Friday, 13 March 2026
Chair
Michael Gorton, Senior Associate, TGT Legal
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how the courts assess a deceased’s obligations to adult children and a surviving spouse under the Family Protection Act 1955, particularly in blended family estates
- Apply key principles from leading and recent case law to advise on competing claims and develop practical strategies to reduce the risk of estate disputes
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD hour
Blood and Bonds: Navigating Competing Claims Between Adult Children and Spouses in Blended Families
- Examination of a deceased’s duty to provide for their adult children and surviving spouse under the Family Protection Act 1955
- Focus on leading and recent case law to illustrate how the Courts balance these competing interests
- Consideration of key factors influencing the Court’s approach
- Provision of practical strategies for estate planners and litigators to mitigate disputes
Presented by Prajna Moodley, Partner, Brookfields Lawyers, and Natasha Williams, Senior Associate, Brookfields Lawyers
Presenters
Prajna Moodley, Partner, Brookfields Lawyers
Prajna advises and represents clients in a wide range of disputes. Prajna’s clients include individuals, corporates, local authorities, insurance companies, trusts & trustees, incorporated societies and charitable organisations. Prajna’s experience incorporates the breadth of civil claims including commercial, property, relationship property, trusts & estates, and associated areas. Prajna appears primarily in the High Court, regularly in the District and Family Courts, in the Court of Appeal on numerous occasions and the Supreme Court. Prajna is particularly experienced and skilled in negotiating settlement of disputes prior to Court hearings, including via mediation, on terms favourable to his clients. Prajna regularly presents seminars on legal issues and practise to professional bodies. Prajna authors LexisNexis: Practical Guidance modules, including claims against estates and contested proceedings.
Michael Gorton, Senior Associate, TGT Legal
Mike is a solicitor qualified in England & Wales. He joined TGT Legal after relocating from London where he worked for several international law firms, having qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2016. He advised trustees of large superannuation schemes in relation to all aspects of trusts law and UK pensions law, including trustee duties and obligations in the context of high value transactions and investments. In New Zealand, he advises private clients in relation to trust establishment and administration, estate planning and relationship property whilst continuing to advise trustees of superannuation schemes
Natasha Williams, Senior Associate, Brookfields Lawyers
Natasha has extensive experience in trust law, advising family members on family protection claims, dealing with relationship property disputes and elder law. Natasha provides specialised legal advice to individuals, families and trustee companies on all aspects of trust formations and variations, trust wind ups and resettlements, trustees’ compliance with duties and obligations under the Trusts Act 2019. She provides advice to property and welfare attorneys and on estate administration matters. Natasha is on the committee for the Family Court Association Auckland (FCAA), a member of the Estate and Taxation Planning Council (ETPC) and serves on the Board of Trustees at her local school.
