Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA)
Sometimes, you will want someone else to be able to make decisions on your behalf about your property and finances or personal care and welfare.
What is an enduring power of attorney?
When an injury or illness means you’re unable to make decisions or manage your own affairs - or if managing your financial affairs is simply all too much - an attorney appointed through an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) can step in and do it for you. You can also establish an EPA when you simply want someone else to take responsibility on your behalf.
EPAs are as important as wills for protecting you and your family - they ensure that your care, wellbeing, and finances are taken care of by people you trust, or a trustee corporation like Public Trust, in the way that you want. Spouses, partners or next of kin aren’t automatically entitled to step in to manage a person’s finances if they’re incapable.
What is an Expert Review?
Your will should be personal – it should reflect your unique life and legacy. To make sure everything says what you need it to, or that you’ve found exactly the right words to explain things to your loved ones, you might like someone with years of experience to review your online documentation.
A Public Trust Expert Review can do just that! One of our highly knowledgeable and experienced trustees can review your will, statement of wishes or EPA, giving you total peace of mind that your wishes are accurately and legally reflected in your will or EPA.
Once you have paid for your EPA, simply purchase an Expert Review and someone will be in touch after reviewing your documentation for next steps.
Without an EPA in place, your loved ones would have to apply to the court for a property manager and/or a welfare guardian to be appointed in order to make decisions or take actions. This can be time consuming, costly and stressful; the person appointed by the Court may not be someone you would have chosen for the role.
Your nominated attorney will begin acting once you have lost capacity or in the case of a property EPA, you could choose for that to come into effect immediately. It would only be in the event that there is no EPA in place, there would be the need to apply to the court for authority to act. You can also appoint successor attorneys in the EPA documents in case their first choice attorneys cannot act as attorneys.
Activating enduring power of attorney (EPA)
Online platform
Easily create your EPA from the comfort of your couch, in your own time (you will still need to visit in person to complete the process).
Accessible 24/7 and fully secure.
Local support team on hand via live chat 7 days a week.
Adaptable to your needs, covering all situations from simple to complex.
In person consultation
Get expert support and guidance for all the important decisions when making your EPA.
Visit a Customer Centre near you - we’ve got New Zealand covered.
Adaptable to your needs, covering all situations from simple to complex.
Find a booklet easier to navigate?
We have created a helpful booklet that has some simple answers for the big questions around wills and enduring power of attorneys in English or Samoan.
Frequently Asked Questions About EPAs
Trusted by New Zealanders since 1873
Public Trust is here to support all your EPA needs every step of the way.
Why choose us?
Public Trust is one of the most experienced trustee services organisation in New Zealand.
Our support team is NZ based, with local customer centres across the country and a crew of helpful staff available for live chat 7 days a week or a phone call when you need us during the week.
Our online platform makes it quick and easy to create an EPA – a crucial part to protecting the legacy you’re building every day. So what are you waiting for?