This On Demand was recorded on 2 December 2025.

Estate planning across borders presents unique challenges for New Zealand lawyers. Whether your client is a local resident with overseas assets or a foreign resident with property in Aotearoa, understanding the legal implications is essential.

In this On Demand, Alison Gilbert, Natasha Williams and Tammy McLeod revisit the key cross-jurisdictional issues that arise in practice. They’ll explore how to approach will drafting when international property is involved, how to manage probate where questions of domicile and jurisdictional conflict emerge, and how to apply practical strategies to avoid delays and disputes.

This session builds on last year’s popular On Demand presentation.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

• Gain insights from both practitioner and registrar perspectives on the challenges of drafting wills and applying for grants of administration in cross-border contexts.
• Develop an understanding of the legal considerations when dealing with deceased New Zealand residents who held property offshore, and offshore residents with assets in New Zealand.
• Explore the complexities introduced by foreign wills, multiple wills, intestacy, and the involvement of offshore beneficiaries or executors.
• Examine the impact of domicile and jurisdictional questions on estate planning and administration.
• Acquire practical tips and strategies to navigate these issues effectively and minimise risk in cross-jurisdictional estate matters.

Who Should Watch?

Lawyers and legal executives doing wills/estate/private client/general practice work, of all levels of experience.

Presenters

Alison Gilbert, Partner, Brookfields 
Natasha Williams, Senior Associate, Brookfields

Chair

Tammy McLeod, Managing Director, Davenports Law