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Testamentary Freedom and Validity of Wills Essay

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Equity Essay

Legislation and case law has been evolving throughout history surrounding testamentary promises. The attitudes of the courts have ebbed and flowed towards claims testing the validity of a will. New Zealand was the first country in the commonwealth jurisdiction to enact a family protection act, the Testators Family Maintenance Act 1900. Although legislation has changed considerably since the incorporation of the first act, the central concept has remained essentially unchanged. There are three main statutes in New Zealand governing family protection and testamentary promises, Property (relationships) Act 1976, Law Reform (Testamentary Promises) Act 1949 and the Family Protection Act 1955. This essay will explore these …show more content…

The test used to prove or disprove capacity is that of contractual capacity, and not of testamentary capacity.

Application of the Testamentary Promises Act

Blanchard J clearly sets out, in Bryne v Bishop, the practical application of the relevant law, being section 3 of the Testamentary Promises Act. Blanchard J sets out what qualifies “work” ,“services” and “promise” as described by the act, the recipient of the promise, the nexus between the services ad the promise, and the role of the courts. The first issue is determining what qualifies the term “services” or “work” under the act. The courts have been clear that to satisfy the term of “services” or “work” the acts must be more than that of normal expectations of family life or social interaction. It may however be satisfactory for acts to have a compassionate or affectionate nature in certain circumstances. Although the parameters have not been specifically outlined, the courts have been clear that service can not be satisfied if the facts show that of “young people simply sharing the pleasures of each other’s company in a common household.” The next issue which Blanchard J addresses is the term “promise.” It as been declared that the term, for the purposes of the act, may be interpreted outside of the dictionary meaning of the word. The term “promise” as defined in section 2 of the Act includes “any statement or representation of fact or

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