Use Your Will Power

When planning your Estate, a number of questions come to mind. This guide is designed to help answer some of them.

What is a Will?

A Will is a statement of your wishes as they relate to your estate. It is a legal directive to your trustees about how your assets should be distributed after your death. A Will ensures that your wishes are followed and this can safeguard the future of your family.

What is a Bequest?

It is a provision in persons' Will to donate to a charitable cause. This enables the gifting of property, insurance policy or cash from your estate to a worthy organisation like North Shore Hospice. A bequest is a common form of providing the ultimate gift for a cause that you support and wish to acknowledge your involvement with and safeguard its future.

Why Should I Make a Will?

It will give you peace of mind. By making a Will you ensure your wishes are met in relation to the distribution of your assets. It's the last opportunity we all have to express our appreciation and love to our family members and our preferred charities. If a person does not leave a Will, they run the risk of having their estate incur significant legal expense together with confusion and misunderstanding over their intentions.

How Do I Make a Will?

By consulting a solicitor, the Public Trust Office or a trustee company such as the Guardian Trust. Professional help will maximise the amount your beneficiaries receive and avoid pitfalls that could cause unnecessary expense. A Will is a legal document that helps safeguard the future of your family and loved ones.

How Do I Change My Existing Will?

You can review and update your Will at any time. It is recommended you review your Will every 5-7 years. When reviewing your Will, you have the opportunity to consider making a bequest to North Shore Hospice and other charities you would like to remember.

Why Make a Bequest to North Shore Hospice?

Because the Hospice needs your support. North Shore Hospice is committed to providing the best support possible to a person with a terminal illness. This is not just helping the person through the dying process with as little pain as possible. It also includes the equally important task of helping the bereaved family cope with the pain of loss. The Hospice wishes to make this service freely available to anyone who requires it. In order to do just that, we need to seek financial support from the wider community. By making a bequest in your Will, you are ensuring we are there for the next person and their family, in their time of need.

What Do I Need To Do In Order To Make a Bequest?

If you have a Will, you need to make an amendment called a codicil. It should not cost you anything to add a codicil. See your solicitor, or person who handles your legal affairs, and they will add it to your Will. A bequest that is not in your Will is unlikely to be valid. Click here for codicil

What Would Hospice Use My Bequest For?

By leaving a bequest in your Will, you will ensure that we are able to continue providing the best possible palliative care to all who turn to us. The preferred option is “for the general purposes of the North Shore Hospice Trust.“

However, your bequest will be used according to your wishes and if you stipulate that this must be utilised in a particular area of Hospice work, we will honour that request.

Mostly our bequests are lodged into an endowment fund, that way the principal remains intact and it is the interest from this fund which is then used to help us areas of particular need. Because income from fundraising is never guaranteed, it is our intention to provide a more secure base for our work and in this respect we are endeavouring to grow our bequest endowment fund. This will give us the security to know that should there be a time of economic down turn, or if the local District Health Board removes their part funding, we could still provide a basic service of care for the terminal patients of the North Shore.

Do you want to know if I have remembered North Shore Hospice in my Will?

Yes, those who have left a bequest to North Shore Hospice become members of our Legacy Club. They are the people who we know have an interest in our future. We like to keep these people at the forefront of our plans and dreams. Legacy Club members are invited to an annual get together where the Chief Executive and key staff will update them on the work of North Shore Hospice and from time to time these people may be contacted for advice and special support.

Do You Need More Information From Us?

If you would like to discuss your intentions in complete confidence with us, we would be happy to come and meet with you and talk about the benefits your bequest will bring in the future, and any particular areas of interest you may have.

Please call the Funding Development Manager on (09) 486 1688 or send us an email.