ISSUE
Friday, August 22, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 73
Life can be fragile and you never know when the ability to make your own decisions could be taken from you through sickness or injury.
Having an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) means you can have peace of mind that you have decided, ahead of time, who you trust to make decisions for you if you can’t decide for yourself. It’s important for every adult, whatever their age, to take steps to create an EPA.
Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry has launched a new range of multilingual resources to help New Zealanders protect their future with an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA).
Two pamphlets which explain how to set up an EPA have been translated into nine different languages including Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati and are now available for free online.
“An EPA is an important safeguard for all Kiwis to consider putting in place, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or where you live,” Ms Barry says. “It’s important to make information about EPAs accessible to as many people as possible.”
Ms Barry says everyone should consider setting up an EPA.
“Unfortunately any of us could lose the ability to make decisions for ourselves at any time through illness or injury. Having an EPA in place means someone we trust will be legally able to make decisions about our property, care or welfare.”
The translations are also available in Maori, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese.
The pamphlets are available now at www.msd.govt.nz
An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) is a legal document that can protect you and what is precious to you.
Property – Covers your money and assets and can come into effect before you lose mental capacity. You may have more than one attorney for this EPA.
Personal care and welfare– Covers your health, accommodation and associated care decisions, and comes into effect only if a medical professional or the Family Court decides you have become ‘mentally incapable’. You may have only one attorney for this EPA.
Creating an EPA does cost money but there are ways to bring down the cost. Being organised, knowing what you want and filling out the forms on this page before seeing your witness will mean the process takes less time and can therefore be cheaper.
Life can be fragile and you never know when the ability to make your own decisions could be taken from you through sickness or injury.
Having an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) means you can have peace of mind that you have decided, ahead of time, who you trust to make decisions for you if you...
Life can be fragile and you never know when the ability to make your own decisions could be taken from you through sickness or injury.
Having an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) means you can have peace of mind that you have decided, ahead of time, who you trust to make decisions for you if you can’t decide for yourself. It’s important for every adult, whatever their age, to take steps to create an EPA.
Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry has launched a new range of multilingual resources to help New Zealanders protect their future with an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA).
Two pamphlets which explain how to set up an EPA have been translated into nine different languages including Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati and are now available for free online.
“An EPA is an important safeguard for all Kiwis to consider putting in place, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or where you live,” Ms Barry says. “It’s important to make information about EPAs accessible to as many people as possible.”
Ms Barry says everyone should consider setting up an EPA.
“Unfortunately any of us could lose the ability to make decisions for ourselves at any time through illness or injury. Having an EPA in place means someone we trust will be legally able to make decisions about our property, care or welfare.”
The translations are also available in Maori, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese.
The pamphlets are available now at www.msd.govt.nz
An Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) is a legal document that can protect you and what is precious to you.
Property – Covers your money and assets and can come into effect before you lose mental capacity. You may have more than one attorney for this EPA.
Personal care and welfare– Covers your health, accommodation and associated care decisions, and comes into effect only if a medical professional or the Family Court decides you have become ‘mentally incapable’. You may have only one attorney for this EPA.
Creating an EPA does cost money but there are ways to bring down the cost. Being organised, knowing what you want and filling out the forms on this page before seeing your witness will mean the process takes less time and can therefore be cheaper.
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