End-of-Life Folder NZ: What Documents to Keep and Where to Store Them
When someone dies in New Zealand, the executor's first challenge isn't legal or financial — it's finding things. The will, the insurance policy, the KiwiSaver details, the IRD number, the EPAs. Every document that seemed obvious to the person who filed it becomes invisible to the family member who needs it under pressure.
An end-of-life folder solves this. One location, all the critical documents, and a clear list of what's where. Here's what should be in it.
The Core Legal Documents
These are the documents that control who makes decisions and who inherits:
Original will — the physical original, not a photocopy. The Wellington High Court Probate Registry requires the original will to grant probate. If it's held by a solicitor (which is common — law firms offer safe custody for wills), note the firm's name, address, and your file reference.
Enduring Powers of Attorney — both the property EPA and the personal care and welfare EPA. Keep signed originals. The attorney named in each EPA needs to know where they are, because EPAs are useless if nobody can locate them when capacity is lost.
Advance directive or advance care plan — your written healthcare instructions. Keep a copy in the folder and make sure your GP has a copy in your medical records.
Contracting-out agreement (if applicable) — a section 21 PRA agreement (essentially a prenuptial agreement). This matters for relationship property division on death.
Financial Records
Your executor will need to contact every institution that holds your assets or debts. Make this easy:
Bank accounts — list every account with the institution name, account number, and branch. Include joint accounts and note the ownership structure.
KiwiSaver — provider name, account number, and current balance. Critically, note whether you hold other accounts with the same institution, since the probate threshold applies per-institution.
Insurance policies — life insurance, income protection, trauma cover. Note the policy numbers and whether each policy has a named beneficiary (policies with named beneficiaries bypass the estate and pay directly to the nominee).
Property records — address, LINZ title reference, and whether the property is held as joint tenants or tenants in common. This distinction determines whether the property passes automatically to the co-owner or through the estate.
Share holdings — company shares, managed funds, bonds. Include registry details (Computershare, Link Market Services). Remember that the probate threshold for shares and bonds is $15,000, lower than the $40,000 threshold for bank and KiwiSaver accounts.
Debts — mortgages, personal loans, credit cards, hire purchase agreements. The executor must pay all debts before distributing to beneficiaries.
IRD number — the executor needs this to file the deceased's final tax return and register the estate for its own IRD number.
Personal and Identification Documents
Birth certificate — needed for the probate application and death registration.
Passport — useful for identification purposes and may be required for some institutional processes.
Marriage, civil union, or relationship certificates — relevant for relationship property claims and the PRA election.
Citizenship or residency documents — if the person held assets overseas, these may be needed for cross-border estate administration.
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Funeral and Healthcare Wishes
Funeral preferences — burial or cremation, preferred location, any specific wishes (religious ceremony, tangihanga at a specific marae, green burial, donation to medical science). These instructions aren't legally binding even if they're in the will, but they give the executor clear guidance.
Organ donation wishes — record whether you've registered with the NZ Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. Your family will be asked, and knowing your wishes makes the conversation easier.
Healthcare provider details — GP name and practice, specialist providers, hospital or hospice if currently receiving treatment.
Digital Asset Information
Password manager master password — if you use a password manager (and you should), the master password is the key to all your digital accounts. Store it in the physical folder, not digitally.
List of online accounts — email, social media, cloud storage, subscription services. Note any accounts with financial value and any platform-specific bereavement settings you've configured (Google Inactive Account Manager, Apple Digital Legacy, Facebook Legacy Contact).
Cryptocurrency access — if you hold crypto, your seed phrases or private keys must be physically accessible to your executor. Without them, self-custody crypto is permanently lost.
Where to Store the Folder
The folder needs to be:
- Physically secure — a fireproof safe or a solicitor's safe custody
- Accessible to the right people — your executor and your EPA attorney need to know where it is and how to access it
- Separate from the will — if your will is held by a solicitor, keep the folder at home in a fireproof safe. The executor needs the folder immediately after death; the will takes a few days to retrieve through the solicitor
If you use a bank safety deposit box, confirm in advance how your executor can access it after death. Do not rely on it as the only location for the documents needed to apply for probate.
Keeping It Current
An end-of-life folder is only useful if it reflects your current situation. Review and update it:
- When you change banks, insurance providers, or KiwiSaver schemes
- When you buy or sell property
- When you update your will or EPAs
- When your personal circumstances change (marriage, separation, new children)
- At least once a year as a general check
Our New Zealand End-of-Life Planning Guide includes a complete estate file organiser template — structured to ensure nothing is missed and formatted so your executor can work through it systematically under pressure without having to interpret your personal filing system.
Get Your Free New Zealand — End-of-Life Planning Checklist
Download the New Zealand — End-of-Life Planning Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.