New legislation for incorporated societies

Incorporated societies had until 5 April 2026 to reregister with the Companies Office. This change was to ensure continued operations under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.

You may or may not have reregistered, and this could have implications for your banking.

To ensure we can continue to support your banking needs, please get in touch with us. 

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If you didn’t reregister by 5 April 2026

Incorporated societies had until 5 April 2026 to reregister. If you haven’t reregistered your society, it no longer exists as a legal entity. 

What this means for your organisation:

  • Your president, treasurer, and other officers will no longer be able to act for the society. This means there'll be no one legally able to make decisions or give us instructions.
  • Your BNZ accounts have been blocked. You can’t access or pay money out of your BNZ accounts. This includes direct debits and other automatic payments.
  • The Registrar of Incorporated Societies may also step in. They may appoint someone else to sell or deal with your society’s assets.

You may be able to restore your society to the Register. The New Zealand Companies Office has guidance on how to apply for restoration.

Use our online form to remove blocks on your BNZ accounts. We’ll need confirmation that your society has been restored.

Next steps to update your banking

The changes you intend to make to your society will determine the updates you may need to make to your banking. You’ll usually need to restore a deregistered society before making the below changes.

Checking your organisation type

You can find out if your organisation is an incorporated society or a charitable trust by checking online. The New Zealand Companies Office has registers you can search. To check if your organisation is:

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