Complete the form
You’ll need to include their full name, date of birth, and date of death. You can also provide some other details and documents, if you have them.
Bereavement assistance
It can be a difficult time when you lose someone close to you. We’re here to support you to manage and finalise the BNZ customer’s estate.
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Ways to let us know
The sooner we know about a bereavement, the sooner we can help. You don’t have to wait for a death certificate.
Once you’ve contacted us, one of our Bereavement Assistance team will respond to you by email or letter between 3 and 5 working days.
Notify us of a bereavement
Call or email us
Call 0800 500 280 to talk to our Bereavement Assistance team. We’re available Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. Or, you can email us at bnz_estates@bnz.co.nz
Write to us
Send us a letter:
Bereavement Assistance Team
BNZ
Private Bag 39806
Wellington Mail Centre
Lower Hutt 5045
Details we’ll need
If you’ve already notified us about a bereavement, now we’ll need some details and documents. We can accept these from the executor, administrator, lawyer, or claimant.^ What we need depends on the situation of the person and we can only release remaining funds when we have complete documentation. We’ll often need to see original documents, or copies certified by a lawyer, court official, notary public, or Justice of the Peace.
Read about details we need for processing estates under $40,000 and estates over $40,000.
If you’re arranging the person’s funeral, find out what details we need for a request to release funds for funeral costs.
What happens to their accounts
While you wait to hear more from us, here’s what you can expect to happen to the person’s accounts.
Accounts and cards
Read about what happens to their accounts (personal, joint, and business), and any cards they have with us.
Term deposits
If they have any term deposits with us, the process depends on a few factors.
KiwiSaver
Here’s what you can expect to happen to their KiwiSaver account if they were a member of the BNZ KiwiSaver Scheme.
Finalising a deceased estate
Once we have all the required details, we can finalise the customer’s accounts. The funds will be released, or you can choose to keep the estate going. For more information about this process, visit our finalising an estate page.
Help and support
If you’re a family member or next of kin of the deceased and they owe BNZ, we’ll help you to manage this. We can guide you through this part of the process and will outline any actions we take by email or letter.^
If losing someone has affected you financially, we may be able to help. Visit our experiencing financial difficulty page for more information.