Trusts, wills, & POA
Protecting what matters, minus the mystery.

Nor do you love thinking about a time when you can no longer make decisions for yourself.
That’s totally fair. But getting these things sorted can make life considerably easier for you and those around you.
Our Christchurch team are well used to having these more sensitive conversations. We can help you protect what matters, plan for what’s ahead, and put the right legal documents in place. Then you can get back to thinking about literally anything else.

Estate planning sounds rather grandiose, but it’s really just about making your wishes clear and ensuring the right people can step in when needed.
That might mean deciding what happens to your assets when you die. It might mean setting up or reviewing a family trust. It might even mean appointing someone you trust to make decisions when you’re no longer able to.
The best time to sort this stuff is generally before anybody desperately needs it sorting. So our estate planning lawyers will talk you through the options, the jargon, and all the rest of it. Then we’ll help you put the right arrangements in place for you and your family.
Protecting what matters, minus the mystery. Trusts can be useful for protecting and managing personal or family assets in the way you want.
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These things come with rules, responsibilities, and ongoing obligations. Quite a few of them, as it happens. Our family trust lawyers (again, based in Christchurch) can help you set up a trust, review an existing one, transfer assets, understand your responsibilities, and act when circumstances change. We also help charitable trusts with establishment, compliance, and ongoing operations.
If any of this strikes a chord – or if you’re not sure whether you even need a trust – let’s have a chinwag. We’ll help you make sense of it all.
Cheerful? Nope. Important? Yep. A will gives you a say in what happens to your assets after you die and who takes care of the things that matter to you.
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Without one – or even with an outdated one – things become more complicated for the people left to sort everything out. We’ll help you put together a will that clearly records your wishes and fits with the rest of your estate planning. If you’ve already got one, it’s worth dusting it off and keeping it aligned with your life right now.
A little planning now can save a lot of head-scratching later. After all… where there’s a will there’s a way.
Someone you trust… just in case. If you’ve ever typed ‘power of attorney meaning’ into a search bar and come away none the wiser, you’re certainly not alone.
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A power of attorney gives another person the authority to act on your behalf. An enduring power of attorney – often shortened to EPA – can continue to operate if you can no longer make certain decisions yourself.
In New Zealand, enduring powers of attorney can cover your property or your personal care and welfare. You choose the person (or people) you trust to act for you, and the documents set out what authority they have.
We’re more than happy to explain how this stuff works in a bit more detail. If it’s of interest, we’ll then help you decide what arrangements are appropriate and document everything properly as we progress.

Maybe you need a will. Maybe an old trust needs a once-over. Maybe you’ve been meaning to sort out an enduring power of attorney for roughly seven years, three months, four days, and twelve minutes. No judgement here. Who’s counting?
Good estate planning is simply about getting the right arrangements in place while you’re in a position to make the decisions yourself. We’ll help you do just that – without making a serious subject seem impossibly weighty along the way. Lovely stuff.