Confirming your authority to manage information
Confirm your authority to manage a company's information on its behalf.
Before you can manage a company’s records on the register and make transactions on its behalf using our online services, you’ll need to confirm that you have the authority to do so.
Confirming authority to act for a new company
If a person has incorporated a company using an individual online services account — for example, as a director or a person acting on behalf of the director(s) — authority is automatically confirmed for that individual.
If a person has incorporated a company on behalf of its director(s) using an organisation account (for example an employee of an accountancy or legal firm), authority is automatically confirmed for that organisation along with all users associated with it.
Confirming authority to act for an existing company
Once a company is incorporated, any other individuals or organisations needing to manage a company’s information must confirm their authority to do so. This is explained below.
Who can request confirmation of their authority
If you’re a director or an authorised person acting for the company you can ask us to confirm your authority using our online services. You will need:
- a RealMe® login
- an online services account with the Companies Register.
How to confirm your request
To ask us to confirm your authority, log in to your online services account and follow these steps.
- Search for the company using its company name, company number or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN).
- Select ‘Request authority’.
- Select whether you are a director or authorised person then choose the option you'd like to use for confirming your authority (see below for details of the available options).
- Click on the ‘Submit’ button.
Director
If you are a director, choose one of three ways to confirm authority
Authorised person
If you are an authorised person, first select whether you are acting as an individual, or as part of an organisation. Then choose one of the following ways to confirm authority.
The next steps
If you choose to use the company key or the director ID verification service, we can confirm your authority immediately. The other options may take some time as they rely on a director or the Companies Office manually responding to your request.
Confirm your authorityManaging who has authority
Both directors and authorised persons can accept or reject requests for confirmation of authority from others, or cancel an existing authority, but the degree to which they can do this differs.
How to approve or decline a request for confirmation
If you have authority, you may receive emails from other users requesting confirmation of their authority to act for the company. To accept or reject the request, open the email then follow these steps.
- Select the link within the email message.
- Read the statement carefully to ensure you're clear who is seeking confirmation of their authority.
- Select either ‘Accept’ or ‘Reject’.
- If you reject the request, you will need to select a reason from the drop-down box. If you select ‘Other’, provide a reason in the comments box.
- Click on the ‘Submit’ button.
We will send an email to the person or organisation requesting confirmation, advising them of the outcome (including the reason, if their request was rejected).
Revoking company authority
Authority can be revoked under certain circumstances, such as when a director ceases to hold office or an authorised person no longer acts for the company.
A director with authority:
- can revoke the authority of an authorised person, but
- can’t revoke their own authority or that of another director.
An authorised person with authority:
- can revoke their own authority, but
- can’t revoke the authority of a director or another authorised person.
How to revoke company authority for a director
You can’t revoke a director’s authority using our online service.
If you cease to be a director, your authority is automatically revoked when the register is updated removing you as a director. For any other situation, if you wish to revoke a director's authority, please contact us.
How to revoke company authority for an authorised person
To revoke authority, log in to your online services account and follow these steps.
- Search for the company using its company name, company number, or New Zealand Business Number (NZBN).
- From the 'Company details' screen select the ‘Authority’ tab.
- Select a name from the list of those who currently have confirmed company authority.
- Select the ‘Revoke’ option alongside the individual or organisation's name.
- State a reason why authority is being revoked.
- Select ‘Submit’.
The next steps
Authority will be revoked immediately. We will send email confirmation of this change to both the person who revoked the authority and the person or organisation who had their authority revoked.
The individual or organisation for whom you've revoked authority will no longer appear under the ‘Authorised persons’ section of the ‘Authority’ tab, and will appear instead under the ‘Previously holding authority’ section.