Blog
About to Hit Three Years Together? Is Your Home, Income, and Pre-Relationship Assets (Family Trust Assets) Still Legally Yours?
If you’re living with a partner and getting close to the three-year mark, it’s worth understanding how the Property (Relationships) Act might treat the life - and particularly the assets - you’ve built together (or brought to the relationship).
Retirement Village Law Reform: Five Changes Being Discussed
In early December last year, the NZ Government announced proposed changes to the Retirement Villages Act following years of feedback from residents, families, advocates, and advisers.
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Retirement Village ORAs: The Real Risk Often Appears at Exit
Buying into a retirement village? Exit repayments under ORAs can be delayed. Understand the risks, proposed law changes, and what to consider before signing.
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Why a final failure clause in your Will matters more than you might think
When most people make a Will, they picture a fairly straightforward sequence. One of us will go first. Everything passes to the other.
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Understanding the Roles in a Family Trust
(and why getting them wrong causes problems later) Family trusts are often described as if they’re simple containers that hold assets.
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Moving into a Retirement Village When You Have a Family Trust
If you’re moving into a retirement village and you have a family trust, don’t assume everything will slot neatly into place. Villages take very different approaches to trust-owned assets, and your ORA is often the moment when long-ignored trust issues surface. A quick review can confirm whether the trust still protects you, needs updating, or is simply adding complexity you no longer need. If your trust hasn’t been reviewed in five years, now is the time to check it’s working for this next stage of life.
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Planning for Memory Care & Residential Care Subsidies
A practical guide for families facing decisions for loved ones suffering from dementia and in need of memory care. Includes Enduring Powers of Attorney, trusts, Advance Care Plans, and Residential Care Subsidy planning.
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Retirement Village Living or Staying Home? The Two Very Different Realities
Many people want to stay home, others embrace retirement village life. Take a look at this week's blog post which explains both realities and how to decide what’s right for you.
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Occupation Right Agreements Explained: A Plain-English Guide for NZ Residents
A clear, plain-English guidance on Occupation Right Agreements in New Zealand. Learn what an ORA is, how it works, and why independent legal advice is required before moving into a retirement village.
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Who Wants to Be an Executor?
You’ve been named as an executor in someone’s Will. Cue the lights, music, and suspense. . . . . . Who wants to be an executor . . .