Leave a bequest

Leave a gift for the Heart Foundation in your will to help provide a better future for people in New Zealand.

The impact of your gift will be felt well beyond your lifetime – a lasting legacy. You can help future generations of New Zealanders by leaving funds for vital research into heart disease and providing essential support programmes in the community.

Why leave a gift in your will?

You will help support advances in life-saving heart research

Those who came before us made many of today’s medical breakthroughs possible. Every year, bequests from kind people like you help fund our life-saving cardiovascular research.

By including the Heart Foundation in your will, you will provide the long-term funding needed to make the next significant breakthroughs in the fight against heart disease and save New Zealander’s lives.

You will support people living with heart disease

Your bequest will ensure we can provide life-changing support to people with heart disease. We do this through the following:

• The high-quality care we provide for people living with heart disease.

• The education and heart-health programs we run in the community about the symptoms and risk factors that help prevent heart disease.

• The care guidelines and resources we provide to health professionals.

Your legacy will live on through the lives you save

David Cook left a gift in his will. Watch how his gift will help towards saving lives like Sara's.

Creating a will may be one of the most important steps you will ever take. Whether you have a little or a lot to contribute, it all helps.

By making a will, you can ensure your assets go to the people and causes that are meaningful to you. If you leave a legacy gift to the Heart Foundation, you can make a long-lasting difference in our children, grandchildren, and every Kiwi's lives. The Heart Foundation warmly invites you to help eliminate heart disease for future generations by making a bequest.

Download the Bequest Brochure

Types of bequests

Large or small bequest amounts are greatly valued because it ensures that we will have the funds to continue supporting research into heart disease and save more New Zealander’s lives for generations to come.

You can include a gift in your will in several ways. What you decide will be based on your circumstances and preferences.

Here are some of the main options.

Whole estate

This is when you choose to leave your entire estate to the Heart Foundation. Many people who do not have children are choosing this exceptionally generous option.

Residual bequest

A residual bequest is one in which you leave a portion of your estate to the Heart Foundation. It is commonly stated as a percentage of your estate residue, or the amount that is left once you have taken care of your loved ones and expenses.

Pecuniary bequest (leaving a specific amount)

This is when you choose to leave a specific amount of money to the Heart Foundation in your Will. While these gifts are deeply appreciated, a percentage gift may give you more peace of mind.

Keep in mind that more and more supporters, just like you, are including percentages – such as 10 or 20 per cent of their estate – as gifts to the Heart Foundation in their wills.

Pecuniary bequests:

• Are simple. You do not know what your final estate will contain, however a percentage gives you peace of mind.

• Automatically adjust to changes in your estate’s value.

• Allow you to take care of your loved ones first – just as Kate Rowe did. Read Kate’s story now.

• Allow you to include a few of your preferred charities equally.

How to make a gift in your will

Setting up a gift in your will only takes three steps.

1) Obtain a Bequest Brochure

To request a copy of our Bequest Brochure to be posted to you, email Sue Bromley, our experienced Gift in Wills Specialist, at sueb@heartfoundation.org.nz. Or you can download the Bequest Brochure.

2) Suggested wording to include

When you leave the Heart Foundation a gift in your will, the following wording is suggested:

"I give to the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand (Registration No: CC23052) the sum of $___ for its general purposes and declare that the receipt of the Executive Director of the Foundation or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge for my Trustees for this legacy.

I give to the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand (Registration No: CC23052)(10%, 25% 50% other) of my residuary estate (and/or a description of the property or assets given) for its general purposes, and declare that the receipt of the Executive Director of the Foundation or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge for my Trustees for this legacy.

I give to the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand (Registration No: CC23052) the whole of my residuary estate and declare that the receipt of the Executive Director of the Foundation or other proper officer shall be a full and sufficient discharge for my Trustees for this legacy”.

When referring to the Heart Foundation, use our official charity name, ‘The National Heart Foundation of New Zealand’. You will also need to include our official charity number. The Heart Foundation is a registered charity (CC23052) under the Charities Act 2005.

3) Speak with your family and solicitor

We strongly recommend that you discuss your plans with your immediate family and seek advice from a legal advisor or trustee company when arranging your will.

We are happy to supply the Heart Foundation’s Legacies Account bank details on request.

Through your estate, your gift will have a tangible impact on the lives of others in your community.

With your support, we can keep working to improve heart health in New Zealand long into the future. Please take our bequest information brochure to your legal advisor and know that your gift guarantees the best treatment and care possible for our loved ones. Thank you.

Download the Bequest Brochure