Reporting to the Companies Office

Information and documents you must provide to the Companies Office

After you start a company and incorporate it with the Companies Office, you must keep the information about your company up to date on the Companies Register.

When you set up your company

When you incorporate your company, you’ll need to provide:

  • its name
  • contact details
  • details of the directors — including their consent to be a director
  • information about the shares and shareholders, and
  • the constitution, if you have one.

Incorporating a company

Information and documents you must submit every year

The directors of a company are responsible for keeping information about the company up-to-date on the Companies Register.

Annual returns

You must file an annual return on behalf of the company each year. It confirms details about your company — it's not a tax return or a financial statement.

How to file an annual return

We'll send a reminder to your email address before the date the annual return is due.

Receiving annual return reminders

If you don't file an annual return by the due date and don't respond to our communications, we may consider that your company is no longer operating. In this case, we can remove the company from the register.

When the Registrar removes your company from the register

Financial statements

Some companies — mainly large New Zealand and overseas companies — must submit audited financial statements or a group financial statements every year.

How to submit financial statements

Information and documents that must be up to date

If there are changes to your company details at any time during the year, you need to notify us. You must tell us about many of these changes within a specific timeframe.

Your company addresses

Notify us if any of your company’s addresses change, including:

  • your registered office
  • address for service — where legal documents can be sent
  • communication address — so we can stay in touch with you.

Updating company addresses

Directors' details

Notify us within 20 working days of any changes to a company directors' details, including:

  • their name
  • residential address
  • their date of appointment or resignation.

Updating a director's details

Shareholders' details

Notify us of:

  • new shareholders
  • shareholders that no longer own shares and have been removed from your company’s share register.

Updating a shareholder's details

Changes to shares in your company or your share register

Notify us within 10 working days of:

  • any changes to the total number of shares in your company
  • if you're keeping your share register somewhere other than your registered office — this can only happen if your constitution allows you to divide your share register.

Managing share allocations

Your company constitution

Notify us within 10 working days if you decide to add a company constitution, make a change to your existing constitution or decide to revoke it.

Adding or removing a constitution

Other business activities you must tell us about

Some other actions your business decides to take must be reported to us.

Changing your company's name

If you change your company's name you first need to reserve a new company name. If your company has a constitution, you need to follow the procedures outlined in that to change its name.

Changing a company name

Company amalgamations

Notify us if your company merges with, or takes over the assets and liabilities of another company or companies.

How companies amalgamate

Registering a financial product or managed investment scheme

If you offer a financial product or a managed investment scheme, you need to register that on the Disclose Register.

Disclose Register

All help topics

Before you start a company 5 guides

Get an overview of how companies are structured, find out about the company records you need to keep, and what's involved when you incorporate with and report to the Companies Office.

Starting a company 11 guides

You need to comply with New Zealand laws when you incorporate your company with the Companies Office, including reserving a company name, appointing directors, issuing shares and registering for tax.

Keeping company details up to date 14 guides

Once your company is registered with the Companies Office, nominate who will have authority to file your annual returns, and update your name, address, constitution, director and shareholder details.

See all 14 guides for Keeping company details up to date

Shares and shareholders 7 guides

When you incorporate, you must provide details of all company shares and shareholders. As changes occur, you must update this information on your own share register and in your company's annual return.

Company directors 7 guides

Directors have responsibilities to their company and shareholders, and under the Companies Act 1993. You must register all your directors with the Companies Office and they must sign a consent form.​

Filing annual returns 7 guides

Find out about filing an annual return — the information you need to update, how to change your filing month or request a time extension — and what happens if you don't file your annual return by the due date.

Complying with the law 12 guides

Find out how New Zealand law affects the directors and shareholders of your company, and your responsibility to create and maintain accurate company records, report to us and file financial statements.

Financial reporting 7 guides

​Some large New Zealand and overseas companies, and all FMC reporting entities must submit audited annual financial statements to the Companies Office.

Managing an overseas company in New Zealand 11 guides

Before they can carry out some business activities, companies incorporated in other countries, including Australia, must register with the Companies Office and then keep their company details up to date.

Closing a company 11 guides

When your company closes down you need to remove it from the register. Your company can be removed if it amalgamates with another company or doesn't file its annual return.

Restoring a company to the register 4 guides

Only some companies can be reinstated to the Companies Register once they've been removed. Find out who can apply, what evidence to provide and if you should apply to the Registrar or the High Court.

When your company fails 9 guides

Find out about voluntary administration, receivership and liquidation (external administration), and the roles and responsibilities of those appointed to manage your company's affairs.

Managing your online account 8 guides

Creating an account with the Companies Office allows you to complete the majority of your transactions online. It's free to set up, but fees apply for some transactions, such as filing annual returns.

Getting support to use the Companies Register 8 guides

Get help with any technical problems you have using the register, such as uploading documents or searching for companies, directors and shareholders.