Whether you're safeguarding assets, planning for future generations, or optimising your tax strategy, the right trust structure can make all the difference in achieving your goals. 

Managing the tax implications of both New Zealand and foreign trusts is essential for protecting your wealth by minimising liabilities. You might be establishing or running a local or foreign trust, dealing with offshore assets, or managing cross-border tax issues.  

Whatever the reason for placing your assets in a trust, understanding the nuances of trust taxation can unlock significant opportunities including efficient wealth transfer, asset protection and preservation, and tax efficiencies across multiple jurisdictions. 

Mismanaging your taxes by incorrectly classifying your trust, or misreporting foreign and local income can result in penalties, back taxes or even higher tax rates on distributions. Worse still, audits can be triggered that can impact your wealth preservation goals. 

How we can help

We can help you take control of your trust’s tax position by: 

  • reviewing your existing trust structures 
  • designing asset protection strategies 
  • providing advice about the classification of your trust 
  • structuring your cross-border trust to ensure compliance with New Zealand’s foreign trust disclosure rules 
  • tax planning for trust distributions 
  • ongoing compliance and reporting