act society restored to the register if:

  1. it was dissolved under the 1908 Act before 5 April 2026, or
  2. it was removed from the register because it did not reregister under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (2022 Act) by 5 April 2026.

You must apply for restoration before 6 April 2032.

Who can apply

Only officers or members of the society at the time it was removed from the register can apply.

There are specific grounds for applying - read more here.

You can check whether your organisation is still registered as an  incorporated society by searching your organisation’s name on the Incorporated Societies Register.

Background

Recent law changes affected incorporated societies. From 6 April 2026 there is one Act that incorporated societies need to comply with in New Zealand; the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 (2022 Act).

Between 5 October 2023 and 5 April 2026 existing incorporated societies could reregister and change from the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 to the 2022 Act. That transition period has now ended.

Your society ceases to exist unless it did one of the following before 5 April 2026:

  • Apply to reregister,
  • Appoint a liquidator, or
  • Apply to be dissolved.

If your society decided not to reregister the best option was to wind the society up and apply to have the society removed from the register before the deadline. Read more about winding up your society here.

If your society didn't take any of these steps it simply ceased to exist after 5th April 2026 and this will have serious implications -

  • IRD numbers will no longer apply (see 'IRD guidance' below)
  • banking arrangements will be affected (a bank may not allow officers to access the society's accounts)
  • the society will lose its legal status as an Incorporated society.

Because the society will no longer be an incorporated society:

  1. Your society would no longer be registered as a separate legal identity.
  2. Members could be held personally liable for debts or obligations (such as leases) owed by the society.
  3. Similarly, your society cannot sign any new contracts in its name.
  4. This also removes your right to make decisions on behalf of your society including deciding what happens to any assets it owns - the Registrar could direct how to distribute them instead.
  5. Funders will pause any current funding requests, and stop all grant payments.
  6. The name your society used will no longer have any protection – another group could incorporate using the same name.

Additional information:

Tip: If your organisation is a charity... no matter what option your organisation chooses, after you have made the changes with the Companies Office you'll need to update relevant details in your charity's online account with Charities Services.