The Charities Commission says New Zealanders have given about $2.5 billion to charity in the last year.
Formal registration of charities seeking an exemption from paying tax on donations began about 18 months ago, allowing the Commission to learn more about the sector.
Twenty four thousand charities have been registered, some of which earn less than $20,000 a year while others earn an annual income of more than $20 million.
The Commission says the registration process means people can now learn more about the charity they wish to contribute to.
It says donors can find out from its website how much a charity spends in administration, what the organisation is actually doing and how effective it is.
