What if you didn’t get round to it? Sort the whole estate plan in one go.
A complete estate plan covers everything: who inherits when you die, who acts for you if you can’t, and what doctors should and shouldn’t do. One plain-English questionnaire. From $334.50 per person.
What an estate plan actually is
Three different jobs, one set of documents.
An estate plan isn’t one document — it’s a small bundle of documents that together cover three different moments in your life: when you die, when you can’t act for yourself, and when you can’t make medical decisions. Most New Zealanders only think about the first one (a will), and most New Zealanders are missing the other two.
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 two enduring powers of attorney (EPAs) cover what happens if you’re still alive but can’t make decisions — an accident, a stroke, dementia. One EPA appoints someone to manage your money and property. The other appoints someone to make your healthcare and welfare decisions. Without these, your family needs court orders to help you, at exactly the wrong time.
The directives cover the medical and funeral decisions: what doctors should and shouldn’t do if you can’t speak for yourself, and what you want to happen when you die. Without them, your family is left guessing — and guessing is its own kind of suffering.
A complete will-based estate plan bundles all of this into one questionnaire. You answer the questions about your life. We draft the documents.
What’s included in a complete estate plan
Seven documents. One questionnaire. All the boxes ticked.
Simple Will
who gets what when you die — for very straightforward wishes$60 / person · $90 couple
Normal Will
who gets what when you die — for most standard needs$90 / person · $144 couple
EPA for Property & Welfare
who acts for you if you can’t — both EPAs bundled$240 / person · $384 couple
Advance Healthcare Directives
what doctors should and shouldn’t do$11.50 / person · $23 couple
Funeral Directives
what you want to happen when you die$11.50 / person · $23 couple
List of Digital Assets & Devices
logins, accounts, crypto — so family can find them$11.50 / person · $23 couple
Estate Plan Directory
a master index of everything in your estate planFREE
EPA prices do not include the cost of witnessing the donor’s signature. Donor signatures on EPAs must be witnessed in person by a practising lawyer or legal executive — Zoom witnessing is not valid for EPAs under NZ law. In-person witnessing is available from $57.50.
Bundle pricing
Complete your entire estate plan in one sitting. The Normal Will Estate Plan is what most clients choose.
Simple Will Estate Plan
$334.50
per person · $543 couple
Normal Will Estate Plan
$364.50
per person · $597 couple
Estate planning — questions people ask
The four 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 three: after you die (the will), while you’re alive but can’t make decisions (the EPAs), and your medical and funeral wishes (the directives). Most people who think they’ve “done their will” have only done a third of the job.
Do I really need both EPAs as well as a will?
For most adults, yes. A will only operates after you die. If you’re alive but can’t act for yourself — an accident, a stroke, dementia — your will doesn’t help. Your family then needs to apply to the Family Court for an order appointing a property manager and a welfare guardian, which takes time and money. EPAs are how you choose those people in advance, on your terms, while you’re still well.
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.
Sort the whole estate plan in one sitting
One questionnaire. All seven documents. From your kitchen table, in about half an hour.