Frequently Asked Questions
How do I register a non profit organisation?
Check the following sites:
Incorporated Societies: https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
Charitable Trusts: https://ct-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/
Registering a Charity: www.charities.govt.nz
Our consultant may also be able to assist.
What is the difference between an Incorporated Society and a Charitable Trust?
Please see this post on the subject
What is the definition of a not for profit organisation?
Please see this post on the subject
How can I find out if an organisation is able to give tax receipts for donations?
“Donee Organisations” are those charitable entities which have been approved by the IRD to give tax receipts for donations. Tax receipts can be used to claim tax credits. Approved Donee Organisations are listed on the IRD website. See also this post on this site.
Our Incorporated Society has been deregistered but we would like to re-register under the same name. How do we go about being re-registered?
See the information on the website of the Registrar of Incorporated Societies entitled “Restoring a society to the register”
Does a charitable trust deed have to be drawn up by a solicitor/lawyer?
Simply put, the answer is ‘No’! However, seeking legal advice is always a wise step, though it can be expensive. We know of one case where a bank would not accept a trust deed (which had not been drawn up by a lawyer) to allow a trust to open an account. The deed had been accepted by the Companies Office (Registrar of Incorporated Societies) and IRD and the original trustees had not changed. We referred the question to our solicitor who agreed with our opinion that the deed was perfectly valid, but noted that the bank had a perfect right to specify the type and nature of documents that would be accepted. We passed this information on, with the comment that the trust also had a perfect right to take their business to another bank!
Do we need to have our accounts audited?
see this post
Where can I find information about tax and non-profits?
Visit the IRD site
We are an incorporated trust which is also a Registered NZ Charity. How do we register changes to our deed?
See this post
What is the Role of a Chairman?
See this post