When establishing or running an agribusiness in New Zealand, it’s important to ensure you’ve met all the legal requirements. Our legal team specialises in helping small agribusinesseswith all their legal needs, from contracts to intellectual property protection and privacy. Get in touch today!
To establish an agribusiness in New Zealand, you will need to prepare and register a variety of legal documents. Key requirements include:
- Registering your business name with the New Zealand Companies Office (https://companies-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/).
- Obtaining Workers' compensation insurance and business insurance (e.g. public liability, professional indemnity).
- Securing Council approval (if operating from a commercial premise) and a lease agreement (if renting premises).
- Having Health and safety policies and procedures in place, in accordance with WorkSafe New Zealand (https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/).
- Complying with privacy and data protection policies and procedures, as outlined by the Privacy Commissioner (https://www.privacy.org.nz/).
- Obtaining a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) and registering for Goods and Services Tax (GST) with Inland Revenue (https://www.ird.govt.nz/).
- Supply Agreement: if you're working with suppliers for your business, it's important that you capture the details of your arrangement in writing. This will help clarify key roles and responsibilities of parties, as well as set out a clear dispute resolution process.
If you're under a company structure, you'll need to register your agribusiness with the Companies Office through a specific process. You'll also need to register your business name (it shouldn't be identical to an existing one!).
Registering your company is a legal requirement under the Companies Act 1993 and will allow you to fulfil your tax obligations.
