Public Trust – When a loved one has passed: estate administration guide
Public Trust
Official guidance
Official primary
2026-10-09
Next review: 2027-04-09
New Zealand
High confidence
verified
Codex research — original and primary source check
Evidence boundary: Public Trust’s October 2025 provider brochure, not personalised legal advice or a completion guarantee. Catalogue date is the printed version month; 29 October metadata is production evidence and first public-release day is unknown. Its small-estate wording is broader than the specified-payment permission in s65 and regulation 4A, effective 24 September 2025. Its six-month wording simplifies conditional administrator protection under ss47–48, which also address earlier distributions. Provider timelines are indicative. The glossary reference to p. 24 is inconsistent with this 22-page PDF; the glossary is on physical pp. 18–19. Current publisher download matched the preserved original on 9 October 2026; filename and June capture/access remain unchanged.
Short Answer
Printed PTPS26 10/25 dates this 22-page brochure version to October 2025; PDF metadata records production on 29 October, not a verified first-release day. The publisher’s probate guidance (opens in a new tab) also explains letters of administration where no executor is willing or able to act. Read the simplified payment and distribution statements against Administration Act 1969 ss47–48 and 65 (opens in a new tab) and prescribed amounts regulation 4A (opens in a new tab).
Why it matters
Understand the administration workflow and prepare questions about the required grant, assets, fees, claims and likely timing for the particular estate.
Key Points
- •Estate administration covers the deceased’s estate assets, debts and final wishes. Asset ownership matters: jointly held assets do not necessarily form part of the estate. (Physical pp. 2, 18, 19.)
- •Probate concerns a valid will and executor; letters of administration can be needed without a will or where no named executor is willing or able to act. (Physical pp. 3, 19.)
- •From 24 September 2025 the prescribed amount for Administration Act s65(2) and (5) is $40,000. This concerns qualifying payments by specified fundholders to eligible recipients without a grant; it is not a universal total-estate probate threshold. (Physical p. 2.)
- •The brochure’s usual 10–14 weeks for court approval and around eight months for a standard estate are Public Trust’s indicative service expectations, dependent on court timings and estate complexity. (Physical pp. 8, 10, 13.)
- •The six-month explanation requires qualification: Administration Act s47(4) protects certain proper distributions after six months subject to conditions; ss47–48 also address permitted earlier distributions and reserves. (Physical p. 10.)
- •The guide describes fees based on work required and says time and cost depend on the assets and will instructions; a brochure does not establish a guaranteed fee or completion time. (Physical pp. 12, 13.)
Full Summary & Notes
Public Trust’s October 2025 estate administration brochure explains the steps after a death, from probate or letters of administration and collecting assets to paying debts, tax and distributions. It covers Public Trust’s executor role, assistance for private executors, fees and indicative timeframes for different estates. The small-payment and six-month explanations are simplified: the $40,000 limit applies to specified statutory payments without administration, and six months relates to conditional protection against certain claims rather than a blanket ban on earlier distributions.
Read bundled source notes
The saved source file may include fuller notes and references than the indexed summary. Check its dates and evidence limits.
Loading saved source notes…
Document Details & Metadata
Related Resources
Historical property EPA notes and appointment form, rather than the separate standard explanation; 17 physical pages and no appended donor-witness certificate.
Personal care and welfare EPA package: five pages of notes, seven appointment pages and three witness-certificate pages; current Office for Seniors PDF matches the preserved original.
Property EPA package with five notes pages, fourteen appointment pages and three witness-certificate pages; current official PDF and Word formats have a trust-law reference discrepancy.
The ten-page original carries footer PTEL120 06/21, visually verified as June 2021. Its current [Public Trust download](https://www.publictrust.co.nz/products-and-services/trusts/) has a November 2023 filename and modification date; these are separate version and production clues, not proof of first publication. The [Trusts Act 2019](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2019/38/en/latest.pdf), checked 9 October 2026, supplies the exact duties, disclosure procedures and duration rules.
Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney Simple answers for the big questions Your life Your legacy Take a moment to think about how far you've come.
March 2025 Office for Seniors introductory EPA leaflet and preparation checklist; two physical pages, separate from legal forms and standard explanations.