What does it cost to restore an incorporated society?

Two ways to do it, and the Registrar cannot tell them apart. Same form, same NZ$177.78 + GST government fee, same register. The difference is who writes the constitution.

Through a law firm

NZ$1,500 – NZ$4,000

The quote most committees are given for the same application.

Doing it yourself

NZ$900 – NZ$1,800

You lodge it. The work is the constitution and the evidence pack behind it.

NZ$600 – NZ$2,200 less, on an identical application.

Price it for your society →

Both routes also pay the Registrar NZ$177.78 + GST. It is unavoidable and it is not paid to us.

Price it for your society

Five questions. Nothing is sent anywhere — the numbers are worked out in your browser.

Estimated total

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Companies Office fee
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Preparation work
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Likely timeline

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From instruction to restoration, including the 20-working-day objection period

Every application needs

    Because of your answers

      What restoration actually costs

      Restoration is not one fee. It is a Companies Office charge plus whatever work is needed to make the society presentable to the Registrar again. The second part is what varies, and it varies almost entirely on whether a compliant constitution exists.

      Component Typical range When it applies
      Companies Office restoration fee NZ$177.78 + GST Always. Paid to the Registrar, not to us.
      Form IS22-RES08 preparation and lodgement NZ$400 – 700 Always.
      New 2022-Act constitution NZ$500 – 1,100 Any society still on the 1908 Act — which is most of the removed list.
      Constitution compliance review NZ$250 – 550 You have a draft but it has not been checked against the mandatory clauses.
      Membership reconstruction NZ$150 – 800 The ten-member minimum cannot be evidenced from current records.
      Property or title recovery NZ$600 – 1,500+ The society owned land or a building that may have passed to the Crown.

      Through a law firm instead: NZ$1,500 – NZ$4,000. Same rows, same Registrar, same NZ$177.78 + GST on top. What you are buying at that price is someone else assembling the constitution and the evidence.

      The constitution is what decides the price

      Restoration puts the society under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022, which sets mandatory content that almost no 1908-era rulebook contains. Every clause below has to be present and workable before an application will clear.

      • The name of the society and its purposes.
      • How a person becomes a member, and how membership ends.
      • How the committee is elected or appointed, and what disqualifies an officer.
      • A dispute resolution procedure meeting the Act’s minimum standards — the clause 1908-era rules almost never have.
      • A contact person the Registrar can reach, and how that person is appointed.
      • How the constitution itself may be amended.
      • What happens to surplus assets if the society is wound up.

      How long it takes

      The Registrar's processing time is only part of it. Most of the elapsed time in a restoration goes on assembling evidence — proving the applicant was a member on the day of removal, and reconstructing a membership list that satisfies the ten-member minimum. These stages run one after another, so the estimate above is their total, not the longest one.

      Stage Typical duration What holds it up
      Assembling evidence of membership 1 – 4 weeks Tracing people who have moved on since early 2026.
      Drafting or reviewing the constitution 1 – 3 weeks Agreeing purposes and dispute procedure with the committee.
      Committee approval 1 – 3 weeks Getting a quorum together to adopt the new constitution.
      Registrar processing 2 – 6 weeks Requisitions, if anything in the application is incomplete.
      Public notice and objection period 4 weeks The public has 20 working days to object once the restoration is notified. This runs whether or not your application was perfect.
      Reinstating banking and funding 1 – 4 weeks Bank verification once the restoration appears on the register.

      Common questions

      How much does it cost to restore an incorporated society in New Zealand?

      The Companies Office fee is NZ$177.78 plus GST. On top of that, for a straightforward society that still has its members and records, budget roughly NZ$400–700 in preparation. Where a new 2022-Act constitution is also needed — which applies to most societies removed on 6 April 2026 — NZ$900–1,800 is more realistic. Law firms typically quote NZ$1,500–4,000 for the same work.

      Is there a deadline to restore a society?

      Yes. A society removed for failing to reregister must apply before 6 April 2032. That is a long window, but every month off the register is a month of frozen funds, lapsed insurance and personal exposure for committee members.

      Can we restore the society ourselves?

      Yes. Form IS22-RES08 is a public form and nothing stops a former officer or member lodging it. The part that stalls most self-filed applications is the constitution: the 2022 Act sets mandatory content that an older rulebook will not satisfy.

      Do we need ten members to restore?

      The Incorporated Societies Act 2022 requires a minimum of ten members, so a restored society has to be able to show them. If numbers have fallen away, recruiting back to ten is usually part of the work.

      Ranges are indicative and based on what New Zealand firms typically charge for comparable work. Companies Office fees are set by the Registrar and should be confirmed on the official register before you budget. This is not legal advice.