Community Law Canterbury Incorporated Society Workshops (Sports Clubs)
A new Incorporated Societies Act has been passed and your sports club – along with most others - will be affected by this new law. The new Act requires clubs to update their constitutions and apply to re-register by early April 2026 if they want to stay incorporated and to continue operating after 2026.
Not yet updated your club's constitution?
If you haven't yet started updating your Club's constitution, start by having a word to your regional or national body. Many sports bodies have put together free draft constitutions for their clubs, making it faster, cheaper and easier for groups to get this job done.
If your sport hasn't developed a constitution that your Club can use, try one of the free template club constitutions provided by Sport NZ. This is another good option to help you put together a free and up-to-date constitution that your Club can use when re-registering in the new few months.
If you're not quite sure what you should do – contact Community Law Canterbury. They are a free service that can help you work out your Club's next best step.
Got your constitution sorted already but still getting your head around the changes?
Amongst other things, the new Act has bought in changes that will affect:
- Who can be on your Committee
- How you hold your meetings
- How you update your constitution and how payments can be made to your Committee members.
If you'd like to attend a one-and-done training session, Community Law Canterbury is running a workshop specifically for sports clubs. The session will steer you through the most important changes, help set you up with the new post-registration paperwork, and answer any questions you may have.
To register or to find out more about this workshop, email communityeducation@canlaw.org.nz
Thinking about merging or winding up your Club? Want to know more about your options?
If you haven't already had a word to the Club's lawyer about your options, contact Community Law Canterbury. They are a free service and can help you work out what option would be best for your Club.
Pro tip: The de-registration date for sports clubs that haven't updated their rules and re-registered has been set for 05 April 2026. This means that there's still time to get your constitution sorted and your Club ready for the new law. If you've got questions, try any of the following free services:
- Sport NZ: email: governance@sportnz.org.nz.
- Registrar of Incorporated Societies - ph: 0508 762 438
- Community Law Canterbury: email: communityeducation@canlaw.org.nz