Incorporated Societies Act Changes

All Incorporated Societies must re-register their organisation with a Constitution that complies with the new Act, otherwise they will cease to be an incorporated society.

All incorporated societies must ensure they comply with the new Act rules and re-register by 5 April 2026. This is a hard deadline.

Sport NZ has created a portal with a summary of changes clubs, RSOs and NSO need to make, along with providing templates and guidance documents. Check out the info here: https://sportnz.org.nz/resources/incorporated-societies-act-2022-and-regulations/ 

For Clubs ...

Check if your Regional Sports Organisation (RSO) or National Sports Organisation (NSO) has a template for clubs you can use. This will save you time and resources.

If they don't, use one of the templates on the Sport NZ resource website or use the Constitution Builder on the Incorporated Socieites website. 

A General Process:

• Set up a working group
• Review your Cub’s current Constitution/Rules and consult the resources.
• Decide on your approach - amend your current Constitution or start fresh with a template.
• Consult your Members - How much/far you consult will depend on your club/members. You know your membership best.
• Formally adopt changes to your Constitution under your current/old Constitution rules.
• Re-register by April 2026.

Incorporated vs Unincorporated

Incorporated: Club is a separate legal entity; able to own property and enter into contracts in your Club’s name; Members are not personally liable for the Club’s debts; must re-register with a Constitution compliant under the IS Act; ongoing compliance and financial reporting obligations.

Unincorporated group: no obligation to have rules; fewer legal obligations; can’t own assets or enter into contracts in the group’s own name; members can be held personally liable for the group’s debts.

The Sport NZ dedicated website contains a Note on the pros and cons of incorporation: https://sportnz.org.nz/media/tqkcaxfc/pros-and-cons-of-incorporation.pdf