“Time is running out as small incorporated societies across New Zealand could be forced to shut their doors,” says ACT MP Laura McClure, who drafted a Member’s Bill to fix the issue.

With the re-registration deadline just over a week away, McClure warns small societies face costs they can’t absorb.

“I’ve heard directly from groups concerned about the real risk of closing altogether. If we make things harder for them, we risk losing the very people who keep local New Zealand ticking.

“Bit by bit, red tape is choking the life out of them. The rules keep piling up, until simply staying afloat feels impossible.

"Communities don’t just happen, they’re strengthened in clubrooms, on fields, and in shared moments where people find purpose and belonging. We risk losing them not because people don’t care, but because we’ve made it too hard for them to survive.

“The Member’s Bill I put forward addresses the issue and simplifies the rules around incorporated societies, making life easier for the people running them.”

"I wrote to Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister last year asking him to fix the law or delay the deadline. He said he won't act."

"Small societies should continue to make their voices heard and reach out to the Minister to share their views."

“Good law should make it easier for people to contribute to their communities, not harder.

“With the deadline fast approaching, ACT will keep fighting to cut the red tape and make life easier for the small societies that hold our communities together.”

Laura McClure's Incorporated Societies (Small Societies) Amendment Bill can be found here.

Her letter to the Minister can be found here.

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