Turning Your Life Support Off
30 March 2020
Do you want your life support turned off?
A Living Will is a document of what your wishes are if you are ever in a critical life-ending condition. This has no legal effect and is not binding on your family or the medical condition. However, if you ever where in the situation where you were needed to be resusucitated or subject to ongoing treatment to a terminal disease. A Living Will states what your wishes are and what you wanted when you had the capacity to make that decision.
What is a Living Will?
A Living Will is simply a written record of your wishes. Although it has no legal effect and is not binding on your family or the medical profession, it states what you wish to happen should you suffer an accident or illness and you are on life support or in a serious condition.
The Living Will can address such issues as resuscitation, treatment, prolonging of life; pain and distress relief and life support.
What are the advantages of a Living Will?
A Living Will can address some of those issues that not all people want to talk about. It can give medical staff, your family, and loved ones a clear indication of what you would like to have happen to you should you be unlikely to recover or, if you do recover, if your quality of life will be adversely affected.
You must be mentally capable and be in good health when you make a Living Will. This means that it is something that everyone should think about today as a serious accident or illness can occur at any time.
Do you need a Living Will?
Arrange a time to get a Living Will. Please note this article does not constitute legal advice and may be outdated.
Legal services
From 24 September 2025 , the New Zealand Government increased the probate threshold from $15,000 to $40,000 — a long-awaited change that simplifies the estate process for thousands of families. This adjustment, though seemingly small, removes the need for costly High Court applications for many modest estates, especially KiwiSaver accounts sitting between $20,000 and $40,000. Why this change matters The previous $15,000 limit was set decades ago when savings balances were far smaller. With KiwiSaver now a cornerstone of retirement planning, many New Zealanders had moderate accounts that still triggered the expensive probate process. Under the old rules, families often had to spend $2,000–$3,000 on legal fees to release funds that were barely worth more than that. The new $40,000 threshold reduces this red tape and helps ensure small estates aren’t swallowed up by administration costs . What probate actually is Probate is the formal process where the High Court confirms that a deceased person’s will is valid and appoints the executor to manage their estate. It gives banks, KiwiSaver providers and insurers legal proof that they’re releasing funds to the right person. Until now, almost any estate exceeding $15,000 required probate, even if it was just a modest KiwiSaver balance or a small bank account.
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