Trust establishment & structuring
Working alongside your legal advisers to design and establish family trusts.
Why Family Trusts Matter
Family trusts remain one of the most effective structures in New Zealand for protecting assets, managing risk, and transferring wealth across generations.
Used well, a trust can protect assets from business and personal risk, support relationship property and estate planning, enable effective tax and income distribution planning and preserve wealth for future generations. Used poorly, a trust can quickly become non-compliant, inefficient, or vulnerable to challenge.
Our trustee services team helps you navigate changing trust and tax legislation, meet trustee obligations under the Trusts Act, and ensure your trust delivers the benefits it was designed for, without unnecessary risk.
Used well, a trust can protect assets from business and personal risk, support relationship property and estate planning, enable effective tax and income distribution planning and preserve wealth for future generations. Used poorly, a trust can quickly become non-compliant, inefficient, or vulnerable to challenge.
Our trustee services team helps you navigate changing trust and tax legislation, meet trustee obligations under the Trusts Act, and ensure your trust delivers the benefits it was designed for, without unnecessary risk.
Our Family Trust Services
Trust administration & maintenance
Ongoing support with minutes, resolutions, disclosures, and trustee meetings.
Trust accounting & tax compliance
Preparation of trust financial statements, beneficiary current accounts, tax returns, and IRD compliance.
Trust capital tracking
Monitoring capital movements to support transparency and AML source-of-wealth requirements.
Trustee support & governance
Helping trustees understand and meet their duties under the Trusts Act.
Independent trustee services
Available subject to conditions and regulatory requirements.
Relationship property & separation advice
Tax and accounting support where trust assets are involved.
Trust resettlements & vesting
Advice on early vesting, resettlements, and associated tax implications.
Trustee & beneficiary meetings
Facilitated meetings to support communication, clarity, and alignment.
Asset protection & estate planning advice
Best-practice guidance on the effective use of trusts.
Who we help
Families
Protecting intergenerational wealth and planning succession.
Families with beneficiaries living overseas.
Business Owners
Business owners managing risk and protecting dividend flows.
Individuals
Individuals managing relationship property considerations.
Property Investors and Developers
Property investors and developers using trusts to hold portfolios.
Professionals
Professionals and legal advisers seeking integrated trust, tax, and accounting expertise.
Talk to one of the team today
Why Choose PKF Withers Tsang
-
Chartered accountants with deep experience in trusts
-
Strong working relationships with legal professionals
-
Experience acting as independent trustees
-
Practical knowledge of Trusts Act disclosure requirements
-
Chartered accountants with deep experience in trusts
-
Strong working relationships with legal professionals
-
Experience acting as independent trustees
-
Practical knowledge of Trusts Act disclosure requirements
FAQ's
Family trusts remain a valuable tool for asset protection, estate planning, and managing risk — but only when they’re structured and managed correctly. With recent changes to trust tax rules, it’s more important than ever to review whether your trust is still fit for purpose and delivering the outcomes you expect.
Trustees have legal obligations under the Trusts Act, including acting in the best interests of beneficiaries, meeting disclosure requirements, and maintaining proper records. We help trustees understand their duties and put practical systems in place to meet them with confidence.
Yes. Many trusts were set up years ago and haven’t kept pace with legislative change or best practice. We can review your trust, address compliance gaps, improve governance, and help get things back on track without unnecessary disruption.
Absolutely. We work closely with your legal advisers to ensure trust structures, tax advice, and administration are aligned. This collaborative approach reduces risk and ensures decisions are made with both legal and tax implications in mind.
Yes, in certain circumstances and subject to conditions. Acting as an independent trustee can provide objectivity, strengthen governance, and help manage family dynamics. We can discuss whether this is appropriate for your trust.
Case Study: Improving Tax Outcomes While Protecting Family Wealth
We supported a family trust with an investment property portfolio to improve tax outcomes, strengthen trustee governance, and increase transparency for beneficiaries as circumstances and tax rules changed.
Download the full case study to see how proactive trust and tax advice delivered long-term confidence and clarity for the family.