If your organisation is one of New Zealand's 24,000 Incorporated Societies, there's an important deadline you cannot afford to ignore:
By 5 April 2026, all incorporated societies must re-register, appoint a liquidator, or apply to be dissolved. If no action is taken, your society will automatically cease to exist.
If your society automatically ceases to exist, the Incorporated Societies Registrar has the authority, if necessary, to take control of asset distribution, bypassing the wishes of members and committee members entirely.
What if you decide to not re-register?
For some groups managing a society has become too complex, membership has dwindled, or the founding purpose has been fulfilled. If that's the case, the Registrar encourages societies to manage their own closure proactively, either through a formal liquidation process or by seeking dissolution. Taking this step gives members a clearer path forward and, crucially, keeps decision-making in the hands of those who know the organisation best.
Here's where something genuinely positive can emerge from an ending: if your Incorporated Society decides to wind up, you can still preserve your legacy and allow your mission to live on.
Why consider a trust transfer?
A trust transfer to Clutha Foundation enables your society to wind up its structure while keeping its name, purpose, and story alive. Through a Named Endowment Fund, your funds are invested and will continue supporting the causes you care about.
Clutha Foundation takes care of the investment, administration, compliance, and grant-making. Each year, grants are distributed in line with your original purpose, while the capital continues to grow.
Continuing CADB's legacy for future farmers
When Clutha Agricultural Development Board (CADB) wound up, its board wanted remaining funds to continue supporting local farming and rural development in the Clutha District.
CADB was formed in 1994 as a response to a changing agricultural landscape. The organisation provided a single, coordinated effort for farming and rural development in the Clutha District. CADB funds were sourced from various farmer related organisations; it was non-political, involved all sectors of the farming community, and had strong, grass-roots support.
Murray Harris, former CADB secretary, said that while the board discussed at length how to use the remaining funds, creating a scholarship felt like a the natural choice due to CADB's long association with Telford, the agricultural campus of Southern Institute of Technology.
“There was a big affiliation with Telford ... we ran research projects and were involved in doing trials at Telford Farms, we used Telford facilities to run forums and field days, and we were very involved in the Farmsafe programmes.”
In 2023, the board chose to create the CADB Telford Scholarship, transferring their residual funds into an endowment fund managed by Clutha Foundation.
Supporting the next generation of farmers
The annual CADB Telford scholarship currently offers up to $2,500 to provide support to Clutha youth training in agriculture and farming at Telford.
The fund continues to grow through contributions from local farmers and supporters, with the goal of the fund eventually offering multiple scholarships each year.
For the next chapter of your organisation’s story, Clutha Foundation is a safe pair of hands.
Contact us to find out more about the benefits of transferring a trust.