Ultimate holding companies
Tell us who has a controlling interest in your company
An ultimate holding company (UHC) is a body corporate that has control of another company (usually by having a majority shareholding). A UHC is not a subsidiary of another body corporate.
In this guide
Your UHC status
It is in the public's interest to know who has a controlling interest in your company's board, management and policies.
When you apply to incorporate your company you must tell us if your company has a UHC.
After incorporation, you must tell us within 20 working days if your company is:
- now controlled by a UHC
- no longer controlled by a UHC.
Seek advice from an accountant or lawyer if you are unsure whether your company has a UHC.
What you need to tell us
You must tell us your UHC's:
- name
- country of registration
- registration number or code (if any), and
- registered office address.
You must include this information in your next annual return.
Keeping your information up to date
Once you have told us about your company's UHC, you must keep all information about the UHC up to date on the Companies Register. This means letting us know within 20 working days if your UHC changes its:
- name or registration number
- registered address
- country of registration
- entity type.
Updating your UHC status
To notify us about a UHC, or to make changes to existing UHC information on the Companies Register, you must have:
- a RealMe® login
- an online account with us
- confirmed authority with us.
How to update an ultimate holding company
To update your UHC information, log in to your account, enter a company name, company number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN), and follow these steps.
- On the 'Company summary' tab, select the 'Edit' button next to 'Ultimate holding company'.
- Select 'Yes' or 'No' to confirm your UHC status.
- If you select 'Yes', select what type of company or entity the UHC is.
- For a 'Company registered in New Zealand', enter the UHC's name, company number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) into the search field.
- For an 'Other type of entity registered in NZ', or 'Company or entity registered in another country', you need to enter the entity type, a registered name, registration number or ID, country of registration and registered office address.
- If you select 'Yes', select what type of company or entity the UHC is.
- Enter a date into the 'Change is effective from' field and select 'Submit'.
- Review the information you have entered and select 'Submit' to continue, or 'Cancel' to return to the previous screen.
- Select 'OK' to be returned to the 'Company summary' screen.
Other guides in
Starting a company
- Incorporating a company
- Reserving a name for a new company
- Company addresses
- Tax registration
- Registering the appointment of a director
- Registering a shareholder
- Filing director and shareholder consent forms
- Issuing shares in a company
- Incorporating with a company constitution
- How overseas companies set up as a NZ business