Staff Reporter
The importance of understanding the ramifications of granting Power of Attorney to another person (irrespective of relationship with that person) dawns late among many members of the Indian community.
We have received a number of complaints in the past few years from unsuspecting men and women, who had suddenly found themselves liable for an agreement about which they knew nothing. We have also heard from people who lost the shares of a blue chip company because the person they authorised to deal with the shares transferred them to his own name or that of his family.
New initiative
Senior Citizens Minister Maggie Barry has launched a new range of multilingual resources to help New Zealanders protect their future with an Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA).
“An EPA is an important safeguard for all Kiwis to consider putting in place, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or where you live. It is important to make information about EPAs accessible to as many people as possible.”
She said that everyone should consider setting up an EPA.
Multilingual folders
“Unfortunately any of us could lose the ability to make decisions for ourselves at any time through illness or injury. Having an EPA in place means someone we trust will be legally able to make decisions about our property, care or welfare.”
The translations are available in Maori, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese. They are part of the Office for ‘Senior Citizens Protect Your Future Campaign’ launched in June 2014.
“The year-long campaign has successfully created clear and straightforward information about the importance of EPAs, as well as advice for attorneys on their responsibilities. I am very pleased this information is now available to more communities through these translations,” Ms Barry said.
