Thousands of local community groups face de-registration if they miss April deadline

Pacific community groups in Aotearoa could lose their legal status if they fail to re-register under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 before 5 April.

The law requires all societies to update their constitutions and confirm their membership, a process that can be difficult for volunteer-run organisations.

Tauanuu Nick Bakulich, a Pasifika Sector Support Adviser at Community Leisure Management, says many Pacific community groups might not realise the consequences of missing the deadline.

“There’s no grace period,” he said on Pacific Mornings. “Come 5 April, if those organisations haven’t re-registered, they get automatically cut.”

Many groups are behind. Tauanuu said registration data showed churches, sports clubs, and community organisations with large Pasifika memberships have yet to complete re-registration.

"For me personally, it did send alarm bells," he said after seeing lists of groups that had not yet re-registered.

About 7500 societies had not re-registered by early March, including sports clubs and Pacific community groups. Photo/Cricket Wellington

Across New Zealand, there are more than 23,000 incorporated societies.

But Shamubeel Eaqub, Chief Economist at Simplicity, shared on LinkedIn that about 7500 societies had not re-registered by early March, including Māori organisations, sports clubs, Pacific community groups, Returned Services Associations, and women’s refuges.

He says some of these groups have been around for more than 100 years and are ‘a picture of community life’.

Thousands of incorporated societies are yet to re-register under new rules. Photo/Simplicity Research

Eaqub says the Act is good legislation that asks for sensible things like modern governance, better transparency, and clearer duties.

But he adds that the transition has been left to societies, with no meaningful support for the ones least equipped to manage it.

He said these organisations don’t have lawyers or compliance teams and that losing important, long-standing civic groups because of incomplete paperwork is “policy vandalism”.

The law requires all societies to update their constitutions and confirm their membership. Photo/RNZ/Bridget Tunnicliffe

The Companies Office, which oversees societies, is urging groups to sign up again before the deadline. In a statement this week, Bolen Ng, the National Manager, said online tools and guidance are available to help.

He says doing this will help societies update how they are run and give them what they need to keep working well in the future.

Earlier this year, Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson also encouraged societies to act.

“There's plenty of help and assistance, and if they need any help or direction, simply go to the Companies Office website and have a look, and they'll be able to step their way through that process,” he told RNZ.

Failing to re-register could have serious consequences. Societies may lose the ability to apply for funding, hold leases with local councils, or manage finances, and in some cases, lose control of funds if their constitutions don’t specify how assets are distributed.

"If you apply for funds, funders will ask whether you’re registered as an incorporated society or charitable trust," Tauanuu said. "If you’re not current, it can affect whether you can receive funding."

Tauanuu said even for someone who understands constitutions, it can take time.

Watch the interview with Tauanuu Nick Bakulich below:

"There is a danger here of losing those funds," he warned.

"Hopefully, this interview triggers members to ask the question: have we re-registered?

"There is a lot at stake here," he said. "These organisations do great work in our communities."

Societies that miss 5 April will be removed from the register but can apply again as a new incorporated society.

But the Companies Office says this could disrupt community programmes and add extra work for volunteers.