Death affairs and wills: Who will look after your dog when you die?

More pet owners are making arrangements in their wills for their fur babies. Photo / Getty Images

More bequeaths to charities, provisions to look after much-loved family pets, trips to Disneyland and money for fun times are just some of the emerging last wishes being written into wills.

Pre-arranged or prepaid funerals, as well as memorial services instead of church ceremonies, have also increased in popularity as people look to celebrate a life lived.

While some people are leaving detailed requests in their wills, others are throwing caution to the wind; new figures show 52 per cent of Kiwis don't have a will.

Holland Beckett Law consultant Bill Holland said if you do not have a will it could be an expensive and stressful time for loved ones.

Sometimes people would procrastinate as they thought everything would go to their husband or wife or partner or vice versa.

However, assets like KiwiSaver and insurances needed to be accounted for.

He said a will could be simple but needed to updated after major life changes, like a divorce, getting remarried or when families blended.

Holland Beckett Law consultant Bill Holland. Photo / File

"Some people just don't do it because they think it's just too hard and don't want to get it wrong. Even then they would be better off if they made a bad decision rather than no decision at all because at least they get to a starting point."

The former TECT chairman said more people were also leaving money to charities, like the Acorn Foundation, and some were making provisions for pets.

"The best way of dealing with that is to leave the pet to a friend or family member and they leave a sum of money to cover the costs including food and any vet bills."

Unfortunately, there could be squabbles over wills.

"This can happen when the will doesn't actually reflect what the person wants because their circumstances have changed.

"They may have had a falling out with a family member and cut them out but they have healed the situation but they never get around to changing it back."

Public Trust chief executive Glenys Talivai. Photo / File

Public Trust chief executive Glenys Talivai said if you die without a will your estate may not be divided up as you would like.

Instead, your estate is distributed according to a set of rules in the Administration Act of 1969.

"For example, people you would not want to benefit from your estate may do so."

Currently, only 48 per cent of adult New Zealanders had a will in place, she said.

The Public Trust administers a high number of wills every year and in 2020 it administered more than 1500.

The trust had seen a range of things being requested in various wills.

"One person left a small sum of money for a friend and fellow card-game player to make a specific bet at the next game, saying the recipient would understand and laugh."

"New Zealanders love their collectables; we've seen valuable stamp collections, well-loved record collections, and giant Lego collections accounted for."

"Other people want to ensure that at least a portion of their money goes towards something fun and memorable, like a specific trip or special experience. One doting grandfather wanted money left for his grandkids to go on a big family holiday to Disneyland – something he wished he could have done when his own children were young."

People often leave inexpensive objects that held great value to a loved one.

"From hats and watches to chipped teapots. One person left an old brush to a sibling because it had always been a joke between them. Some parents set aside money for things like sports clubs or music lessons to ensure their child's passion can continue even if they're not around."

Meanwhile, some choose to add special words of gratitude or final messages for loved ones.

"One parent left a simple message of 'I love you all so much' as the last words for their children to read."

McKenzie Finance director Alison McKenzie. Photo / File

McKenzie Finance director Alison McKenzie said she was surprised at the number of people who did not have their affairs in order in the event of their death.

It was one of the first questions she asked potential clients.

She said you could complete an online will but in her view, it was safer to get a lawyer to do it.

"It means the proceeds of your estate goes to where you want them to."

Holistic Vets director Dr Liza Schneider. Photo / File

Holistic Vets director Dr Liza Schneider said sometimes animals were euthanased when their owners died as they could not cope with the transition to a new home.

Holistic Vets often boarded animals which were left homeless at its hospital or staff members gave them shelter until they could be re-homed.

Schneider said considering the needs of your pet through their life was part of the commitment of being a responsible pet owner.

She thought making arrangements for pets in your will was a wonderful idea as they were invaluable companions that enriched people's lives.

"Sadly I know of elderly members in our community who would greatly benefit from having a pet but do not do so as they are worried that they will outlive their pet and not be able to rehome them. I would love for our community to have a plan in place to help facilitate these people having a pet and ensuring a good new home should they become deceased."

Meanwhile, funeral directors were experiencing increased demand for pre-arranged and pre-paid services and there were more cremations than burials.

Pre-arranged and pre-paid funerals are becoming very popular. Photo / Getty Images

Hope Funerals manager Robert Barclay said families were often distraught and emotional when a loved one passed away.

He believed by pre-arranging or pre-paying a funeral, people were taking a huge load off those who were grieving.

"If everyone on our books passed away we would have a number of years work ahead of us."

Nowadays more creative services were also being held, which paid tribute to those who had passed away.

Osborne Funerals Chris de Groot said peace of mind was at the forefront of people's minds when they did arrangements prior to their death.

He said $10,000 could be excluded from asset testing if it was used to pay for a funeral.

Loved ones often preferred memorial celebrations over church services and more unusual requests like burials at sea could also be carried out if the correct procedures were followed.