The court shall continue to have jurisdiction and authority in relation to the granting and revoking of probate of wills and letters of administration with or without a will annexed of the estates of deceased persons, and in regard to the hearing and determining of proceedings relating to testamentary matters and matters relating to the estates of deceased persons.

Without restricting subsection (1) or any other enactment, the court shall have jurisdiction to make a grant of probate or letters of administration in respect of a deceased person, whether or not the deceased person left any estate in New Zealand or elsewhere, and whether or not the person to whom the grant is made is in New Zealand.

A person who is a killer of a victim for the purposes of the Succession (Homicide) Act 2007 or who is awaiting trial for an offence of homicide (within the meaning of that Act) is not competent to be granted and must not be granted—

In granting letters of administration with or without a will annexed, or an order to administer with or without a will annexed, in respect of the estate of any deceased person or any part thereof, the court shall have regard to the rights of all persons interested in the estate of the deceased person or the proceeds of sale thereof, and, in particular, administration with a will annexed may be granted to a devisee or legatee; and any such administration may be limited in any way the court thinks fit:

provided that, subject to the provisions of subsection (2), where the deceased died wholly intestate as to his or her estate, administration shall be granted to some 1 or more persons beneficially interested in the estate of the deceased, if they make an application for the purpose.

Where by reason of the insolvency of the estate or other special circumstances the court thinks it necessary or expedient to do so, it may—

A grant may be made under subsection (2) notwithstanding that any person excluded from the grant would be competent to take it.

Before determining to exclude from any such grant any person who, apart from this section, would by law be entitled to, or be included in, the grant, and wishes to have, or to be so included in, the grant, the court shall have regard to his or her competency and solvency, his or her ability effectively to administer the estate, the rights of all persons interested in the estate, and any changes in circumstances between the making of the will (if any) and the time when the court is asked to make the grant.

The court may, in its discretion, make any grant of administration (other than the probate of a will) conditional upon the person to whom the grant is made giving such security as the court may require for the due collection, getting in, and administration of the estate of the deceased:

provided that the court shall not require any trustee corporation, or any person obtaining administration to the use or for the benefit of the Sovereign, to give any such security.

The court shall not exercise its powers under subsection (5) unless it is satisfied that, in the special circumstances of the case, the imposition of the requirement of security would be expedient having regard to the following matters:

It shall not be necessary in any motion for a grant of administration, or in any affidavit filed in support of such motion, to include any information for the purposes only of subsections (5) and (6) unless the court in a particular case expressly requires that information to be supplied.

Where any legal proceedings touching the validity of the will of a deceased person, or for obtaining, recalling, or revoking any grant of administration, are pending, the court may grant administration of the estate of the deceased to a temporary administrator, who shall, until he or she is discharged or removed under section 21, have all the rights and powers of a general administrator, other than the right of distributing the balance of the estate remaining after payment of debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, duties, and fees, and every such temporary administrator shall be subject to the immediate control of the court and act under its direction.

The court may, out of the estate of the deceased, grant to a temporary administrator appointed under this section such reasonable remuneration as the court thinks fit.

If at any time after the death of a person any administrator of his or her estate is residing out of New Zealand, the court may, on the application of any creditor or person interested in the estate, grant to him or her or some other person special administration of the estate of the deceased in such form and with such powers as the court may direct or approve. Unless the court otherwise directs, every grant of special administration shall continue until the administrator to whom the grant is made is discharged or removed under section 21.

While a grant of special administration of the estate of a deceased person remains in force the previously subsisting administration of that estate shall be deemed to be suspended, and the administrator thereunder shall not be liable for acts and things done by the administrator under the grant of special administration.

The court may, for the purpose of any legal proceedings to which the administrator under the special administration is a party, order the transfer into court of any money or securities belonging to the estate, and all persons shall obey any such order.

If the administrator capable of acting as such returns to and resides within the jurisdiction of the court while any legal proceedings to which a special administrator is a party are pending, the administrator who so returns may be made a party to the legal proceedings, and the court may order that the costs of and incidental to the special administration and the legal proceedings shall be paid by such person and out of such fund as it may specify.

Nothing in this section shall restrict section 21.

Where a person who is sole executor of a will is at the date of the testator’s death a minor who is not entitled to a grant of probate under subsection (3), administration with the will annexed may be granted to such person as the court thinks fit, until the minor becomes entitled to and obtains a grant of probate to him or her; and on his or her attaining full age or sooner becoming entitled to a grant of probate under that subsection and not before, probate of the will may be granted to him or her.

Where a testator by his or her will appoints a person who at his or her death is a minor who is not entitled to a grant of probate under subsection (3) to be an executor, the appointment shall not operate to transfer any interest in the estate of the deceased to the minor or to constitute him or her an administrator for any purpose, unless and until probate is granted to him or her under this section.

Where a testator by his or her will appoints a person who is a minor to be an executor, probate of the will may be granted to the person if, at the date of the grant,—

A minor to whom probate is granted under paragraph (b) of subsection (3) shall have the same rights, powers, duties, and obligations as executor as he or she would have if he or she were of full age, and shall be liable accordingly for his or her acts and omissions as executor.

For the purposes of this section and section 9B,—

If,—

the court may, on the application of the attorney, make a grant of administration to the attorney.

If—

the court may make a grant of administration under subsection (2) to the applicant, even though, because of the donor’s death, the applicant is no longer an attorney.

If—

the court may make a grant of administration under subsection (2) to the attorney.

In the circumstances set out in subsection (4), an attorney does not need to make a separate application for a grant of administration, but may, if the attorney wishes, continue the proceedings in the attorney’s own name.

A grant of administration under subsection (2) continues until—

Where the court has made a grant of administration under section 9A(2), the following provisions of the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 do not apply in respect of the attorney’s decision to apply for the grant of administration, or any act or omission of the attorney in his or her capacity as administrator of the estate:

If the donor dies while the attorney is acting as administrator, the attorney must, within 3 months after the date of death of the donor, apply to the court for directions relating to whether the attorney may continue to act as administrator.

If an application is made under subsection (2), the court may—

If—

the court must remove that attorney as administrator under section 21.

Where the court grants administration of the estate of a deceased person with the will annexed, the will of the deceased shall be performed and observed in like manner as if probate thereof had been granted to an executor.

Where a person appointed executor by a will—

his rights in respect of the executorship shall wholly cease, and the representation to the testator and the administration of the testator’s estate shall devolve and be committed as if that person had not been appointed executor.

Where a person is appointed by a will to be both executor and trustee and his or her rights in respect of the executorship wholly cease under subsection (1), his or her rights in respect of the trusteeship shall also wholly cease and the trusteeship shall devolve or be determined as if he or she had not been appointed as trustee:

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 11, an executor who has renounced probate (whether before or after the commencement of this Act) may be permitted by the court to withdraw the renunciation and prove the will.

Where an executor who has renounced probate has been permitted (whether before or after the commencement of this Act) to withdraw the renunciation and prove the will,—

An executor of a sole or last surviving executor of a testator shall be the executor of that testator:

provided that for the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this subsection a person who does not prove the will of his or her testator shall be deemed not to be an executor notwithstanding his or her appointment as such by the will, and in the case of an executor who on his or her death leaves surviving him or her some other executor of his or her testator who at the time of the testator’s death has not proved but who afterwards proves the will of that testator, it shall cease to apply when probate to the surviving executor is granted.

So long as the chain of representation is unbroken, the last executor in the chain is the executor of every preceding testator.

The chain of representation is broken by—

but is not broken by a temporary grant of administration if probate is subsequently granted.

Every person in the chain of representation to a testator—

Every administration of a will or with a will annexed shall be evidence of that will upon all questions concerning real estate in the same manner and to the same extent as in questions concerning personal estate; and every administration shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be sufficient evidence of the death and the date of the death of the testator or intestate.

Subject to the provisions of subsection (2), at any time after the grant of the relevant administration the Registrar may, on the request of the administrator, issue under his or her hand and the seal of the court such number of certificates of administration, in the form set out in Schedule 1, as may be required.

Every such certificate shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be sufficient evidence of the death and the date of death of the testator or intestate and of the grant of administration to the administrator for all purposes including registering the administrator as proprietor of any estate or interest in any land under the Land Transfer Act 1952, or of any mining privilege under the Mining Act 1926, or of any securities issued by or property in any bank or company or body or association. No District Land Registrar or Mining Registrar or bank or company or body or association to which any such certificate is produced shall be concerned to inquire concerning the trusts on which the administrator holds any such land or mining privilege or securities or property, or (except where a caveat has been lodged under the authority of the Land Transfer Act 1952) as to his or her authority to transfer or deal with the same.

The fee payable to the Registrar in respect of each such certificate shall be $30 or such other amount as may from time to time be prescribed by the Governor-General by Order in Council.

In any case where any executor named in a will neglects or refuses to prove the will, or to renounce probate thereof, within 3 months from the death of the testator, the court may, upon the application of any other executor or executors or of any person interested in the estate or of Public Trust or of the Māori Trustee or of any creditor of the testator, grant an order nisi calling upon the executor who so neglects or refuses to show cause why probate of the will should not be granted to that executor alone or with any other executor or executors or, in the alternative, why administration should not be granted to the applicant or some other person.

Upon proof (whether by affidavit or otherwise) of service of the order, or upon the court dispensing with service of the order, if the executor who is so called upon does not appear or upon cause being shown, the court may make such order for the administration of the estate, and as to costs, as appears just.

Where Public Trust or the Māori Trustee applies, and any executor is out of New Zealand, the court may exercise the power given by this section and grant administration to Public Trust or the Māori Trustee without first granting an order nisi calling upon any executor who is out of New Zealand to show cause.

On the application of any executor who was out of New Zealand when the grant under subsection (3) without an order nisi was made, and who has not refused or renounced administration, the court may grant probate to that executor, or if Public Trust is one of the executors named in the will to Public Trust and that executor, in any manner and subject to any limitations or conditions that the court thinks proper.

No application under subsection (4) shall be made until 14 days after notice in writing of the intention to apply has been left at the Office at Wellington of Public Trust or of the Māori Trustee, whichever received the prior grant.

Immediately on the grant of probate under subsection (4) of section 19—

Nothing in this section shall relieve Public Trust or the Māori Trustee from the consequences of his or her own devastavit.

Where an administrator is absent from New Zealand for 12 months without leaving a lawful attorney, or desires to be discharged from the office of administrator, or becomes incapable of acting as administrator or unfit to so act, or where it becomes expedient to discharge or remove an administrator, the court may discharge or remove that administrator, and may if it thinks fit appoint any person to be administrator in his or her place, on such terms and conditions in all respects as the court thinks fit.

The administrator so removed or discharged shall, from the date of that order, cease to be liable for acts and things done after that date.

Upon any administrator being discharged or removed as aforesaid (whether or not any other administrator is appointed) all the estate and rights of the previous administrator or administrators which were vested in him or her or them as such shall become and be vested in the continuing administrator or administrators (including any administrator appointed under subsection (1)) who shall have the same powers, authorities, discretions, and duties, and may in all respects act, as if he or she or they had been originally appointed as the administrator or administrators.

This section shall, with all necessary modifications, extend to the case where an administrator dies, and the powers and authorities hereby conferred may be exercised and shall take effect accordingly.

Nothing in this section shall restrict section 8.

Subject to the provisions of this Act and any other Act, where a person dies without leaving a will that effectively appoints an executor, his or her estate shall, until administration is granted in respect thereof, vest in the Crown in the same manner and to the same extent as formerly in England in the case of personal property it vested in the ordinary.

While any estate remains vested in the Crown in accordance with this section, the Crown Proceedings Act 1950 shall apply to the service on the Crown of notices and documents relating to the estate as if they related to civil proceedings instituted against the Crown.

Subject to the provisions of this Act and of any other Act, where administration has been granted in respect of any part of the estate of a deceased person, and is not for the time being suspended, no person other than the administrator of that part of the estate shall have power to bring an action or otherwise act as administrator of the deceased person in respect of the estate comprised in or affected by the grant until the grant has been recalled or revoked.

Immediately upon the grant of administration of the estate of any deceased person, all the estate then unadministered of that person, whether held by him or her beneficially or held by him or her in trust, shall vest in the administrator to whom the administration is granted for all the estate therein of that person:

provided that nothing in this section shall affect the earlier vesting in an executor by operation of law.

The title of every administrator to any part of the estate of a deceased person, whether he or she has died before or after the commencement of this Act, shall relate back to and be deemed to have arisen immediately upon the death of the deceased person, as if there had been no interval of time between the death and the grant of administration.

If there are concurrently more administrators than 1 of any part of the estate that part shall vest in them as joint tenants.

Subject to the provisions of this Act, the administrator shall hold—

The whole of the estate of every deceased person shall be assets in the hands of his or her administrator for the payment of all duties and fees payable under any Act imposing or charging duties or fees on the estates of deceased persons, and for the payment in the ordinary course of administration of his or her debts and of debts properly incurred by his or her administrator; and for those purposes the administrator may, in as full and effectual a manner in law as the testator or intestate could have done in his or her lifetime, sell, lease (with or without an optional or compulsory purchasing clause), or mortgage (with or without a power of sale), the estate, or any part thereof.

On the death of a person intestate as to any real or personal estate, his or her administrator shall have power to sell that real estate and to call in, sell, and convert into money such part of that personal estate as may not consist of money, with power to postpone the sale, calling in, and conversion for such a period as the administrator, without being liable to account, may think proper, and so that, unless required for purposes of administration owing to want of other assets, personal chattels be not sold under this section except for special reason.

This section shall have effect notwithstanding that the administrator has ceased to hold the real or personal estate as administrator and holds it as trustee.

Where the deceased leaves a will this section shall have effect subject to the provisions contained in the will.

The provisions of sections 14 to 18 of the Trustee Act 1956 shall, so far as they are applicable and with any necessary modifications, apply to any sale or lease under sections 26 and 27 as if the sale or lease were under the said sections 14 to 18 of the Trustee Act 1956:

provided that nothing in this section shall restrict the term of any lease which may be granted under section 26:

provided also that land of any value may be sold or leased under section 26, or may be sold under section 27 without the consent of the court.

In all actions concerning the real estate of a deceased person, his or her administrator shall represent his or her real estate and the persons interested therein in the same manner and to the same extent as, in actions concerning personal estate, the administrator represents that estate and the persons interested therein.

The administrator of any deceased person shall have the same rights and be subject to the same duties and liabilities with respect to the real estate of that person as he or she has and is subject to with respect to the personal estate of that person, and shall perform the duties imposed on the administrator by any Act imposing or charging duties or fees or liabilities on the estates of deceased persons.

Where the estate within the meaning of Part 6 of the Insolvency Act 2006 of any deceased person is insufficient to pay his or her debts, funeral, and testamentary expenses in full, it shall be lawful for the administrator to apply that estate in accordance with the priorities that would be applicable if it were being administered under that Part, without the administrator being under any obligation to have recourse to that Part or to administer that estate thereunder, and any surplus shall be held for the person or persons lawfully entitled thereto.

In any case where the assets of any deceased person are being administered by the court (whether the person has died before or after the commencement of this Act) if his or her estate proves to be insufficient for the payment in full of his or her debts and liabilities, the same rules shall apply and be observed as would be applicable if the estate were being administered under Part 6 of the Insolvency Act 2006, and all persons who in any such case would be entitled to prove for and receive dividends out of the estate of the deceased person may come in under the decree or order for the administration of the estate and make such claims against it as they may respectively be entitled to by virtue of that Part and this Act.

In any action or other proceeding for the administration by the court of the estate of any deceased person, no court shall have jurisdiction to order or allow payment of costs out of the estate to the party responsible for the commencement or continuance of the action or proceeding, unless the court first certifies that there were reasonable grounds for the action being commenced or continued, and then only to the extent to which the continuance was necessary.

Subject to the provisions of this Act and of any other Act, in the administration of the estate of every person who has died, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, no debt or liability of the person shall be entitled to any priority or preference by reason merely that it arises under a bond, deed, or instrument under seal; but all the creditors of that person shall be treated as standing in equal degree and be paid accordingly out of the assets of the deceased person, whether those assets are legal or equitable:

provided that nothing in this section shall prejudice or affect any lien, charge, mortgage, or other security which any creditor may hold or be entitled to for payment of his or her debt or liability.

Where a person dies possessed of, or entitled to, or under a general power of appointment by his or her will disposes of, an interest in property, or where an interest in property passes by survivorship on the death of a person, and at the time of his or her death the interest is charged with the payment of money, whether by way of mortgage, charge, or otherwise, and the deceased has not by will, deed, or other document signified a contrary or other intention, the interest so charged shall, as between the different persons claiming through the deceased, be primarily liable for payment of all amounts charged thereon; and every part of the said interest, according to its value, shall bear a proportionate part of the amounts charged on the whole thereof.

However, subsection (1) does not apply to an interest in any personal chattels if a person dies possessed of or entitled to the interest and it passes under the will or on the intestacy of the person to the person’s husband, wife, or civil union partner, or to a surviving de facto partner of the person.

Such a contrary or other intention shall not be deemed to be signified—

unless that intention is further signified by words expressly or by necessary implication referring to all or some part of the charge on the interest in property.

Nothing in this section shall affect the right of a person entitled to the payment with which the interest in property is charged to obtain payment or satisfaction thereof out of the other assets of the estate or otherwise.

Where any person, immediately before his or her death, had an interest as purchaser under a hire purchase agreement of any goods, if the person has by his or her will made a bequest in terms that would have included the goods if he or she had owned them immediately before his or her death, the bequest shall take effect, unless the context otherwise requires, as if he or she then owned the goods.

Where any person, immediately before his or her death, had an interest as purchaser under a hire purchase agreement of any goods, the provisions of section 34 shall apply as if he or she then owned the goods and as if any amount payable by the purchaser under the agreement (including, in any case where the agreement confers on the purchaser an option to purchase the goods, any amount payable in the event of the exercise of that option) and not already paid were a charge on the goods.

The provisions of this section are without prejudice to the rights of the vendor of the goods under or by virtue of the hire purchase agreement.

Sections 34 and 35 shall not apply to any will made before 1 January 1971.

For the purposes of this section every will which is re-executed or confirmed or revived by any codicil shall be deemed to have been made at the time when it was first made, and not at the time when it was re-executed or confirmed or revived.

Section 149 of the Property Law Act 1952 continues to apply to a will made before 1 January 1971 as if that section had not been repealed by the Property Law Act 2007.

If any testator’s estate primarily liable for the payment of his or her debts is insufficient for that purpose, each of his or her specifically devised or bequeathed estates (if more than 1) shall be liable to make good the deficiency, in the proportion that the value of each of those estates bears to the aggregate value of the specifically devised or bequeathed estates of the testator.

Where probate is granted to 1 or some of 2 or more persons named as executors, whether or not power is reserved to the others or other to prove, all the powers which are conferred by law or by the will on the administrator may be exercised by the proving executor or executors for the time being, and shall be as effectual as if all the persons named as executors had concurred therein.

In any case where a legacy is charged upon both land and chattels, unless the will otherwise provides, interest shall be payable on the legacy and be a charge on the land and chattels in accordance with the rules of law that would apply if the legacy were charged upon the land only.

While interest is payable on a legacy or on arrears of an annuity, in accordance with the will or instrument pursuant to which the legacy or annuity is payable or any enactment or rule of law, unless the will or instrument otherwise provides or the court otherwise orders, the interest on the legacy or arrears of the annuity is payable—

However, if an administrator (in accordance with any power conferred on the administrator in that behalf) appropriates property in or towards satisfaction of a legacy (other than an annuity),—

The Ministry of Justice must, at least once every 2 years after the date on which this subsection comes into force, review and report to the Minister of Justice on the rate of interest payable under subsection (2).

Subsection (1) shall not apply in any case where the will or instrument pursuant to which a legacy is payable was made before the commencement of this Act, whether or not the testator (in the case of a will) dies after the commencement of this Act.

No person, being a creditor in his or her own right or as a trustee of any estate of which he or she is administrator, shall, by virtue of his or her office as administrator, have any right of retainer in priority to the other creditors of the estate in respect of any debt due to him or her; but every such creditor or administrator shall rank with other creditors, but without prejudice to any preferential claim or security which as a creditor he or she might have been able to enforce if he or she had not been the administrator.

Every person to whom administration of the estate of a deceased person is granted, other than an executor, shall, subject to the limitations contained in the grant, have the same rights and liabilities and be accountable in like manner as if he or she were the executor of the deceased.

No person appointed an administrator upon an application made by him or her as the attorney or agent for an administrator absent from New Zealand shall be liable to account or pay money, or transfer property, to any one in respect of his or her administratorship excepting only to the administrator whose attorney or agent he or she was, or to any person who, after his or her appointment as administrator upon an application so made, is appointed administrator of the same estate.

Every administrator shall, when required by the court so to do, exhibit on oath in the court a true and perfect inventory and account of the estate of the deceased; and the court shall have power as heretofore to require administrators to bring in inventories.

Every administrator or person who makes any payment or disposition or assumes any liability, or who permits any payment or disposition to be made, or who does any act, or who permits any act to be done, in good faith under an administration shall, notwithstanding any defect or circumstances whatsoever affecting the validity of the administration or its subsequent revocation, have the same indemnity and protection in so doing and in respect of all commission and remuneration earned by him or her in so doing, as he or she would if the administration were valid and not revoked.

Where an administration is revoked, all payments and dispositions made in good faith to an administrator before the revocation thereof shall be valid discharges to the person making the same; and the administrator who acted under the revoked administration may retain and reimburse himself or herself out of the estate that comes into his or her hands in respect of any acts, payments, dispositions, liabilities, commission, and remuneration in respect of which he or she is indemnified as aforesaid or which the person to whom administration is afterwards granted might have properly made.

Nothing in subsection (1) shall affect or prejudice the rights of any person entitled to any money or property that has been the subject of a payment or disposition to which that subsection relates against any person (other than the administrator in that capacity) to whom the payment or disposition has been made, but the person so entitled shall have the same remedy against the person (other than the administrator in that capacity) to whom the payment or disposition was made as he or she would have had against the administrator if the payment or disposition had not been made.

Nothing in this section shall restrict section 51.

In sections 47 to 50—

This section shall apply to applications and orders—

No action shall lie against the administrator or trustee of the estate of any deceased person by reason of his or her having distributed any part of the estate, and no application or order to which this section applies shall disturb the distribution, if it was properly made, in accordance with subsection (2) of section 48, by the administrator or trustee for the purpose of providing for the maintenance, support, or education of any person who was totally or partially dependent on the deceased immediately before the death of the deceased, whether or not the administrator or trustee had notice at the time of the distribution of any application or intention to make any application that would affect the estate, being an application to which this section applies.

No person who may have made or may be entitled to make an application to which this section applies shall be entitled to bring an action against the administrator or trustee by reason of his or her having distributed any part of the estate if the distribution was properly made, in accordance with subsection (2) of section 48, by the administrator or trustee after the person (being of full legal capacity) has advised the administrator or trustee in writing or acknowledged in any document that the person either—

No action shall lie against the administrator or trustee by reason of his or her having distributed any part of the estate if the distribution was properly made, in accordance with subsection (2) of section 48, by the administrator or trustee after the expiration of 6 months from the date of the grant in New Zealand of administration in the estate of the deceased, and before service on him or her of any application, and without notice in writing of any application or intention to make an application that would affect the estate, being an application to which this section applies.

Subsection (4) does not apply to protect an administrator who, at the time of making a distribution, had reason to suspect that the death of the deceased was a homicide and the person to whom the distribution was made was a killer of the deceased.

For the purposes of this section and of section 47, notice in writing to an administrator or trustee of an intention to make any application to which section 47 applies shall lapse and shall be incapable of being renewed, so as to impose liability on the administrator or trustee in respect of a distribution thereafter, and the administrator or trustee may act as if he or she had not received the notice, unless, before the expiration of 3 months after the date on which he or she first receives notice in writing of the intention to make the application, the administrator or trustee is served with a copy of the application or receives notice in writing that the application has been made to the court:

Notwithstanding the provisions of section 8 of the Family Protection Act 1955, for the purposes of sections 47 and 51, a distribution by an administrator or trustee of any part of the estate shall be deemed to be properly made if it is made in accordance with any trust, power, or authority which is subsisting when the distribution is made and would justify the distribution if each application to which section 47 applies in connection with the estate (being an application on which no order had been made before the distribution) were disallowed by the court:

In any case where an administrator or trustee has made a distribution of any assets forming part of the estate of any deceased person or subject to any trust and there is nothing in any Act to prevent the distribution from being disturbed, the court may—

The remedies given to any person by subsection (1) are in addition to all other rights and remedies (if any) available to that person, and nothing in that subsection shall restrict any such other rights and remedies.

Subject to the provisions of subsection (4), no application for an order under subsection (1) shall be heard by the court,—

provided that, with the special leave of the court, the application may be heard by the court on an application made within the time within which the applicant could have enforced his or her claim in respect of the estate with special leave of the court if the assets had not been distributed.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in subsection (3), in any case where an administrator or trustee has made a distribution of any assets forming part of the estate of any deceased person or subject to any trust, and any person who is entitled to apply for an order under subsection (1) has, within the time specified in the said subsection (3), made an application to the court for any order to which section 47 applies or an order on any claim to which section 35 of the Trustee Act 1956 applies, and that person was not aware of the distribution at the time when he or she made that application, that person, or any other person on whose behalf that application is deemed to be made, may apply to the court under the said subsection (1), and the application may be heard by the court after the expiration of the period prescribed by the said subsection (3) if it is made within 6 months after the date on which that person first became aware of the distribution.

Notwithstanding any rule of law to the contrary, in any case where an administrator or trustee has made a distribution of any assets forming part of the estate of any deceased person or subject to any trust—

In any case where an administrator or trustee has made a distribution of any assets forming part of the estate of any deceased person or subject to any trust, relief (whether under subsection (1) of section 49 or in equity or otherwise) against any person other than the administrator or trustee or in respect of any interest of any such person in any assets so distributed and in any money or property into which they have been converted, may be denied wholly or in part, if—

If any person other than the administrator, to the defrauding of creditors or without full valuable consideration, obtains or receives or holds any part of the estate of a deceased person or effects the release of any debt or liability due to the estate of the deceased, he or she shall be charged as executor in his or her own wrong to the extent of the estate received or coming into his or her hands, or the debt or liability released, after deducting—

The court shall have power to direct any person named as executor in a will to prove or renounce probate of the will, and (subject to this Act and any other enactment and the rules) to do such other things as it thinks fit concerning the granting and revocation of administration, and the hearing and determination of proceedings relating to testamentary matters and matters relating to the estates of deceased persons.

The court may, whether any suit or other proceeding is or is not pending with respect to any administration, order any person to produce any paper or writing, being or purporting to be testamentary, which may be shown to be in the possession or under the control of that person; and if it is not shown that any such paper or writing is in the possession or under the control of any person, but it appears that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he or she has knowledge of any such paper or writing, the court may direct that person to attend for the purpose of being examined in open court, or upon interrogatories, respecting the same; and that person shall be bound to answer any such questions or interrogatories, and, if so ordered, to produce and bring in any such paper or writing, and shall be subject to the like process of contempt in case of default in not attending or in not answering any such questions or interrogatories, or not bringing in any such paper or writing, as he or she would have been subject to in case he or she had been a party to a suit in the court and had made any such default; and the costs of any such suit or proceeding shall be in the discretion of the court.

If, while any legal proceeding is pending in any court by or against an administrator to whom a temporary administration has been granted, that administration is revoked, the court may order that the proceeding be continued by or against the new administrator in like manner as if the same had been originally commenced by or against him or her, but subject to such conditions and variations, if any, as that court directs.

If any question of fact arises in any proceeding under this Act, the court may, if it thinks fit, cause the same to be tried by a jury before the court itself, or before any Judge of the court, and may settle an issue for that purpose.

In every such case the subsequent proceedings in respect of that issue shall be the same as if it had been settled in an ordinary action.

The practice of the court in regard to administration shall, except where otherwise provided by this Act or by the rules, be regulated, so far as the circumstances of the case will admit, by the practice of the court heretofore in force.

Whenever the court grants an order to Public Trust (either alone or together with any other person or persons) or to the Māori Trustee to administer the estate of any deceased person, the order shall be in the form in Schedule 2 or in such other form or forms as may be prescribed by the Governor-General by Order in Council.

The power to make rules of court under section 148 of the Senior Courts Act 2016 shall include power to make rules—

Any person may lodge with the Registrar a caveat against any application for administration at any time previous to the granting of administration, and every such caveat shall set forth the name of the person lodging it, and an address within New Zealand at which notices may be served on him or her.

Every such caveat shall, unless application for administration is sooner made, lapse upon the expiration of 1 year from the date of the lodging of the caveat.

Any such caveat may be withdrawn by the caveator at any time by notice in writing lodged with the Registrar. A copy of every such notice shall be served on any person who has applied for administration or to whom an order nisi, under the provisions of section 61, has been granted.

Where any such caveat has lapsed or has been withdrawn, the court may, on the application of the administrator of the estate and after giving the caveator a reasonable opportunity to be heard, make an order for the payment of costs by the caveator.

Nothing in this section shall prevent any person who has lodged a caveat from lodging a subsequent caveat, whether or not any caveat previously lodged has lapsed or been withdrawn.

In every case where a caveat has been lodged and has neither lapsed nor been withdrawn, the following provisions shall apply:

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Act or in any other Act or in any rule of law, where any person to whom this section applies dies intestate in respect of any movable property in New Zealand, the succession to and distribution of that property shall be determined in all respects as if that person had died domiciled in New Zealand, and where any such person dies leaving a will made in New Zealand either before or after the passing of this Act, the validity and construction of that will as far as it affects movable property in New Zealand, and the capacity of that person to make the will affecting that property, shall be determined in all respects as if that person had been domiciled in New Zealand at the date of the will and had continued to be so domiciled until his or her death.

This section shall apply to the following persons:

This section shall not apply to any person who dies after the commencement of the Domicile Act 1976.

The situation of any movable property shall be determined for the purposes of this section in the same manner as it would be determined for the purpose of the Estate and Gift Duties Act 1968 (as in force before the Estate Duty Repeal Act 1999 was enacted).

No grant of probate of the will of any deceased person or letters of administration of the estate of a deceased person, either with or without a will annexed, shall be made to any company unless the company is expressly authorised by an Act of Parliament to apply for and obtain the grant.

For the purposes of this section a grant of probate or letters of administration to a syndic of a company shall be deemed to be a grant to that company; and where a power is granted to a company or to the directors of a company by will to nominate any person as executor of the will, a grant to a person so nominated shall be deemed to be a grant to the company.

Nothing in this section shall—

Where any person has died, whether before or after the commencement of this section, and at the time of his or her death the person was the registered holder of government stock of a nominal value not exceeding the prescribed amount, or of local authorities stock of a nominal value not exceeding the prescribed amount, or of both, the registrar of such stock may, in its discretion and without requiring any person to obtain administration, register as holder of the stock any person who proves to its satisfaction:

In this section,—

This section applies to a company within the meaning of section 2(1) of the Companies Act 1993 that has issued shares or debentures.

In this section, value, in relation to shares, means the amount paid up on the shares and, in relation to debentures, means the amount owing under the debentures.

Where the registered holder of shares or debentures dies, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, and the value of the shares or debentures does not exceed the prescribed amount, the directors of a company to which this section applies may, without requiring the production of probate or letters of administration, register, as the holder of the shares or debentures, any person who proves to their satisfaction—

In this section,—

In the event of the death of any person to whom any sum of money not exceeding the prescribed amount is payable by the trustees of a superannuation fund, a society, a bank, an employer of the deceased person at or within 6 months before the date of his or her death, a local authority, a trustee corporation, Housing New Zealand Corporation, the Accident Compensation Corporation, the chief executive of the department for the time being responsible for the administration of the Social Security Act 1964, or the Crown respectively, whether the death occurred before or after the commencement of this section, it shall be lawful for the trustees of the superannuation fund, society, bank, employer, local authority, trustee corporation, Housing New Zealand Corporation, the Accident Compensation Corporation, the chief executive of the department for the time being responsible for the administration of the Social Security Act 1964, or the Crown, as the case may be, without requiring administration of the estate of that deceased person to be obtained in New Zealand, and on receiving such evidence as it considers satisfactory that the person has died and that administration of his or her estate has not been obtained in New Zealand, to pay the sum or any part thereof to any of the following persons:

provided that no payment shall be made to any person unless he or she applies for or consents to receive that payment.

It shall be lawful for the trustees of a superannuation fund, a society, a bank, an employer of the deceased person at or within 6 months before the date of his or her death, a local authority, a trustee corporation, Housing New Zealand Corporation, the Accident Compensation Corporation, the chief executive of the department for the time being responsible for the administration of the Social Security Act 1964, or the Crown, respectively, out of the money to which subsection (2) applies, to pay the funeral expenses of a deceased person, or to refund the amount of those expenses to any person who has paid them, in any case where no person has applied for or consented to receive payment of the money under subsection (2).

Where money is payable by a bank in the event of the death of any person and comprises money in a separate investment account under the National Savings Act 1940 and also other money, the provisions of subsections (2) and (3) shall apply separately to the amount of money in the investment account and to the amount of other money as if each such amount was the only amount payable by the bank in the event of the death of that person.

Where, by virtue of a policy or policies of insurance within the meaning of the Life Insurance Act 1908, a sum of money not exceeding the prescribed amount (including profits but not including any money that may be payable to or deductible by the company liable under the policy or policies) has become payable to the administrator of a deceased person, whether before or after the commencement of this section, it shall be lawful for the company, without requiring administration of the estate of the deceased person to be obtained in New Zealand, and upon receiving such evidence as it considers satisfactory that the person has died and that administration of his or her estate has not been obtained in New Zealand, to make payment of the sum or any part thereof to any of the persons to whom payment may be made under paragraphs (a) to (e) of subsection (2).

Any payment made in good faith pursuant to this section to a person to whom the maker of the payment has reasonable grounds to believe that payment may be made under this section shall be valid against all persons whomsoever, and the maker of the payment shall be absolutely discharged from all liability in respect of money paid by him or her under this section.

Every person to whom money is paid pursuant to this section shall be liable to apply the money in due course of administration, and the maker of the payment may, if he or she thinks fit, without being liable to see to the application of the money, require any such person to give sufficient undertakings, by bond or otherwise, that the money so paid will be so applied.

Nothing in section 65 shall prevent any person to whom the money to which that section applies or any part thereof ought to have been paid from pursuing and exercising any remedy for recovery thereof against the person or persons to whom the money has been paid.

Nothing in this Act shall affect the powers of any person or body to make any payment to, or register any person to be, the owner of any property in accordance with any of the provisions of section 109 of the Shipping and Seamen Act 1952, section 167 of the Patents Act 2013, section 41 of the Designs Act 1953, section 52 of the Trade Marks Act 2002, or of any other enactment for the time being in force authorising the payment of money belonging to the estate of a deceased person without requiring administration of the estate to be obtained.

Nothing in this Act, other than Part 1A, shall affect the power of any building society, friendly society, industrial and provident society, trustee savings bank, private savings bank, or the Post Office Bank Limited, to make payment of any money or to transfer any property in accordance with a nomination made by any person pursuant to any other enactment.

Every person who, in the capacity of bondsman or surety for another, receives money or other property belonging to the estate of any deceased person shall be deemed to be a trustee within the meaning of the Trustee Act 1956 in respect of that money or property, and may under that Act apply for relief and to be discharged from the custody of the money or property.

In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires, the term nomination means the nomination by any person (in this Part referred to as the nominator), pursuant to any enactment, of any person or persons (in this Part referred to as the nominee or nominees) to whom any amount standing to the credit of the nominator in any account at the time of his or her death is to be paid on his or her death.

Except as provided in subsections (2) and (2A), this Part applies to every nomination whether made before or after the commencement of this Part.

This Part does not apply to any nomination made before the commencement of this Part if the nominator died before that commencement.

The revocation, before the date of commencement of this Part, of a testamentary disposition shall not affect a nomination made before the date of that revocation; but if a testamentary disposition revoked before the date of commencement of this Part is revived or republished on or after that date of commencement, this Part shall apply in respect of any revocation of a testamentary disposition contained in the revived or republished testamentary disposition.

In the event of any conflict between any provision of this Part and any provision of any enactment under which any nomination is made, the provision of this Part shall prevail.

No nomination, or nominations in the aggregate, shall have effect in respect of any sum in excess of $6,000 in any account.

Subject to subsection (3), every nomination shall have effect as if it were a specific legacy bequeathed by will.

All money in any account that is subject to a nomination at the death of the nominator shall, notwithstanding the nomination, form part of his or her estate, and shall devolve and be subject to all claims against that estate, whether arising under any enactment or contract or otherwise, in the same manner and to the same extent as if it were a specific legacy bequeathed by will.

Notwithstanding section 24, it shall not be necessary to pay to the administrator of a deceased nominator any money in an account that is subject to a nomination by reason only that it forms part of the deceased nominator’s estate pursuant to subsection (3).

Any instrument of nomination may be revoked in any manner by which a will or codicil may be revoked.

Every instrument of nomination shall be revoked by operation of law in any circumstances in which it would be so revoked if it were a will or codicil.

Without limiting subsection (1) or subsection (2),—

For the purposes of this Part,—

the filing in or the issuing out of any court of any instrument which operates to make any person an administrator as aforesaid shall be deemed to be equivalent to the granting of probate or letters of administration by that court to that person.

Estate in New Zealand belonging to any person who dies abroad shall not vest in any person under any bequest or devise, or under an intestacy, or by inheritance, until administration of that estate is obtained in New Zealand; or, if probate or letters of administration of the estate have been granted in any place out of New Zealand, unless the probate or letters of administration are resealed in New Zealand as hereinafter provided.

Upon the estate in New Zealand becoming legally vested in accordance with the provisions of this section, the legal estate therein shall vest as from the time of the death of the person from whom it is obtained.

Where any probate or letters of administration granted—

are produced to and a copy thereof deposited with any Registrar of the High Court of New Zealand, the probate or letters of administration may be sealed with the seal of the last-mentioned court, and shall thereupon have the like force and effect and have the same operation in New Zealand, and every executor and administrator thereunder shall perform the same duties and be subject to the same liabilities, as if the probate or letters of administration had been originally granted by the High Court of New Zealand.

Nothing in this section shall prevent the court from making an independent grant of administration in New Zealand.

The seal of the High Court of New Zealand shall not be affixed to any probate or letters of administration granted in any Commonwealth country (other than New Zealand) or in the Republic of Ireland, or in any other country to which section 71 is declared as aforesaid to apply, so as to give operation thereto as if the grant had been made by the High Court of New Zealand, until all such fees have been paid as would have been payable if the probate or letters of administration had been originally granted by the High Court of New Zealand; and, further, no such letters of administration shall be so sealed until such bond is entered into as would have been required if the letters had been originally granted by the said High Court:

provided that the court may if it thinks fit dispense with the bond or reduce the amount of the penalty thereunder:

provided also that where letters of administration are at any time granted to any Public Trustee or other like public official of any Commonwealth country (other than New Zealand) or of the Republic of Ireland or of any other country to which section 71 is declared as aforesaid to apply, it shall not be necessary, upon the resealing in New Zealand of the letters of administration, for the said Public Trustee or other official, as the case may be, to execute any such bond.

Probate or letters of administration granted in any place out of New Zealand shall not be received in evidence of the title of any person to any estate in New Zealand until the probate or letters of administration are resealed in New Zealand as hereinbefore provided.

Nothing in sections 70 and 73 shall restrict the provisions of sections 64 and 65, or the provisions of any other enactment relating to the payment or devolution of any estate without administration.

This Part, except section 80, shall not apply in any case where the death occurred before the commencement of this Act; and the estate of any person who died intestate before the commencement of this Act shall be distributed in accordance with the enactments and law in force at the death of that person.

There shall be no escheat to the Crown for want of heirs or successors.

If a person (the intestate) dies intestate as to any real or personal estate and leaves the other person or people referred to in column 1 of the following table, that estate must be distributed in the manner or held on the trusts set out in column 2 of that table opposite the reference to the other person or people:

Nothing in section 77 affects section 26 of the Family Proceedings Act 1980.

This section applies to a surviving de facto partner if his or her de facto relationship with the intestate is a relationship of short duration as defined in section 2 of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976.

If this section applies to a surviving de facto partner, the partner is not entitled under section 77 to receive, or have held on trust for his or her benefit, any real or personal estate to which section 77 applies, and section 77 applies as if the partner were not a person left by the intestate, unless—

In subsection (2), child of the de facto relationship and contribution have the same meanings as they have in section 2 of the Property (Relationships) Act 1976.

This section applies if the intestate dies leaving—

If this section applies,—

Where under this Act the estate of an intestate, or any part thereof, is directed to be held on the statutory trusts for the issue of the intestate, the same shall be held upon the following trusts, namely:

If the trusts in favour of the issue of the intestate fail by reason of no child or other issue attaining an absolutely vested interest—

Where under this Act the estate of an intestate or any part thereof is directed to be held on the statutory trusts for any class of the relatives of the intestate, other than issue of the intestate, the same shall be held on trusts corresponding to the statutory trusts for the issue of the intestate as if those trusts were repeated with the substitution of references to the members or member of that class for references to the children or child of the intestate.

Where any person dies leaving a will effectively disposing of part of his or her estate, the provisions of this Part shall have effect in respect of the part of his or her estate not so disposed of, subject to the provisions of the will and of subsection (2).

Where the deceased leaves a husband, wife, civil union partner, or surviving de facto partner who acquires a beneficial interest under the will of the deceased,—

References in the foregoing provisions of this section to a beneficial interest acquired under a will shall be construed—

For the purposes of the foregoing provisions of this section the administrator may ascertain and fix the value of the said beneficial interest in accordance with section 28 of the Trustee Act 1956, and no action shall lie against the administrator if he or she distributes the estate in accordance with the value that he or she has honestly and reasonably so fixed.

References to any Statutes of Distribution in an instrument inter vivos made, or in a will coming into operation, on or after the commencement of this Act, shall be construed as references to the provisions of this Part as they stand when the instrument is made or the will comes into operation; and references in such an instrument or will to statutory next of kin shall be construed, unless the context otherwise requires, as referring to the persons who would take beneficially on an intestacy under the foregoing provisions of this Part as they stand when the instrument is made or the will comes into operation.

Trusts declared in an instrument inter vivos made, or in a will coming into operation, before the commencement of this Act and on or after 1 January 1945 (being the date of the commencement of the Administration Amendment Act 1944), by reference to the Statutes of Distribution, or to the statutes relating to the distribution of intestates’ estates, shall, unless the contrary thereby appears, be construed as referring to the enactments relating to the distribution of estates of intestates which were in force when the instrument was made or the will came into operation.

Trusts declared in an instrument inter vivos made, or in a will coming into operation, before 1 January 1945, by reference to the Statutes of Distribution, or to the statutes relating to the distribution of intestates’ estates, shall, unless the contrary thereby appears, be construed as referring to the enactments relating to the distribution of estates of intestates which were in force immediately before 1 January 1945.

Subject to the provisions of this section, where a successor has become entitled under this Act to an interest as a beneficiary in the whole or any part of the real and personal property which passes on the intestacy of any person,—

No disclaimer under this section shall be valid unless—

No disclaimer under this section shall be valid if—

The following provisions shall apply to every disclaimer under this section:

Where a disclaimer which complies with all the requirements of this section has been made by or on behalf of any successor and the disclaimer is not void and does not become void by reason of its being deemed under section 82 to be a transfer of the disclaimed interest—

Nothing in this section shall affect any right which any successor may have to disclaim any property apart from this section.

Every disclaimer under this section shall be deemed to be made at the first point of time when everything has been done in respect of the disclaimer which is necessary to comply with the requirements of this section and of any order of the court which relates to the disclaimer and is made under this section.

Where a successor disclaims the interest as a beneficiary to which he or she is entitled under this Act in any real or personal property which passes on the intestacy of any person, or disclaims any interest as a beneficiary in any real or personal property to which he or she is entitled under the will of a deceased person, then, for the purposes of the Insolvency Act 2006 and of any other Act or rule of law relating to the protection of creditors,—

Where any such successor has disclaimed any such interest in any property and there is no possibility of the disclaimer being void or voidable otherwise than by reason of its being deemed to be a transfer of the disclaimed interest, the deceased person’s administrator may distribute the disclaimed interest or any part of it as if there were no possibility of the disclaimer being or becoming void or voidable by reason of its being deemed to be a transfer of the disclaimed interest if, at the date of the distribution,—

No action shall lie against any such administrator by reason of his or her distributing any disclaimed interest as aforesaid or by reason of his or her having failed to make any inquiry as to whether the successor was about to become bankrupt or as to whether the disclaimer was void or voidable or about to become void or voidable by reason of its being deemed to be a transfer of the disclaimed interest; but nothing in this subsection or in subsection (2) shall affect any right which any person may have to follow and recover any property to which the disclaimer relates.

The Governor-General may from time to time, by Order in Council, make regulations prescribing amounts that are required to be prescribed for the purposes of sections 64(1), 64A(3), 65(2), 65(5), and 77.

If no regulations are made under subsection (1) in respect of—

If no regulations are made under subsection (1) in respect of section 77,—

Each time regulations are made under subsection (1) prescribing an amount for the purposes of section 77, the prescribed amount applies to the estates of all persons dying on or after the date on which those regulations come into force, but does not apply to the estates of persons dying before that date.

Amendment(s) incorporated in the Act(s).

The enactments specified in Schedule 3 are hereby repealed.

The enactments specified in Schedule 4 shall not have effect as part of the law of New Zealand.

The provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1924 relating to the repeal of Acts shall apply to the enactments specified in Schedule 4, so far as they were in force in New Zealand immediately before the commencement of this Act, as if they were Acts of the Parliament of New Zealand.

Without limiting the provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1924, it is hereby declared that the repeal of section 3 of the Administration Amendment Act 1960 shall not affect the amendments made by that section.

Except as expressly provided in this Act, nothing in this Act shall affect the Maori Trustee Act 1953, the Public Trust Act 2001, and the Trustee Companies Act 1967.