Using Bizdocs
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Who
should use Bizdocs?
Bizdocs is designed for New Zealand companies.
Small business owners, lawyers, accountants and business advisers
use Bizdocs to manage their own company information, or on behalf of their clients.
Can I get my company information out of Bizdocs?
Yes. If you do
want to stop using Bizdocs, you can simply export your
information to a Word document (or some other format, by arrangement with us). There
is no "lock in" to using Bizdocs.
Can I allow other people to access my company data?
Yes. You can set up and authorise other people to access your company data.
Only authorised users can access your information.
Can I use Bizdocs to delegate the management of company information to my accountant,
lawyer or business advisor?
Yes. A key benefit of Bizdocs is that you can allow
your advisors to access
and maintain your company information. All access is logged, and a record is
kept of what has changed.
Are there any charges for using Bizdocs?
Bizdocs is free to use. If you want, you can upgrade a company account
to a Bizdocs Plus account - click here
for details.
Do I keep ownership of my information?
Yes. Bizdocs has no rights or ownership over your company information. You
are the sole owner of your information, and all information is kept strictly
confidential in our secure system.
Security and confidentiality
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Is my information confidential?
Yes. Your company information is only accessible by you, and any other user(s)
authorised to access the company account (if any).
Are my company records in Bizdocs secure?
Yes. All access is password and user-name controlled, using secure internet
encryption and backed up daily.
Are changes to company records tracked?
Yes. Bizdocs records a history of changes to company information, allowing you to
see when, what and by whom any changes were made.
Legal issues [top]
What information does a company legally need to record?
All New Zealand companies are required by law to keep various records,
including shareholdings, share issues and transfers and various disclosures.
Bizdocs assists companies in managing the information that required to be kept.
Does my company need to use Bizdocs in order to comply with the law?
No. The Companies Act 1993 does not specify the manner in which that information must be kept. Bizdocs
provides an easier, cheaper and more convenient solution than a paper-based
system.
Does simply signing up to Bizdocs enable my company to comply with the law?
No. Bizdocs automatically creates a set of registers for your
company that can be used to store some of the information required under the Companies
Act 1993. However, simply signing up does not meet the legal requirements, which requires
that companies actually record
the relevant information in a timely manner.
Is Bizdocs a "legally approved" way of managing company information?
There are no "legally approved" ways of managing company information
in New Zealand. Bizdocs is simply a tool to help you manage company information,
and (we hope) make it easy to find answers to common questions. If you have any
questions or concerns about your legal requirements, you should always consult a
lawyer.
Am I only required to record the information provided for in Bizdocs?
No. By design, Bizdocs does not provide
for some required information, specifically:
- The constitution of the company - as this will usually be available online at the
Companies Office; and
- Financial statements - as these will usually be prepared annually by an accountant.
Beyond this, it is also possible that your company may have special requirements
that fall outside of the common requirements. If you have any questions or concerns
about your legal requirements, you should consult a lawyer.
If I update my company records in Bizdocs, do I still need to update them at the
Companies Office?
Sometimes. Bizdocs cannot automatically update company information at the Companies
Office. Therefore, if the Companies Act requires information to be updated at the
Companies Office, you will need to update it there as well as in Bizdocs.
If I use Bizdocs to manage my company records, are those records "kept"
at the company's registered office?
Yes. Because you can access and maintain the company records at the registered office,
the company is keeping those records at that location. Additionally,
Bizdocs lets you generate a full set of company records which can be download
and, if required, printed at the registered office.
I need some legal advice - can you help?
We are unable to give legal advice, however wer can refer you to lawyers specialising
in company law issues. Please contact us for more information.
How do I form a company? Why don't you offer this service?
Forming a New Zealand company is easy to do online directly at the
Companies Office
website.
Some privately-operated websites offer company formation services, but these
simply take your information and pass it along to the Companies Office. We
recommend that you save time and money by doing it yourself.
Keeping records in hard copy
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If I use Bizdocs, can I obtain a hard copy of all company information?
Yes. Bizdocs enables you to generate an entire Word document of your company information
with a single click.
Why should I keep my company records online and not in paper form?
There are many advantages to managing your company records online.
Click here for
details.
Can I sign up to Bizdocs just to obtain the company registers Word document template?
Yes. You can download the company registers Word document template, and then manually
edit the document to maintain your company information, if that is your preferred
approach. However, this has a number of downsides. For the top reasons why using
Bizdocs is a better approach, please see Why use Bizdocs?.
Getting help and advice
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Where can I get technical help with using Bizdocs?
Please feel free to post technical questions in our forum.
Alternatively, you can email us at support@bizdocs.co.nz.
We try to respond to all queries within 24 hours.
I have a question about managing company information - can you help?
We will try!
Feel free to contact us with any question you have. Please note however that we cannot give legal advice,
and all information is provided "as is" without warranty.
I need some legal advice - can you help?
We are unable to give legal advice, however can refer to qualified lawyers specialising
in company law issues. Please contact us for more information.