Companies can register as a co-operative company under the Co-operative Companies Act 1996 either at the time of their incorporation as a new company or after incorporation on an application from an existing company.

How do you register a new company as a co-operative company?

Follow the same steps outlined here in our 'Starting a company' section for a limited company. 

Begin by reserving a company name then submit an application to incorporate.  The key differences are:

• Reserving a company name - Select the entity type 'NZ Co-operative Company'.  The name may, or may not, include the word 'co-operative' or the abbreviation 'co-op'.
• Constitution - Co-operative companies must provide a constitution that states, in particular, the nature of the co-operative activity.
• Statutory declaration - Each director must make a statutory declaration that in his or her opinion the company will be a co-operative company within the meaning of the Co-operative Companies Act 1996 and the grounds for that opinion.  You will be asked to upload a copy of each director's statutory declaration.