Create a bespoke document in minutes, or upload and review your own.
Get your first 2 documents free
Your data doesn't train Genie's AI
You keep IP ownership of your information
Meeting Minutes
I need meeting minutes for a weekly team meeting, capturing key discussion points, decisions made, and action items with assigned responsibilities and deadlines. The document should be concise, clear, and distributed to all attendees within 24 hours of the meeting.
What is a Meeting Minutes?
Meeting Minutes create an official record of what happens during business meetings, from board sessions to shareholder gatherings. They capture key decisions, discussions, and actions while providing legal protection under New Zealand's Companies Act 1993, which requires companies to maintain accurate meeting records.
These documents track attendance, voting outcomes, and important motions passed. Good minutes help organizations prove compliance, resolve disputes, and keep everyone aligned on decisions. For registered companies, societies, and trusts in NZ, properly maintained minutes also serve as evidence in court and during regulatory reviews.
When should you use a Meeting Minutes?
Create Meeting Minutes for any formal business gathering where decisions affect your organization's future. This includes board meetings, annual general meetings, special shareholder meetings, and committee sessions. New Zealand companies must record these discussions to meet Companies Act requirements and protect themselves during audits or legal reviews.
Take minutes when discussing major financial decisions, leadership changes, strategy shifts, or policy updates. They're essential for proving compliance with corporate governance rules, documenting voting outcomes, and resolving future disputes about what was agreed. Many organizations also use them to track progress on key initiatives and hold people accountable for assigned tasks.
What are the different types of Meeting Minutes?
- Company Meeting Minutes: Formal records for board and shareholder meetings, following Companies Act requirements
- Simple Meeting Minutes: Streamlined format for routine team or committee meetings
- Meeting Minutes Outline: Structured template with comprehensive sections for complex discussions
- Meeting Minutes Agenda: Combined agenda and minutes format for better meeting flow
- Meeting Minutes With Action Items: Detailed format emphasizing task assignments and follow-up tracking
Who should typically use a Meeting Minutes?
- Company Secretaries: Usually responsible for drafting and maintaining Meeting Minutes, ensuring compliance with the Companies Act
- Board Members: Review, approve, and rely on minutes to track decisions and demonstrate good governance
- Shareholders: Access minutes to stay informed about company decisions and exercise their voting rights
- Regulatory Bodies: May inspect minutes during audits or investigations to verify corporate compliance
- Legal Advisors: Use minutes as evidence in disputes or to verify historical company decisions
- Committee Chairs: Oversee minute-taking during meetings and certify their accuracy
How do you write a Meeting Minutes?
- Meeting Details: Gather date, time, location, and type of meeting (board, committee, AGM)
- Attendee List: Record all present members, apologies, and guests, including their roles
- Previous Minutes: Have the last meeting's minutes ready for approval and follow-up
- Agenda Items: Prepare a clear list of topics to be discussed and decisions needed
- Supporting Documents: Collect any reports, proposals, or materials being presented
- Recording Method: Choose your note-taking approach (digital or paper) and backup system
- Template Selection: Use our platform's NZ-compliant templates to ensure all legal requirements are met
What should be included in a Meeting Minutes?
- Meeting Identification: Full company name, meeting type, date, time, and venue details
- Attendance Record: Names and roles of all present, absent, and apologizing members
- Quorum Statement: Confirmation that required minimum attendance was met
- Previous Minutes: Record of approval or amendments to last meeting's minutes
- Decisions Made: Clear documentation of all motions, votes, and reֱs passed
- Discussion Points: Key topics covered, including financial reports and strategic decisions
- Action Items: Assigned tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines
- Signature Block: Chair's signature and date of approval, confirming accuracy
What's the difference between a Meeting Minutes and an Accountability Agreement?
Meeting Minutes and the Accountability Agreement serve different but complementary purposes in organizational governance. While both documents track responsibilities, they function quite differently in practice.
- Timing and Purpose: Meeting Minutes record what has already happened during a specific gathering, while Accountability Agreements set future expectations and commitments
- Legal Status: Minutes serve as official historical records required by the Companies Act, whereas Accountability Agreements are forward-looking contracts between parties
- Content Focus: Minutes capture discussions, decisions, and votes across all topics, while Accountability Agreements specifically outline individual or team performance expectations
- Enforcement: Minutes provide evidence of corporate decisions but don't create obligations themselves; Accountability Agreements actively bind parties to specific commitments
Download our whitepaper on the future of AI in Legal
ұԾ’s Security Promise
Genie is the safest place to draft. Here’s how we prioritise your privacy and security.
Your documents are private:
We do not train on your data; ұԾ’s AI improves independently
All data stored on Genie is private to your organisation
Your documents are protected:
Your documents are protected by ultra-secure 256-bit encryption
Our bank-grade security infrastructure undergoes regular external audits
We are ISO27001 certified, so your data is secure
Organizational security
You retain IP ownership of your documents
You have full control over your data and who gets to see it
Innovation in privacy:
Genie partnered with the Computational Privacy Department at Imperial College London
Together, we ran a £1 million research project on privacy and anonymity in legal contracts
Want to know more?
Visit our for more details and real-time security updates.
Read our Privacy Policy.