Registering as a screen industry organisation

Things you should know before you register

Under the Screen Industry Workers Act 2022 (SIWA) worker organisations and engager organisations must register to be able to bargain collectively.

On this page:

Who's eligible to register

Your organisation must be an incorporated society under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.

It must also either:

  1. be registered as a union under the Employment Relations Act 2000 or Trade Unions Act 1908, or
  2. meet the following requirements of section 83(2) of the Screen Industry Workers Act 2022 :
    1. The object or an object of your society is to promote its members’ collective work interests; and

    2. Your society’s rules are democratic, not unreasonable, not unfairly discriminatory or unfairly prejudicial, and not contrary to law; and

    3. Your society’s rules contain a provision relating to the process for holding 1 or more secret ballots for the purposes of SIWA; and

    4. Your society is independent of, and is constituted and operates at arm’s length from —

      1. any engager or engager organisation (if your society is seeking to be registered as a worker organisation) and

      2. any worker organisation (if your society is seeking to be registered as an engager organisation).

Your organisation must also have:

  • at least 15 members, and
  • a set of rules that comply with the Incorporated Societies Act, the Employment Relations Act (when relevant) and the Screen Industry Workers Act.

How to apply for registration as a screen industry organisation

You will need to complete the application form (Form SIO1 - Application to register as a worker organisation or an engager organisation) and send it to us.

The application must be signed by an officer of the society. You will also need to provide the following documents to support your application:

  • A copy of the society's certificate of incorporation under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908, and
  • A copy of the society's rules (constitution) as registered under that Act, and
  • A statutory declaration made by an officer of the society setting out the reasons why the society is entitled to be registered as a worker organisation or an engager organisation.

Send us your application

It’s faster to send us your application by emailing it to compliance@companies.govt.nz

Use this address to send us your application by post:

Companies Office
Private Bag 92061
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142

Or to send it by courier:

Companies Office
Level 1, 162 Victoria Street West
Auckland 1010

What happens next

If your application is in order, we will register your society as a screen industry organisation and send you a certificate of registration.

When you may need to include other applications

If your organisation is not yet registered as an incorporated society, you will need to send us your application for incorporation.

If your society is not yet registered as a union but intends to, you will need to include your application to register as a union.

For information about becoming an incorporated society please refer to the information on our Incorporated Societies Register website. Information about registering as a union is available on our Registered Unions website.