News & Results
Advisory to RSOs and Clubs re: Incorporated Societies Act 2022 and Regulations
The new Incorporated Societies Act was passed into law on 6 April 2022. This advisory is to support RSOs and Clubs with re-registration in the future.
Background
The new Incorporated Societies Act was passed into law on 6 April 2022. The new Act intends to make incorporated societies’ governance functions more robust. The Regulations will be in place by October 2023.
Timeframes
This Act will apply to regional sports organisations (RSOs) and Clubs from when they re-register as incorporated societies between October 2023 and April 2026. Registration will involve filing a constitution that is compliant with the new Act.
Societies that fail to re-register by April 2026 will cease to be incorporated and will be removed from the Register of Incorporated Societies.
There is no need to rush into the re-registration process. Your RSO or Club will continue to operate under the current 1908 Act, while deciding whether to re-register under the 2022 Act or consider alternative options, such as becoming unincorporated.
Whole of Sector Approach
Sport NZ is recommending a coordinated, whole-of-sector approach to the updating of constitutions, focusing on national societies first before rolling out changes and support to RSOs and Clubs. This approach will help Sport NZ make the most of their collective insights and efforts, including securing support from the Regional Sports Trust network.
Help is coming
Sport NZ will support the sector with guidance and resources to help make the re-registration process as efficient as possible.
Constitution templates, guidance notes and checklists will be available soon, designed for RSOs and Clubs. These will be available on the Sport NZ website.
A series of webinars will be run to provide further guidance to RSOs and Clubs and to answer any questions. Please keep an eye out in the Sport New Zealand Sector Update for these webinar dates.
The Incorporated Societies website also has further information on the law changes, including the changes in the External Reporting Board (XRB) financial and non-financial reporting requirements that will apply to RSOs and clubs depending on their size.
