This downloadable resource is designed to help you understand the responsibilities of being a certified officer. It also provides information about Charities Services and the benefits and obligations of being a registered charity, answers some common questions, and recommends useful resources.
Download the Officer Kit here.
Published 14 August 2020
The appeal to the High Court by Greenpeace of New Zealand Incorporated (the Society) of Te Rātā Atawhai the Charities Registration Board's decision has been upheld. In March 2018, the Board declined the Society’s application to be a registered charity under the Charities Act 2005.
The High Court on 10 August 2020 decided that the Society qualifies for registration.
The role of the Board
The role of the Board is to maintain the integrity of the Charities Registe…
Published 16 September 2020
On 10 August 2020, the High Court decided that Greenpeace of New Zealand Incorporated (the Society) qualifies for registration. You can view the Board’s original statement on the decision here. The Board does not play an active role in appeals.
In this appeal the Attorney-General appeared in the role of ‘protector of charities’, and the Board understands that the Attorney-General is not appealing the decision.
Court decisions are useful because they help to shape…
Update published 8 July 2022, the Supreme Court has decided that Family First New Zealand does not qualify for registration as a charity. You can find out more here.
Update published 11 January 2021, the Board has been advised that the Supreme Court has granted the Attorney-General’s application to appeal. You can view the Supreme Court's leave judgement here.
Published 25 September 2020
The Board has been advised that the Attorney-General has applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme…
We recently released the Charities Services 2019/2020 Annual Review.
This Annual Review goes into detail about what we have achieved in the last year and our goals for the upcoming year. It also showcases information about the charitable sector. Some highlights from the report:
1,234 new charities were registered in the last year
Based on their last annual returns, charities spend $18.2 billion a year on their charitable purposes
More than 235,000 volunteers contribute approximately 1.6 millio…
Published 12 November 2020
[ 7 minutes to read]
The New Zealand Charity Reporting Awards recognise and celebrate best practice among registered charities in meeting the reporting standards. The awards, now in their third year, are organised by Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ). The winners and highly commended in the 2020 awards were announced earlier this year. The calibre of award entries were high and the qualities of transparency and excellence shone through in the…
The Charity Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (CLAANZ), in collaboration with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) and Charities Services, hosted the Charity Law, Accounting and Regulation Conference in November 2020.
The topic of this year’s conference was developed as a response to the global pandemic, to focus on issues relating to COVID-19 and its impact. The conference brought together a wide range of voices and perspectives from professionals, charities, and…
Representatives of charities gathered at Pipitea Marae in Wellington on 1 December for the Charities Services Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting is a chance for registered charities to hear from Charities Services, and to celebrate the diverse range of charities in Aotearoa. It was a successful wrap up for a testing year.
The new Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, the Honourable Priyanca Radhakrishnan, opened the meeting and introduced herself to the sector. She spoke of the endur…
Following the recent court decisions of Greenpeace and Family First, the Charities Registration Board updated their approach to assessing advocacy in applications to be registered as a charity.
We have updated our website guidance on advocacy to reflect this new approach. This new guidance explains when advocacy is and isn’t charitable, as well as how we assess if your organisation’s advocacy is charitable.
You can view the updated guidance on advocacy here.
Published 24 February 2021
[ 2 minutes to read]
When we’re out and about, we often hear myths about what charities can and can't do.
Our Myth busting series is a regular feature where we address some misconceptions and bust some myths about the obligations of charities.
This month, we’re looking at when charities can run businesses.
Myth – Charities can’t run a business. They have to make all their money through donations.Charities can run a business, but the profits must be used to…