Confirming your authority to manage information

Who needs to confirm

If you are the one incorporating a society, you will have your authority confirmed automatically. Otherwise, you must demonstrate to us that you are authorised to access and manage information, by following the steps below.

Setting up your online services account

To confirm your authority to manage information on the register you must first have:

• a RealMe® login
• an online services account with the Companies Office.

Ways to confirm your authority

There are four ways to confirm your authority to maintain information on our registers. These are:

1. using your ‘registry key’
2. using your society's email address(es)
3. providing ID verification
4. providing a letter of authorisation.

Choosing how to confirm

To confirm your authority to act on behalf of your society, first choose one of the four options:

1. Log in to your online services account
2. Search for your incorporated society by name, number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN).
3. Click the ‘Confirm Authority’ link on the 'View Details' screen.
4. Select one of the four options to confirm your authority and follow the relevant instructions (below).

Managing who has authority

Once a user has confirmed their authority to manage information on behalf of an incorporated society, they can grant the same authority to other people in their organisation, and cancel the authority of others, or themselves.

Granting authority to other users

To grant authority to other users in your society:

1. Log in to your online services account.
2. On your dashboard, select the incorporated society from ‘My Businesses’.
3. On the 'View Details' page, select ‘Grant Authority’ from the ‘Maintain Authority’ menu.
4. Choose the type of user account to which you wish to grant authority (an individual or an organisation account).
5. Enter the email address of the individual or organisation.
6. Click the ‘Apply’ button.

An email with activation instructions will then be sent to the email address you have entered. If the user to whom you are granting authority does not already have a RealMe account or online services account, they will be prompted to set these up as part of the activation process.

Cancelling authority

To cancel the authority of another person in your society:

1. Log in to your online services account.
2. On your dashboard, select the incorporated society from ‘My Businesses’.
3. Select ‘View Authority’ from the ‘Maintain Authority’ menu.
4. On the ‘View Authority’ screen, you will see a list of users that currently have authority. Each user will have a ‘Revoke’ option next to their name. Select the ‘Revoke’ option for the user whose authority you wish to remove.
5. Enter the reason for the cancellation.
6. Click the ‘Apply’ button.

Once you have submitted your request, the user will immediately be removed from the list of authorised users, and will no longer have access to the society's information on the register.

How to cancel your own authority

If you no longer need access to manage information for an incorporated society (for example, you have resigned as an officer), you can cancel your own authority.

1. On your dashboard, select the incorporated society from ‘My Businesses’.
2. On the 'View Details' page, select ‘Revoke your own authority’ from the ‘Maintain Authority’ menu.
3. Enter the reason for the cancellation.
4. Click the ‘Apply’ button.

Once you have submitted your request, you’ll be immediately removed from the list of authorised users, and will no longer have access to the organisation's information on the register.

Other guides in

Getting started on the register

• About incorporated societies
• Your responsibilities as an incorporated society
• How to use our services
• Setting up your online services account
• Using the online dashboard

Other help topics