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Being an executor of a will and estate

When someone close to you dies, they may have named you as the person they want to sort out their affairs.


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What you need to know when you’re the executor of a Will

You might have known for years that it was coming, or it might have been out of the blue, but either way you’ve been named the executor of someone’s Will … so what happens now? 

The executor is the person who is responsible for ensuring the deceased’s estate is administered and distributed in accordance with their final wishes set out in their Will. 

Being chosen as executor is a big responsibility, and it means that the deceased trusted you to fairly and competently manage their affairs for them after their passing.

It doesn’t have to be hard work

We appreciate how challenging it can be to cope with the death of a loved one. You are already managing your own busy life and now need to deal with all of their assets, debts, and paperwork on top of that. 

But with Public Trust’s experienced and compassionate team here to help, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. We can offer assistance with whatever stage of the process you need - or the whole thing! 

Our Executor Assist service is tailored to your needs so we’ll only step in for as much or as little as you require. We make the complex seem simple so you have one less thing to worry about. 

As the appointed executor, you retain control over all decisions throughout the process. You direct us and we work to help you fulfil your role with ease.

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Tailored services to fit your needs

We’ve got specialists with a wealth of experience in all areas of estate administration ready to help at any stage of the process.

Probate Service

Confirm the Will’s validity with the High Court and obtain legal authority to deal with the estate.

Administration Service

Obtain Grant of Administration plus collect assets and pay debts, among other key financial tasks.

Estate Administration Service

Take care of the entire process from start to finish, from obtaining the Grant of Administration to distribution of the estate.

Probate Service

Probate is an order of the High Court to confirm the last valid Will of the deceased, and also the executor's right to administer the estate (grant of administration).

Public Trust can help by: 

  • Confirming the Will is valid

  • Explaining the administration process and your role as executor 

  • Gathering the relevant documents for the probate application

  • Applying to the High Court for probate 

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Administration Service

Our Administration Service includes everything from the Probate Service, plus: 

  • Collecting and confirming New Zealand-based assets 

  • Paying any liabilities or debts 

  • Transferring the remaining balance into the trustee’s trust account for distribution to the beneficiaries 

For a straightforward will and estate, this service takes care of most of the paperwork and helps the process to move more swiftly and easily. 

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Estate Service

Estate Administration encompasses all of the actions required to settle a person’s estate, from validating the will in the High Court to distributing the assets to beneficiaries and closing all accounts.  

Our team have a wealth of experience in all aspects of estate administration, meaning we can help you with: 

  • Probate Service

  • Administration Service and financial management of the estate

  • Organising the security, maintenance, sale or transfer of property

  • Helping with funeral arrangements 

  • Arranging the payment of gifts and distributions from the estate

  • Helping to resolve disagreements between beneficiaries 

  • Managing any legal issues 

  • Managing complex assets such as businesses, timeshares, Iwi land, overseas property and overseas assets 

  • Confirming and collecting overseas assets and liabilities 

  • Providing special assistance such as re-homing pets, house clearance, shipping of personal valuables, sale of high value belongings, etc. 

The Estate Service is designed to make your life easier while still giving you overall control of the process - we act on your instruction. 

Alternatively, if you would like Public Trust to take over executorship duties, please contact us to discuss what options might be available.

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Pricing

As our services are tailored to your needs, we don’t have any “one size fits all” pricing chart. 

We charge a combination of fixed fees and hourly rates depending on the tasks involved - never a percentage of the estate. We’ll let you know at the start how much our work is estimated to cost, so you can have peace of mind that there won’t be any unexpected fees. 

Occasionally there may be costs from other organisations such as banks, valuers and real estate agents. These charges, known as disbursements, are not Public Trust fees, but do need to be paid as an expense by the estate.

Help for Solicitors

Acting for or as the executor of any client’s will can be a time consuming task and a drain on legal practice resources that are already stretched. Executor Assist frees you and your core staff from the everyday estate management administration processes. 

You retain the client relationship and control all decisions throughout the process. We work to help you fulfil your role with ease, and help you get there more efficiently and profitably.

Executor Assist can offer as much or as little help as you need. We can take on selected parts of the process or all of it - it's entirely up to you and your assessment of the task at hand.

Our core services cover all of the estate management tasks and we also have the experience to deal with situations requiring Re-seals or Letters of Administration.

To find out how Executor Assist can help you, get in touch today.

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