The pandemic has led a rising number of Kiwis to think about life, death, and donations.
Only just over half of New Zealanders have a will – 57%.
That’s a 2% rise from 2020, according to a survey of 3000 people carried out by Perpetual Guardian and the Fundraising Institute of NZ.
And more people are leaving money to charity as a legacy.
83,000 more people – that’s a 20% increase – say they want to leave a special donation.
Exclusive new data shows the number of people making wills and leaving money to charities has risen. (Source: 1News)
Electrician Dave Riley is one of them.
“Our whole family’s always been animal lovers and I thought it was a good example for the kids going forward”, he told 1News.
The average gift in a will is $5000.
The Fred Hollows Foundation says about 30% of their donations come from legacies and it makes a huge difference to the work they do in the Pacific, helping people restore eyesight.
Young people appear to be more generous, with over half of under 45s considering leaving a gift. And 7% of under 35s say they already have.
Perpetual Guardian’s Patrick Gamble believes the pandemic has made people more thoughtful, and more giving.
“It’s been a very very unfair and uneven economic impact of the pandemic, we’ve seen some people doing extremely well out of it in some sectors and we’ve seen a lot of people suffering as a result,” he says.
“I think those who are doing well are taking time to reflect.”
Gamble admits it’s hard for people to think about making a will, and even tougher to talk to family members about it. But he says it’s really important – and especially to explain why a donation is being made to charity, so they don’t get a shock at a tough time.
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