Incorporated Societies Act 2022

Administration of societies - Other administration matters - Name of society

118: Registrar may refuse application if proposed name contrary to section 11

You could also call this:

"The Registrar can reject a new society name if it doesn't follow the rules."

Illustration for Incorporated Societies Act 2022

You want to change the name of your society. The Registrar checks the new name. If the new name does not meet the rules in section 11, the Registrar must say no. The Registrar looks at rules like the ones in section 11(1). You can try again with a new name. The Registrar might say yes if the new name is okay. The Registrar will only say yes if the new name fixes the problem with the old name. You need to change the name to meet the rules, and the Registrar must be happy with it. The Registrar has the power to say yes or no to your new name. They follow the rules in the section 117 and section 11(1). You should pick a name that meets the rules so the Registrar can say yes.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS241552.

This page was last updated on 4 January 2026 — View changes

Topics:

Business > Industry rules

117: Change of name of society, or

"How to change the name of a society"

119: Change of name if name is contrary to section 11, or

"The Registrar can make you change your society's name if it's not allowed"

Part 3Administration of societies
Other administration matters: Name of society

118Registrar may refuse application if proposed name contrary to section 11

Despite section 117, the Registrar must refuse to register a change to a society’s name if the Registrar considers that any of paragraphs (a) to (f) of section 11(1) apply to the proposed new name.
If the Registrar refuses to register a change to a society’s name, the Registrar may register a change if the proposed new name is amended to address (to the Registrar’s satisfaction) the matter referred to in subsection (1).