Important Information for Member Applicants
What is Heart of the City?
Heart of the City is the Business Improvement District (BID) organisation for Auckland's city centre. We represent the interests of businesses, property owners and occupiers, advocate for a thriving city centre, deliver programmes and events, and work with key partners to support economic growth and vitality. Heart of the City is governed by its Members, who have the right to vote at general meetings and participate in the governance of the Association.
Why this matters
Under Auckland Council's BID Policy and the Heart of the City Constitution, there is an important distinction between:
- Affiliates – businesses and property owners operating within the Heart of the City BID area; and
- Members – eligible entities that have formally applied for, consented and been accepted as Members of Heart of the City Incorporated.
Only Members are entitled to exercise governance rights, including:
- Voting at General Meetings (including the upcoming SGM and AGM);
- Standing for election to the Executive Committee;
- Receiving formal governance notices and meeting documentation.
- You can learn more about how Heart of the City operates here
Who can apply?
Under Rule 5 of the Heart of the City Constitution, a person or legal entity may be eligible for Full Membership if they:
- Own commercially rated property within the Heart of the City targeted rating area; or
- Occupy or lease qualifying commercially rated premises within the area and operate a business from those premises.
Examples of entities that may independently qualify for membership include:
- Property-owning entities;
- Businesses operating within the city centre;
- Tenants occupying commercially rated premises.
Important membership principles
Please note:
- Membership belongs to the legal entity, not an individual, trading name, brand or premises.
- A legal entity may hold one membership only, regardless of how many properties it owns or business locations it operates within the BID area.
- Each Member must nominate a Representative to act on its behalf in relation to Heart of the City matters.
- Membership is not automatic and requires a formal application and approval process.
Representative
The Constitution requires every Member that is not an individual to designate an individual representative to act on its behalf in all matters relating to HOTC. This representative is the person authorised to receive governance communications, participate in meetings, exercise voting rights and otherwise act on behalf of the Member entity in relation to its membership.
To help ensure the integrity and proper exercising of membership rights, HOTC requires that a designated Representative be appointed, endorsed or confirmed by a person with appropriate authority within the Member entity. This will typically be:
- a Director;
- an Owner;
- a Trustee;
- a Chief Executive Officer (CEO);
HOTC may take reasonable steps to verify that a nominated Representative is authorised to act for the Member entity. This may include:
- obtaining confirmation from a Director, Owner, Trustee, CEO or other authorised officer;
- seeking confirmation from an official organisational email address;
- reviewing publicly available information such as Companies Office records, NZBN records, organisational websites or other business records; and/or
- requesting additional information where authority is unclear.
Where HOTC is unable to reasonably verify a Representative's authority, or where there is a dispute regarding representation, HOTC may request further evidence before recording or changing a Representative.
Individual applicants
In most circumstances, membership is held by a company, trust, partnership, incorporated society or sole trader business.
Individuals may apply in their own name where they personally meet the constitutional eligibility requirements, such as personally owning qualifying property or operating a qualifying business as a sole trader from premises within the Heart of the City boundary.
For clarity, individuals do not qualify for membership solely because they work for, are employed by, or provide services to a business operating within the city centre. Membership rights belong to the entity carrying on the activity, not its employees or representatives.
