[foolsgold99]

A question for those already out there I guess.

We figure that now is the time to set our affairs in order, and get round to writing wills. we're not clear if we should write wills in the UK, or in NZ. We'll have virtually no assests in the UK, after the house sells. If we write a will in the UK, will it be "legal" for our NZ assests.

Does anyone know how NZ law working in terms of inheritance ?

With our family at present, just me,Sal and the collie, we haven't got round to deciding who gets what anyway.

ps,

It looks like I may have a job offer, we're at the stage of speaking to references, but I don't expect any problems there. Looking at a start date of 2nd May.

[Timbo]

I cant help with the legal stuff. Just wanted to say good luck on the job front. :hopeso :cheers

[Beach Kiwi]

Not sure about wills, but these links might be of use:

Law Online (http://www.lawonline.co.nz/)

NZ Law Society (http://www.nz-lawsoc.org.nz/)

[Wannaway]

A will expresses the wishes of the deceased. It can say whatever it likes, it doesn't have to be written by a lawyer. You could write your own and, as long as you sign it and keep the original in a safe place where it can be accessed by your Executors then in theory that would befine. If you do it yourself probably best to get it witnessed by a couple of people as well.

NZ is a common law country like the UK and, as you might expect, a lot of its laws are similar or basedon similar principles to the UK (well, England & Wales). Therefore I would say that, if you did use a solicitor to draw up a will, it would probably look similar to one drawn up in the UK. A will should cover all the deceased assets, wherever they are situated. It is up to the Executors to take charge of the assets, settle debts and then distribute the Estate in accordance with the deceased's wishes.

You may feel it is "safer" having wills drawn up by a solicitor, we had ours done in the UK a few years back and it cost something like GBP200. Ours were fairly straightforward, although we have kids to consider and pretty much mirror each other (so basically I leave everything to wifey or her to me depending on who goes first), the fun starts when you have to cover situations where we go together. But it needn't be overly complicated and most reputable solicitors should be able to draw up straightforward wills at no great cost. Also, solicitors can give you advic on the best way to structure things to avoid inheritance tax/death duties etc. Trusts are used a lot in NZ to protect family wealth, so again a solicitor may be of use in terms of making sure that you do what you can to escape the greedy clutches of the taxman etc.