MrsFychan

You will have to make sure they meet NZ law, from my understanding you have to have guardians for any children here in NZ so if you do not have family over here you will have to make provisions for their care until family members can get here. It is also very hard to exclude children from a Will in NZ even if estranged.

BEVS

Really? I find that interesting. Why or how?

Surely a will is as it states ' your will ' . Of course any will can be contested.

There was no question about family or otherwise when we made our NZ wills. Are you saying that somehow they may not hold true re. usual next of kin?

Holwell

BEVS

Actually any amount of assets be they large or modest can bring out the very worst in immediate family, as both myself and my husband can attest to.

You will revoke your previous UK wills when you make your NZ wills. For completeness you can have copies sent to the UK solicitor that holds your original wills and ask them to confirm safe arrival & that the original wills have been (1) destroyed (2) returned to your keeping and you destroy them.

If you have extended family named as executors then it might be prudent to informally and also formally inform them of said changes once the new wills are in place.

We chose to have independent impartial executors named that are neither family nor friends.

As this is a farm I can quite see that family members may feel they have a claim in some way. There can be very bitter land disputes between family members when a farm is sold as there can be historical connections & the landowner of the time seen more as a custodian in a way rather than an outright owner.

Anyway. Make your new NZ wills a.s.a.p.. A will can always be contested of course but at least your will over those assets has been marked.

MrsFychan

Re the children thing it was something I read on one of the Will Sites along with the Promise Act, which I do not believe is now legal in UK but it still in NZ. So if you say to someone you promise to leave then something in your will and do not, they can contest the Will.

Holwell

NOt necessarily gone in the UK. Look up "Proprietary Estoppel" claims