ENDURING POWERS OF ATTORNEY – A BRIEF RUNDOWN
A power of attorney is a written authorisation for someone to manage your affairs on your behalf. The person you authorise is called an “attorney”.
Traditional powers of attorney have been around a long time, but are subject to some important limitations. First, there is a longstanding rule that if you lose mental capacity the power of attorney is automatically revoked. Secondly, the power of the attorney only extends to dealing with your property (and not personal matters such as your health).
An Enduring Power of Attorney (or “EPA”) is a special form of power of attorney that the New Zealand government has instituted to address these limitations. Because of this, EPAs have become one of the cornerstones of putting your legal affairs in order.