Ngā momo hanganga me ngā ture - Structures and rules

This page outlines what to consider when deciding what legal structure is most appropriate for you and guidance on writing your rules documents.

Te hanganga ā-ture - Legal structure

If your organisation is a Māori charity which is not a marae, there are other legal forms your organisation can take. Community Toolkit has more information on choosing the right legal structure for your group(external link).

Te Puni Kokiri(external link) has guidance regarding the different legal structures Māori organisations can take. It covers the advantages and disadvantages of each structure and how this can impact on governance. You can learn more by reading Te Puni Kokiri's governance guidance(external link).

It is important to note that your organisation can be an incorporated society or charitable trust but this does not automatically make you a registered charity. To be registered as a charity you need to apply for registration with Charities Services and your organisation must advance charitable purposes(external link).

Ngā Tikanga me te Charities Act 2005 - Rules and the Charities Act 2005

Ko ō tikanga ko ngā pukapuka kei te whakatakoto i ngā take o tō kaupapa atawhai, ā koutou mahi me ō koutou tikanga mahi. Hei tauira, ko tā koutou kirimana tiakitanga, tā koutou kaupapa ā-ture, tā koutou tūtohinga rānei. Mehemea i whakatūria tohutūtia tō whakahaere ki raro i tētahi Ture Pāremata, kei te whakatakotoria pea ō koutou tikanga ki taua Ture.

Your rules are the documents that set out your charity's purposes, what you do and how you operate. For example, they may be your trust deed, constitution or charter. If your organisation was specifically set up under an Act of Parliament, your rules may be set out in that Act.

You can submit your rules in Te Reo or English.

Tātauira ture - Rules templates

Do you need to write rules for your organisation?

Charitable Trust - Trust Deed: CommunityNet Aotearoa have a sample charitable trust deed and guide to its clauses(external link). This contains some clauses required by law and some that are included to encourage good practice.

Incorporated Society – Constitution: The Companies Office created a ‘do-it-yourself’ online tool for writing or revising rules for incorporated societies called the Constitution Builder(external link). This tool is able to produce a draft document that contains most of the content required in a constitution. To get started, visit the Constitution Builder tool(external link).