A recent Supreme Court decision has highlighted an important connection between relationship property agreements, wills and what happens when someone dies without a will. In Rimmer v Wilton [2026] NZSC 122, the Court considered whether a surviving partner could receive the benefits provided to her under a contracting-out agreement and then also receive additional property

Under the Property (Relationships) Act 1976 (PRA), everything a couple owns is sorted into two baskets when they separate or when one partner dies: relationship property and separate property. Knowing which basket an asset falls into can prevent costly arguments later. Relationship property Most things acquired during a marriage, civil union or qualifying de-facto relationship