Opening a bank account for a charity, incorporated society, club or community group can be much harder than it should be.
The good news is that there are now better options—including accounts you can open without taking your entire committee into a bank branch.
Here are our three top recommendations, followed by a practical guide to preparing your application and getting through the process with fewer delays.
Community Networks Aotearoa investigated this issue in 2023 — you can read their report here: Banking Issues in the Community Sector.
Best overall + debit cards
Best mainstream bank
Best independent option
✅ Yes
❌ No
✅ Yes*
Coming soon
✅ Yes
❌ No
✅ Yes
✅ Yes
❌ No
*Some identification documents may need to be certified by a Justice of the Peace before being submitted remotely.
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Best if you want to do everything online and have visa debit cards for your staff, volunteers and trustees.
Emerge is our top recommendation for most registered charities and incorporated societies.
This flexibility is particularly helpful for community organisations. It avoids the familiar situation where one person holds the card, knows the login, receives every receipt and becomes the bottleneck for the entire organisation.
Account fee: $0
Visa Debit card fees:
Supports:
Charitable trusts, unincorporated groups and others must also be registered charities, otherwise they are not supported.
Good Numbers bank feed:
Manual transaction uploads for now. An automatic connection is planned.
Good to know:
Emerge is a registered financial service provider, but it is not a registered bank. Customer funds are held in a secure trust account with a major New Zealand bank.
Best if you want a mainstream New Zealand-owned bank
If you would prefer to use a registered bank or be able to visit a branch in person, Kiwibank is our top recommendation.
Kiwibank has accounts designed for not-for-profit organisations and is New Zealand’s largest locally owned bank.
Account fee: $0
Visa Debit card fees:
Supports: all non-profit organisations
Good Numbers bank feed: ✅ Yes
Best if you want an independent, community-focused alternative
First Credit Union is worth considering if you would prefer a smaller financial institution with a process designed specifically for not-for-profits.
First Credit Union responded to Community Networks Aotearoa’s call for better banking and introduced a dedicated service for registered charities, incorporated societies and trusts.
Before Emerge expanded its service, First Credit Union was the only New Zealand financial institution we knew of offering a fully remote account-opening process specifically for these organisations.
Account fee: $0
Visa Debit card fees:
Supports: all non-profit organisations.
Good Numbers bank feed:
Manual transaction uploads.
Good to know:
First Credit Union is a credit union rather than a registered bank.
As many people in the community sector know, opening a bank account for a charity or non-profit can be anything but straightforward. In our experience, this especially applies to the big banks, including ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac.
Bank staff are not always familiar with charitable trusts, incorporated societies and other community organisation structures. It is not uncommon for trustees or committee members to visit a branch several times before an account is successfully opened.
Community Networks Aotearoa investigated these problems through its Better Banking for All project. Its research highlighted the time, paperwork and inconsistent service experienced by small and medium-sized community organisations.
Although the process is improving, it is still worth preparing carefully before you apply.
Opening an account for a charity or non-profit is similar to opening a business account.
The provider will want to understand:
The precise requirements vary between providers and organisation types.
Before starting an application, gather:
Make sure the names and addresses in your application match the information shown on your identification documents and public registers.
Before applying, check that your details are current on the Charities Register, Incorporated Societies Register, Charitable Trusts Register or Companies Register.
If your public information is out of date, the provider may pause your application while it asks for an explanation or additional documents.
Your board, trustees or committee should formally approve the opening of the account.
Your minutes or resolution should clearly record:
Opening the account is only the first test. Also consider what will happen when your treasurer, chair or other authorised people change.
Ask how easy it is to:
A system that works well for handovers can save your organisation a great deal of trouble later - and why we particularly recommend Emerge and First Credit Union that have online and robust processes for these changes.
If you choose a traditional bank, it may help if several trustees or officers already bank there personally. The bank may already hold verified identification for those people.
This will not remove every AML requirement, but it can reduce some of the back-and-forth.
If people need to visit a branch, choose a bank with a location that is reasonably accessible to the trustees, officers or committee members involved.
A slightly better account is rarely worth three people travelling across town several times to get it opened.
Historically, signatories were the people authorised to sign cheques.
Today, the term usually refers to people who can act on behalf of the organisation with its bank or financial institution. This might include approving changes to the account, adding users or authorising payments - but this can vary by bank.
Many charities and incorporated societies require two people to approve payments.
Modern online banking systems often call this multi-authorisation. One person creates the payment and another person reviews and approves it.
Check your constitution, trust deed or financial policies before choosing your account settings.
AML means anti-money laundering.
Financial institutions are legally required to understand who their customers are, where money comes from and who controls an organisation. This is why several trustees, officers or committee members may need to verify their identities.
KYC means “know your customer”. It refers to many of the same checks involved in the AML process.
ID verification is how the provider confirms that a person is who they say they are.
It usually involves a passport or driver licence, along with proof of address such as a bank statement, government letter or utility bill. Some providers complete these checks electronically, while others require certified documents or a branch visit.
Most major New Zealand banks can open accounts for charities, incorporated societies and other non-profits, even if the process is not entirely online.
You can find further information from:
Yes. Emerge now accepts registered charities and incorporated societies through its app. First Credit Union also offers a remote process designed for not-for-profits.
Most mainstream banks still require charities, trusts and incorporated societies to contact a business banking specialist, even where some identification checks can be completed online.
Yes. Emerge accepts incorporated societies registered in New Zealand. An officer of the organisation needs to begin the application.
No. Emerge is a registered financial service provider rather than a registered bank. It provides New Zealand account numbers, payments, debit cards and other everyday money-management tools, but it does not currently provide lending or overdrafts.
Not necessarily. This depends on your organisation’s constitution, trust deed and financial policies.
However, requiring two people to approve larger or sensitive payments is a common safeguard and good practice for many organisations.
For most small charities and incorporated societies, we recommend comparing Emerge and Kiwibank first.
Emerge is strongest for online setup, flexible cards and team access. Kiwibank is strongest if you want a registered New Zealand-owned bank with automatic Good Numbers and Xero bank feeds.
Opening the account is only the beginning. Your organisation will also need to keep track of its income, spending, receipts, grants and year-end reporting.
Good Numbers is a simple finance app built for small charities, clubs and societies in Aotearoa.
This guide was last updated in August 2026. Account features and application requirements can change, so check directly with the provider before applying.
Good Numbers does not receive a commission or other benefit if you open an account with Emerge, Kiwibank or First Credit Union.
