What if you didn’t get round to it? Sort the whole estate plan in one go.
A complete estate plan covers what happens when you die, your medical wishes, and your funeral. One plain-English questionnaire. Five documents. From $172 per person.
What an estate plan actually is
Two different jobs, one set of documents.
An estate plan isn’t one document — it’s a small bundle of documents that together cover what happens when you die, what doctors should and shouldn’t do if you can’t speak, and what you want your funeral to look like.
The will covers what happens after you die: who inherits your home, your KiwiSaver, your possessions; who looks after any children under eighteen; who carries out your wishes. Without one, the law decides — not you.
The statement of wishes sits alongside the will. It’s a private letter to your executors with the practical detail a will doesn’t cover — how to handle particular gifts, family considerations, who to contact, what matters to you. Wills are public; statements of wishes are not.
The directives cover the medical and funeral decisions: an Advance Healthcare Directive tells doctors what they should and shouldn’t do if you can’t speak for yourself, and a Funeral Directive tells your family what you want to happen when you die. Without them, your family is left guessing — and guessing is its own kind of suffering.
The digital assets list records your logins, accounts, and any cryptocurrency, so your family can find them when they need to.
A complete will-based estate plan bundles all five of these into one questionnaire. You answer the questions about your life. We draft the documents.
A note on EPAs
Enduring Powers of Attorney are a separate Bespoke service
EPAs cover what happens if you’re still alive but can’t make decisions — an accident, a stroke, dementia. Under NZ law, they must be witnessed in person by a practising lawyer or legal executive, so they’re available as a Bespoke service from Ross Holmes Virtual Lawyers Limited rather than as part of this self-service estate plan.
What’s included in a complete estate plan
Five documents plus a free directory. One questionnaire. All the boxes ticked.
Online Will
who gets what when you dieStatement of Wishes
your wishes, beyond the willAdvance Healthcare Directive
what doctors should and shouldn’t doFuneral Directive
what should happen when you dieDigital Assets & Devices List
logins, accounts, crypto — so family can find themEstate Plan Directory
a master index of everything in your estate plan
Bundle pricing
Pick the will tier that fits your situation. Statement of wishes, all three directives, and the directory are included.
Tier 1
Simple Online Will Estate Plan
Suits straightforward estates — everything to partner, then children.
- Simple Online Will
- Statement of Wishes
- Advance Healthcare Directive
- Funeral Directive
- Digital Assets & Devices List
- Estate Plan Directory (free)
Tier 2
Family Online Will Estate Plan
For most families — with guardians, specific gifts, or trust provisions.
- Family Online Will
- Statement of Wishes
- Advance Healthcare Directive
- Funeral Directive
- Digital Assets & Devices List
- Estate Plan Directory (free)
Tier 3
Custom Online Will Estate Plan
For blended families, business interests, or special provisions.
- Custom Online Will
- Statement of Wishes
- Advance Healthcare Directive
- Funeral Directive
- Digital Assets & Devices List
- Estate Plan Directory (free)
Bundle vs standalone — what you get
The bundle costs the same as buying the five documents one by one. The difference is the questionnaire flow, plus the free directory.
| Will tier | Five documents bought separately | Bundle price | What the bundle adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Online Will straightforward estates | $172 $344 couple | $172 $344 couple | One questionnaire, all five documents drafted together, plus the Estate Plan Directory free. |
| Family Online Will guardians, specific gifts, trust provisions | $202 $374 couple | $202 $374 couple | One questionnaire, all five documents drafted together, plus the Estate Plan Directory free. |
| Custom Online Will blended families, business, special provisions | $262 $464 couple | $262 $464 couple | One questionnaire, all five documents drafted together, plus the Estate Plan Directory free. |
All prices include GST. EPAs are a separate Bespoke service from Ross Holmes Virtual Lawyers Limited.
Estate planning — questions people ask
The most common ones, answered honestly.
What’s the difference between a will and an estate plan?
A will covers only one moment — what happens after you die. An estate plan covers more: what happens after you die (the will), what your private wishes are for your executors (the statement of wishes), and your medical and funeral preferences (the directives). Most people who think they’ve “done their will” have only done part of the job.
Why aren’t EPAs included in this estate plan?
Under NZ law, an Enduring Power of Attorney must be witnessed in person by a practising lawyer or legal executive. That can’t happen through a self-service online questionnaire, so EPAs are offered as a Bespoke service from Ross Holmes Virtual Lawyers Limited — $300 per person for one EPA, $600 for both Property and Welfare combined. The price includes witnessing at RHL’s Albany offices.
How is a will-based estate plan different from a trust-based plan?
A will-based estate plan is what most New Zealand families need: it deals with your assets at death, and is much faster and cheaper to set up. A trust-based plan involves transferring some of your assets into a family trust during your lifetime — useful for asset protection, blended families, or larger estates, but more complex and ongoing. If your situation needs a trust-based plan, that work goes through Ross Holmes Virtual Lawyers Limited rather than DYOdocs. See trust-based estate and asset protection plans →
How often should I update my estate plan?
Review it every few years — and straight away after marriage, separation, the birth of a child, buying or selling a home, or a death in the family. Your DYOdocs account keeps your answers on file, so making a new version is faster the second time around. An out-of-date estate plan can be worse than no estate plan at all.
What if I make a mistake?
You can change any answer at any time before you pay. After you’ve paid and downloaded, if you realise something is wrong — for any reason — you can re-open your questionnaire in Gavel and change anything within 30 days of payment, free of charge. See our Terms of Service for the details.
Sort the whole estate plan in one sitting
One questionnaire. Five documents drafted together. From your kitchen table, in about half an hour.
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Sort the whole estate plan in one sitting
One questionnaire. All seven documents. From your kitchen table, in about half an hour.