Dalziel Lianne: Wills Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDalziel Lianne: Wills Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 22 August 2007. Volume:641;Page:11416. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon LIANNE DALZIEL (Minister of Commerce) on behalf of the Associate Minister of Justice: I moveThat the Wills Bill be now read a third time. At the outset can I acknowledge my colleague the Hon Clayton Cosgrove who is not with us tonight because of a bereavement in his electorate which he has rushed back to attend to. That is probably with a degree of poignancy given the fact that we are dealing with the Wills Bill so I would like to place that on record.The Wills Bill is of significance to all New Zealanders. Anyone who wishes to make provision for one’s family and the disposition of one’s property when he or she dies has an interest in this legislation. Wills allow a person to protect the interests of futuregenerations. They give the will-maker the peace of mind of knowing that loved ones will be looked after when he or she has gone. Accessible and well-functioning wills legislation is therefore of vital importance to society.When the Law Commission reviewed the existing legislation in 1997 it concluded that the current law generally worked well and there was no call for dramatic change. However the commission did recommend consolidating the existing legislation into a single plain-language statute and modernising certain elements of the existing law. The Law Commission’s work on the original report and its subsequent contribution to readying the Wills Bill for introduction have made this revision of the law relating to wills possible. The Government has demonstrated its commitment to implementing a number of Law Commission proposals. These bills all of which arise from Law Commission reports update key statutes and make the law more accessible. I am very grateful to the Law Commission and also to the Justice and Electoral Committee and in particular to certain members of this House for their valuable contributions to the development of this bill.The Wills Bill will improve the standard of legislation on our statute book and make the law more user-friendly for the average New Zealander. The intention of the Wills Bill is to make the law clearer ensure that better effect can be given to will-makers’ intentions and make it easier for certain people to make wills. The key purposes of the Wills Bill are first to create a single plain-language statute and second to modernise key aspects of the existing law. The legislation governing wills is currently contained in a series of separate enactments. The main Act comes from the United Kingdom and dates back to—Dr Richard Worth: 1837.Hon LIANNE DALZIEL: Well done Mr Worth. It is wonderful that Mr Worth is paying such attention on this occasion. It has been substantially amended by and must be read together with a number of amending Acts. When combined with the archaic language used the current legislation is very difficult for most people to read—except for Mr Worth and Mr Finlayson of course. Therefore the Wills Bill restates the law in a single statute in plain modern language. The process of modernising and improving the language of the bill has also been substantially contributed to by the Justice and Electoral Committee which made a number of sensible changes to the drafting and language of the bill.To the extent that the bill modernises the substantive law relating to wills it essentially follows the Law Commission’s proposals. These changes improve the legal framework for will-making. They make it easier for certain people to make wills and mitigate the risk of a will-maker’s wishes being undermined by a poorly drafted or executed will. Overall they allow better effect to be given to will-makers’ intentions.Wills speak for people who are no longer able to speak for themselves. Legislation that makes it clear what is required for an effective will eases the burden on the will-maker. Legislation that also offers avenues for overcoming defects in the will when the will-maker is no longer able to do so for himself or herself eases the burden on those who are left behind. In that regard this is a bill that is worthy of commendation to this House and I commend the bill to the House.