SEPTEMBER IS WILLS MONTH
With the cost-of-living crisis, the ongoing impacts of the global Covid pandemic and with increased natural disasters around the country in recent years, more New Zealanders are not only looking to support locally they are also leaving bequests in their wills to benefit their community.
Community Foundations of Aotearoa New Zealand (CFANZ) Executive Director Arron Perriam says the organisation’s 18 members collectively have $260 million in invested funds received from bequests with an anticipated pipeline of many hundreds of bequests, adding up to an additional $1 billion.
“Increasingly, Kiwis are of the view that the Government can’t, or likely won’t, solve all the challenges we face in this country; we all have felt this acutely in the wake of weather events, increased costs of living and the pandemic in recent years,” Arron says.
“The power of communities to build their own future resilience, and care for their people and environment, resides somewhat with the people themselves. What we’re seeing is a growing deep-rooted desire for Kiwis to leave their legacy locally, and that’s where the local community foundation provides the essential infrastructure to manage legacy gifts, to give back to communities for the long term.”
Chief Executive of Philanthropy New Zealand | Tōpūtanga Tuku Aroha o Aotearoa (PNZ) Rahul Watson Govindan agrees and says many New Zealanders have spent many years creating and building a community around them that they want to live in.
“Leaving a gift in your will is a powerful way for New Zealanders to ensure that the community that they’ve contributed to for so much of their lifetime continues to thrive, along with the people within it,” Rahul says.
“At Philanthropy New Zealand we are encouraged to see Kiwis increasingly investing in their local communities for the long-term. Community foundations work with local people to see through their aspirations for the community they live in and love, identifying local needs and helping locals to discover how they can play their part in community transformation.”
To learn more about Wills Month, or discuss leaving a bequest in your Will to Hawke’s Bay Foundation, please contact us on [email protected]
