Will Pricing

Yes. Our online platform allows you to make your will in the comfort of your own home. This can be handy because you can discuss things with your loved ones as you go and look up any details you need. Remember that your will still needs to be printed and signed as a hard copy document once you're done.

Anyone who is of sound mind and is aged 18 or older, the consent of a Family Court judge is required for anyone under 18 wanting to make a will.

Yes, we have a self-service online tool where it's easy to make your will. Our online self-service will templates are written by legal specialists and specifically for New Zealand legislation and court processes.

To be considered valid, a will must be written by someone of sound mind who is not being coerced or unduly influenced. 
It needs to be signed by the person making the will and dated and witnessed by at least two people who are not beneficiaries of the will.

If a Public Trust expert prepares your will, we'll keep the original in safe storage and give you a copy.

If you make your will with Public Trust yourself online, Public Trust allows you to upload a scan or photographs of your will for secure cloud storage and to register it on our national will register for free. This ensures a record exists in the event of fire, theft or natural disaster and that your family can locate it. You are also required to keep the paper copy safely and register its location with Public Trust.

It's a good idea to keep your will or your copy of your will with other important documents, like your birth and marriage certificates or passport.

We recommend reviewing your will every year to make sure it’s still up to date.

If your circumstances have changed (perhaps you’ve bought a new house, gotten married/divorced or had a baby) then you should definitely consider updating your will.

You shouldn't try to change your will by altering one you've already made – this might make it invalid. It's easy to update your will with Public Trust, either by doing it yourself online, or a Public Trust expert can do it for you. We will include a clause to state that all previous versions of your will are cancelled.

Yes. We recommend doing this by executing a new will that revokes your previous will. If you think you need to cancel or revoke your will, you can do this by calling us on 0800 371 471 or emailing [email protected].

This is called dying intestate. If you die without a will, everything you own will be divided up according to the law (the Administration Act 1969), not according to your wishes. The rules of the Act vary depending on whether; you’re survived by a spouse or partner, have children or your parents are still alive.

The people you care about most may not be looked after, and it could take a long time and cost a lot of money to resolve matters. This could cause extra distress for your loved ones, during their time of grief.

Find out more on what happens when there is no will.

A guardian is the person you choose to care for your child in the event that both parents are no longer able to do so. Naming a guardian is another valuable benefit that a will can provide. It is important that you should not name anyone to be guardian, without first asking if they are willing, comfortable and accepting of the responsibility this holds.

A testamentary guardian (guardian named in a will) makes the 'big decisions' when the parents can't - for instance about the child's education and care. For day-to-day care of a child, the testamentary guardian may need to apply to the court for a parenting order.

Choosing a guardian

This is called an insolvent estate.  The estate has to pay off any outstanding debts in a set order before anything is given to people named in the will, or until the money runs out.

Family members and heirs are not responsible for the debt of a deceased family member if the debt was only in the name of the deceased. This includes anything from a loan to a credit card. Although family members are not responsible for this debt it must still be repaid from the estate of the deceased before any payments to beneficiaries. The estate includes anything from cash and money in bank accounts to insurance money, property, vehicles, household items and investments.

An executor is the person or organisation you choose that is responsible for carrying out the wishes in your will as smoothly and efficiently as possible. 
The responsibilities include applying for court approval to handle the estate (probate), locating all beneficiaries, collecting and selling assets and paying estate expenses. The duties expected of an executor can be difficult, demanding and time consuming. 
You can appoint Public Trust as your executor or an executor can receive support through Public Trust’s Executor Assist service.

Choosing an executor

The trustee is a person or organisation responsible for holding your assets until they can be paid to the beneficiary. For example where a beneficiary of a will is a child and the estate is invested until they come of age.  The roles of executor and trustee are usually combined.

A number of things can impact the validity of your will so please check with us if you’re not sure.

If any of the following apply to you it’s likely your will is no longer valid:

• If you have married since the will was made

• If your will isn’t signed and witnessed properly

• If there was some undue pressure or influence when making your will

• If you were not of sound mind

• If you were under 18 when you made the will (and the will was made without the Court's consent)

Yes, if there are doubts around the validity of the will, or other reasons including if a person you had a responsibility to provide for believes you haven't left them a fair share or haven’t made adequate provision for them.

More about when wills can be challenged.

Enduring powers of attorney are important legal documents that set out who can take care of either your personal or financial matters if you can't due to illness or an accident.  Please refer to our enduring power of attorney pages for more information.

Although joint property passes to the surviving joint owner by right of survivorship, we would still recommend that you make a will.  This would make provision for the division of your estate in the event that you and your spouse die more or less at the same time as a result of a common disaster, such as a motor vehicle accident.

If you only have investments or bank accounts abroad, in most situations your New Zealand will should cover them.

If you have a house/flat or land abroad, however, then you will almost certainly need to make a will in that country.  You also need to remember that the taxes applying upon death and/or the sale of assets may be different in each country and should be taken into account when drafting wills.

For a Public Trust expert to make or witness your will, we need your proof of identity and your proof of address. Find out what kinds of documents are accepted on our identity page.
If you have a Relationship Property Agreement or a Family Trust Deed, you will need to refer to them as you make your will.

Mirror wills are individual wills made by two people that intend for their will's to be practically identical. The common situation is that Mirror wills are made for couples who are married or in a civil partnership.