Charities Commission

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Registration checklist

Updated October 2007

Download the information sheet (PDF, 77KB) to print this document.

To apply to register an individual organisation you will need:
• an application form - Form 1
• Officer Certification Forms – Form 2 – one copy for each of your officers
• a copy of your rules including all amendments.

This checklist is designed to help you collect the information you need before you begin to complete your application. 

Information needed to complete FORM 1 includes:

Name and address

  • Your organisation’s legal or most formal name.
  • Other names (if any) that it is known by.
  • Postal and street address details.

Identifying numbers (if they apply to you)

  • Companies Office registration number.  This only applies if your organisation is an incorporated society, registered charitable trust or company. Visit www.companies.govt.nz to find your number.
  • Inland Revenue (IRD) number, if you have one.

Financial information

  • End of financial year/balance date, if you have one.
  • Sources of your organisation’s funds. Choose from the list on the form – question 20.
  • A reasonable estimate of the percentage of funds sourced in New Zealand but spent overseas in your last financial year.

Your rules

  • A good quality copy of your rules, trust deed or other governing document and all amendments (please don’t send the original, and do make sure that all pages are included in your copy). 
  • If your organisation is a trust, we ask you to specify the clause or rule numbers in the trust deed that state that the trust is set up to receive income for charitable purposes.
  • If your organisation is not a trust, we ask you to specify the clause or rule numbers in your rules that state that it is established and maintained exclusively for charitable purposes.
  • If your organisation is a Māori Trust Board has the Commissioner of Inland Revenue approved your trust deed for charitable purposes?
  • If your organisation is a marae on a Māori reservation, is the land set apart under section 338 of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993? Are the funds used for a purpose other than:
    • administration and maintenance of the marae?
    • a charitable purpose of the marae?

Charitable purpose

You will need to specify:

  • the sectors your organisation operates in, for example, health. Choose from the list on the form.
  • your activities, for example, “provide grants”. Choose from the list on the form.
  • who benefits from your organisation? Choose from the list on the form.
  • the geographical area your organisation operates in. Choose from the list on the form.

Officer details

  • The names of each of your officers. Our information sheet Officer certification – explains more about how to identify who your officers are in terms of the Charities Act. (Reminder: An Officer Certification Form – Form 2 must be completed for each officer in your organisation and signed by that officer or someone on their behalf.)

Information that may accompany your application (but is not essential):

  • The names and contact details of two people we can contact with any questions about your application. These details will not be on the Charities Register and will not be available to the public.
  • A letter asking us to restrict public access to your information on the Register. See our information sheet Restricting public access to your information on the Charities Register.

Other documents that you might want to supply (if relevant to your organisation):

  • If a marae on Māori reservation, it will help us if you supply a copy of the Gazette notice relating to the reservation of land, the legal description of the land and your formal marae name.
  • If you have a formal binding ruling from Inland Revenue (these have an expiry date and you would have paid a fee to get one – they are not the confirmation of approval letter) you may wish to include a copy with your application. It means your organisation will be deemed to have a charitable purpose and we will only need to consider the qualification of your officers and your organisation’s name.

Further information

For more information about the Charities Commission or registration under the Charities Act, please browse this website.

You can also call the Charities Commission on our free information line 0508 242 748.

To get updates by email, please send your name, organisation and contact details to info@charities.govt.nz.