Digital Executor

What this guide covers

This guide is written as a practical reference for New Zealand families organizing private records before they become urgent. It focuses on the details that make a plan understandable to someone who may need to act quickly and carefully.

• A digital executor needs an inventory before they need passwords.
• Digital assets should include instructions, not just account names.
• Access should be selective, reviewed, and tied to a trusted role.

Build a digital inventory first

List email, cloud storage, financial portals, social accounts, subscriptions, devices, backups, business systems, photos, files, and other digital assets that may need review.

• Accounts, providers, account purpose, and owner notes
• Devices, backups, password managers, and recovery methods
• Digital assets that should be preserved, closed, transferred, or reviewed

Explain what the executor should do

A future executor needs practical instructions: which accounts matter, which subscriptions should stop, which files should be preserved, and who can help interpret records.

• Preserve family, business, and financial records
• Mark accounts that should be closed or transferred
• Name contacts who can confirm technical or financial details

Avoid turning preparation into exposure

Digital executor planning should prepare access without broadcasting private data. Keep sensitive details protected and share sections only when the recipient has a clear role.

• Separate account references from high-risk credentials
• Use selective sharing for executors and advisors
• Review access after role or relationship changes

Review the digital plan regularly

Digital records change quickly. New devices, changed recovery methods, subscription updates, and account closures should be reflected before the plan becomes stale.

• Set reminders for account and device reviews
• Update recovery instructions after provider changes
• Keep exported summaries current when offline review is needed

How this fits in Legacy Toolkit

Use this guide as a working checklist inside the desktop vault. Create or review the relevant profile sections, attach the documents that support each record, add reminders where information can go stale, and share only the sections a trusted person needs for their role.

The goal is not to turn a private life into a public folder. The goal is to keep the plan legible, current, and controlled so the right person can find the right information without receiving the whole vault by default.

• Profile sections keep the plan readable instead of turning it into a loose notes file.
• Document attachments keep proof beside the account, asset, policy, or instruction it supports.
• Trusted access lets you prepare a handoff without exposing the full vault by default.

Digital executor checklist

Treat this as a first pass, not a final legal packet. Review the items, fill in what is missing, and return to the plan whenever a provider, account, advisor, family role, or document changes.

• List online accounts, devices, backups, password managers, and digital assets.
• Attach documents and notes that explain why each record matters.
• Write instructions for preserving, closing, transferring, or reviewing assets.
• Name family, executor, advisor, and technical contacts.
• Share selected sections with the trusted person assigned to the role.

Official New Zealand references

These links are included for context. Legacy Toolkit helps organise records and does not replace legal, financial, tax, medical, or court advice.

• Own Your Online: Protect your privacy online
• Own Your Online: Protect yourself from online identity theft
• New Zealand Government: What to organise before you die
• New Zealand Government: What to do when someone dies