Make an impact with your Legacy
A Gift in your Will can be both straightforward and profoundly impactful.
By leaving a bequest to SPCA, you help protect animals and save lives.
You create a lasting legacy that honours the love and companionship animals have given you.
Why leave a gift to SPCA
Leaving a gift in your Will to SPCA is a very special act of kindness that can leave a better world for all animals across New Zealand.
There are thousands of animals around New Zealand who find themselves in harm’s way each year. These animals need someone to intervene on their behalf, to rescue and care for them, and to ensure they can live they life deserve.
Your gift can be the difference between life and death. It will be the emergency surgery for a dog, cat or rabbit, or the medical equipment used to carry out the surgery. It will be the medical after-care, whether it be the resting cage, the blanket or the water bowl.
The impact of your legacy gift will be felt by animals and the SPCA teams alike. It will be felt in our Centres, where even keeping the power on to keep the animals warm, clean, and safe is funded by your kindness. It will be felt by our Inspectors who respond to the calls. It will be felt by the vets and nurses who look after the animals’ health, and our people who look after the animals’ welfare while they are with us. It will be in the life-saving surgery for an injured animal, or the medical care that follows it.
Gifts in Wills are crucial to our mission. With your support, we can continue to be a lifeline for animals in need, making a profound impact where it matters most. SPCA helps tens of thousands of animals each year, and together, we can persist in our fight to improve their lives and ensure a brighter future for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How can I do a Will?
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A Will can either be done online or face to face with a trusted solicitor.
SPCA is proud to partner with Footprint, New Zealand’s leading online Will provider, to offer you a FREE Will.
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What is a Will and why is it important to have one?
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A Will is a legal document expressing the wishes of the Will Maker regarding the transfer of their property (anything with a $ sign, anything of value to yourself or another that you want them to have). Having the information laid out legally means you make sure your loved ones are looked after when you pass away.
By creating a Will, you are planning ahead and leaving detailed instructions as to how you want your assets (Estate) divided, how it is to be divided and to whom. The beneficiaries can be family, friends or a Charity or Charities.
Please seek professional legal advice if you need assistance.
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How do I amend or change my current Will?
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Check with your solicitor as to the cost to make amendments or changes to your Will. The cost will often depend on how long ago you signed your Will and how bigger changes you are making. Often, a new Will is required if the changes are sizeable.
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What wording should I use for my Will?
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Leaving a gift to SPCA in your Will is easy. To make sure the wording in your Will accurately describes your intentions, we suggest including the following wording:
I give
- ___% of my estate OR
- the rest and residue of my estate OR
- the sum of $__ (fixed amount)
to The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Incorporated (RNZSPCA) for its general purposes and I declare that the receipt of the appointed officer of the Society shall full and sufficient discharge for the said legacy and my trustees will not be bound to see to the application of it.
I further declare that if at the date of my death or the date of distribution of my estate, any charity named in my Will does not exist or has amalgamated with another charity or has changed its name, such legacy or residuary gift shall not fail but my trustees shall pay it to the charitable organisation which they consider most nearly fulfils the objects I intend to benefit.
RNZSPCA Charities Commission Number CC22705
Understandably some people have a strong affinity and association with their local SPCA Centre or area within SPCA work and you may wish that your gift is directed to a specific community or team. In this circumstance we suggest adding, after the wording for its general purposes, the following additional wording:
For use in the (name of area of New Zealand you want your gift directed to e.g Wellington area, or the Team e.g Education.
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What is the best type of gift to leave in my Will?
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Wills are very personal documents.
There are many ways to include SPCA in your Will. The best types of gift (also known as a bequest) to leave in your Will are a residual gift or a percentage of your Estate.
A Residual Gift comes from what is left in your estate after you have taken care of your loved ones. You can give the whole of the residual, or a percentage of it, to a person or charity, like SPCA.
A Percentage of your Estate is often regarded as the most flexible and effective way to give. You don’t need to adjust the value of your gift over time to account for inflation or any changes to your total assets. A small percentage – 10%, 5% or even 1% – can make a big difference to the future.
A Pecuniary Gift is a specific sum of money.
A Specified Gift is a particular item(s) of value (Shares, car, a collection of some kind)
SPCA is proud to partner with Footprint, New Zealand’s leading online Will provider, to offer you a FREE Will.
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I don’t have a lot of money; can I still leave a gift to SPCA?
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Yes, absolutely. SPCA welcomes and appreciates gifts of any value that people have the kindness to leave us.
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What will SPCA do with my gift?
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SPCA will use your incredibly, generous gift when and where it is needed most, to make the biggest impact on the lives of the animals we rescue, help and protect.
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Information for Legal Advisors
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Please contact SPCA team at legacy@spca.nz
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What is your Charity Commission Number?
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RNZSPCA Charities Commission Number CC22705
SPCA’s work
SPCA is the first port of call when animals have been the victim of deliberate cruelty or neglect or are injured or vulnerable. SPCA is the loudest voice, speaking up for those that can’t speak for themselves. Helping to bring about change to laws and standards to give a better life to all animals across New Zealand.
SPCA has been changing animals’ lives for over 150 years. We helped pass the first national law protecting animals in 1878 and today we are still fighting to change and update laws to protect and fight for the welfare of all animals across New Zealand.
Today, SPCA requires approximately $65 million a year to continue our vital work - but we receive just 10% Government funding, which is earmarked for our Inspectors’ work (who are able to act legally under the Animal Welfare Act 1999). It is only with the help of animal lovers like yourself that SPCA can raise the remaining 90% of our necessary funding. These funds are essential to all the animal welfare work SPCA does through our Centres and vet partnerships.
SPCA’s ongoing work is far-reaching across many different areas, including:
Everyone is different, and so are their circumstances, so it’s important that the gift in your Will is right for you.
If you would like to discuss leaving a gift in your Will to SPCA, please do not hesitate to contact us on Givinghearts@spca.nz or 04 245 0105.
Nicola Atkin
DONOR RELATIONS SPECIALIST
Email: nicola.atkin@spca.nz
Phone: 04 245 0105 or 021 598 313
If Nicola is unavailable you can contact our Supporter Care – Legacies Administrator, Louise Dilly on 09 256 7307
Lisa Scott
NATIONAL LEGACY ADMINISTRATOR & LEGAL ADVISOR
Please contact Lisa if you are a Lawyer or Trustee.
Email: legacy@spca.nz
Phone: 021 0249 4893
If Lisa is unavailable you can contact our Supporter Care – Legacies Administrator, Louise Dilly on 09 256 7307
Contact our Legacy Team via the form below
Our Giving Hearts Members
We want to highlight a very special group of people - our SPCA Giving Hearts members.
These are compassionate animal lovers who have made the incredible act of kindness of including a gift in their Will to SPCA. They ensure that SPCA will always be there to help New Zealand’s vulnerable animals.
Meet our Giving Hearts members
“By leaving a gift to SPCA in my Will, I know I can help domesticated animals in need in some way after I am gone. I can think of no better way to acknowledge my love of cats and the work that SPCA does in this area.”
“It’s horrendous to think of what humans can do to animals, how cruel they can be. SPCA is doing their best to stand and fight against this cruelty, and to protect, support and help these animals. As the country's largest and best-known animal charity, it makes sense to support the incredible work they are doing.”
“For me, leaving a legacy to SPCA is a no-brainer. If a cat needs a home and a person needs a cat, where else would you go, other than SPCA? To me it is part of the social contract that if you domesticate an animal, you owe it a good life in return.”
“Volunteering at my local Centre and op shop were the happiest days of my life’. Animals have always brought such joy into my life, and I just want to be able to give something back, to help animals long after I have passed”
“Dr Gurr has left an incredible legacy to SPCA, helping us help animals for generations to come – her story and legacy is an example of how an act of generosity by an individual, passionate about animal welfare, can have an enduring impact on the lives of generations of animals.”