Start with ownership and risk
Your structure decides who owns the business, who meets its debts, how profit is taxed, and what happens when an owner joins or leaves. New Zealand's three common choices are sole trader, partnership and company.
Sole trader
This is often the simplest choice for one person starting or contracting. You use your personal IRD number and control the work. You also carry the debts and legal claims yourself, and the profit forms part of your personal taxable income.
Partnership
Two or more people can share profit, work and ownership. A signed agreement should cover money, duties, decisions, disputes and exits. In a general partnership, one partner may bind the others and each can face the full debt.
Company
A registered New Zealand company is a separate legal body with directors and shareholders. Shareholders are not usually liable for company debts, but directors have legal duties and lenders may ask for personal guarantees. The company files its own tax return and must also keep its Companies Office record current.
Other choices
Look-through company tax status, limited partnerships, trusts, co-operatives and non-profit bodies can suit specific goals. They add rules that need closer legal and tax advice.
Check before you register
Compare debt risk, tax, owner changes, funding, sale plans and yearly work. EFC's full business setup guide includes a comparison table, current registration costs, step-by-step checklists and direct government links.