Services · Trusts & private foundations

New Zealand trust

Updated 5 October 2026

Open pricing. The final quote is fixed in writing before work starts.

A New Zealand trust is chosen when respectability matters: a common law country with stable courts that banks and regulators do not treat as a classic offshore centre. Trusts are governed by the Trusts Act 2019, and trusts settled by non-residents fall under a separate foreign trust regime with registration at Inland Revenue.

What a New Zealand foreign trust is

A trust is foreign when its trustee is in New Zealand but the settlor does not live there. This is the typical setup for a family from another country: the resident trustee provides New Zealand law and oversight, while assets and beneficiaries can be anywhere. Income of such a trust from sources outside New Zealand is not taxed in New Zealand if the regime's conditions are met, which is why Inland Revenue calls these trusts exempt.

Registration and fees

• Deadline. The resident trustee must register the trust with Inland Revenue within 30 days of its creation.
• Registration fee: NZD 270, about $155.
• Annual fee for filing the return: NZD 50, about $30.
• Disclosure. At registration Inland Revenue receives details of settlors, beneficiaries, trustees and anyone who controls the trust, together with the trust deed.

Fees and procedure follow Inland Revenue New Zealand. US dollar amounts are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 5 October 2026 and rounded up.

Reporting every year

The trustee files an annual return with the trust's financial statements and details of new settlements and distributions to beneficiaries. It is due six months after the trust's balance date, or by 30 September if no balance date is set, according to Inland Revenue. Any change to disclosed details, such as a new beneficiary, a change of trustee or address, is reported within 30 days. Inland Revenue shares register information with foreign tax authorities on request and through automatic exchange.

How a trust is set up

1. Purpose and taxes. We review which assets go in, where the settlor and beneficiaries live and how their countries treat trusts: sometimes a trust creates tax where nobody expected it.
2. Structure. We choose a resident trustee, decide whether a protector is needed and allocate powers.
3. Trust deed. We prepare the deed and the settlor's letter of wishes.
4. Registration. The trustee registers the trust with Inland Revenue within 30 days.
5. Accounts and assets. Opening trust accounts and transferring assets.

Why problems arise

• The settlor or beneficiaries are not ready to disclose details, without which the trust cannot be registered.
• Registration or annual return deadlines are missed: the trust loses its exemption and the trustee faces penalties.
• The settlor's or beneficiaries' country taxes the trust or its distributions, and this was not planned for.
• The settlor keeps full control over the assets: such a trust protects poorly and raises questions with tax authorities.

What we do

Murblz specialists review the purpose and the tax consequences in the settlor's and beneficiaries' countries, find a resident trustee, prepare the trust deed and handle registration and annual reporting. The fee depends on the assets and the complexity of the structure; we will calculate it after a consultation.

What we do

• Trust establishment and maintenance

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