Review of New Zealand Companies Office Fees and Levies (2025)

About the consultation

The aim of the new charging model is to make the best use of the money we collect from users of our registers and provide more information about what the money is being used for. The new model will reflect the realities of running corporate and business registries in today’s world. It will also help achieve value for money in the Companies Office registry functions.

We want to hear from individuals, businesses, service providers, and any other interested parties on these proposed changes.

Feedback is open from 2 May 2025 to 13 June 2025.

Once you have submitted your feedback to us, all submissions will be analysed to help inform our final recommendations to the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

What we are proposing and seeking feedback on

We are proposing 5 key changes to how the Companies Office recovers costs:

1. Forming a clearer and fairer cost recovery structure to enable full cost recovery.
2. Seeking an appropriation increase of $6 million to meet forecast cost pressures.
3. Setting 2 new levies:
   • Companies Office levy.
   • NZBN levy.
4. Setting new fees for incorporated societies for new functions under the revised regulatory regime introduced with the Incorporated Societies Act 2022.
5. Adjustments to fees (where required) across all registers and revoking some fees.

What happens after you have made your submission

Once we have considered the submissions, we will develop the final proposals. If these proposals are approved by Cabinet, they will form the basis of revised regulations under the various pieces of legislation that regulate the fees and levies considered in this document. See the section "Purpose of this document" for a proposed timeline of key milestones.

Final fees and levies are set to apply from 1 December 2025 unless otherwise stated in the discussion document. You can expect to hear about the final changes to fees and levies before they take effect.

Release of information

We will publish a summary of submissions document and may publish individual submissions on the MBIE website. When you make a submission, MBIE will consider that you have consented to it being published on the MBIE website, unless you clearly state otherwise (you can easily notify us of this in the submission form provided). If your submission contains any information that is confidential or that you do not want published, you can also say this in your submission.

Note that submissions may be requested under the Official Information Act 1982 (the OIA). If you have any objection to the release of any information in your submission, please clearly indicate this in your submission form, or cover email accompanying your submission. Clearly indicate which parts of your submission you consider should be withheld under the OIA and the reason why.

We will seek to consult with you when responding to any such requests for information under the OIA. If you object to the release of information in your submission, we will take that into account when responding to such a request.

The Privacy Act 2020 applies to submissions and survey responses. Any personal information you supply to us in making a submission will only be used for the purpose of assisting in the development of policy advice for this review of Schedule 2. Clearly indicate if you do not wish for your name, or any other personal information, to be included in the summary of submissions document that we may publish.

Questions about the consultation

If you have any questions about the consultation process contact us at companiesofficesub@mbie.govt.nz

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