The online payment service is an alternative to the paper process. It is quick, easy and straightforward and means you don't have to mail documents, write cheques or visit the council offices. It takes less time to complete and all your details are safe and secure. Setting it up is straightforward and will become even easier in subsequent years as personal information is only entered once.
It is completely up to you whether you elect to use the online or paper-based system.
There are two options for paying online instead of sending in a cheque.
The first is through POLI, which enables you to pay via internet banking. Click here to see if your bank allows you to make online payments through POLi.
If you have a business bank account that uses dual signatories or multi-tier authentication (e.g. you have to enter a calculated code every time you log in), you may not be able to use POLi with that bank account.
The second option is with a credit card or debit card.
You can use the online service if your business is in one the following categories:
- a food premises
- a business requiring a public place permit
- an independent qualified person (IQP)
- a regulated business: Hairdressers, Camping Grounds, Funeral Directors, or an Offensive Trade that is regulated (such as rubbish disposal)
RealMe is joint initiative between the government and NZ Post. It works in two ways. It is an easy, secure way to prove who you are online and also allows you to access multiple online services with the same login and password. Sites that use RealMe include banks, councils and a range of government services. The RealMe service is still new, but because it is government backed, it will soon be used by lots of businesses. Want to find out more? https://www.realme.govt.nz/about-realme/
Hamilton City Council is using RealMe for business renewals and registrations because we need to make sure that your information is secure and only you can access it.
It takes just a few minutes for you to register. However, Hamilton City council needs to verify the account information provided by you, once you have registered with RealMe. This can take up to five working days depending on the information you provide. You can help speed up the account verification by supplying all the information you can when you register.
That's correct, you don't need a RealMe login for dog registration or to pay a parking infringement. The reason you need it for business renewals or registrations is because the council is providing you with business account balances. RealMe provides a secure authentication process.
Not at the moment. At present, ratepayers can pay their rates online using a credit card or the POLI payment system, but it does not allow them to see any private information or data around outstanding balances. RealMe will provide the security for this information to be available online to ratepayers and council staff are working on getting this functionality on our website. We'll let you know as soon as it is available.
During the online registration process, you will get to choose which other council services you would like to access once they are available online. These include property and water rates, accounts receivable information, dog registrations and liquor licenses.
Your account information has to be verified by the council and this can take up to five working days. We will have hundreds of applications to process. To allow us to process this in a timely fashion, we are urging all businesses to submit renewals and registrations well before the June 30 deadline.
You are correct - the IQP register for the central North Island is maintained by Hamilton City Council. This means that all councils in this area use it for their building warrant of fitness processes. If you are an IQP living in the central North Island you also have the option of using the online process.
- Go to https://eservices.hamilton.govt.nz/ to get your RealMe login
- Create a RealMe login if you do not have one. If you already have a RealMe login, you can use it here as well
- Complete the council's online registration form
- Wait until the council contacts you to tell you that your registration is ready. You should receive a confirmation email within five working days of requesting your registration
- Log on and start using the online service.