Asset Division Guide vs Agreeable NZ for Property Settlement Preparation

The Short Answer

If you're choosing between a self-directed asset division guide and Agreeable for your New Zealand property settlement, they solve different problems at different stages. A preparation guide handles the upstream work — inventorying assets, classifying relationship property, calculating KiwiSaver splits, and building a structured financial brief. Agreeable handles the downstream work — drafting the agreement and connecting you with panel lawyers for Section 21F certification. Most couples who use Agreeable would benefit from having done the preparation work first. Most couples who use a guide still need Agreeable or a private lawyer for the drafting and certification.

They aren't substitutes. They're sequential.

How They Compare

Who This Comparison Is For

• Couples considering Agreeable who aren't sure they're ready for the drafting stage yet — they haven't inventoried everything or don't fully understand what's relationship property versus separate property
• Anyone who wants to understand the full cost of reaching a signed Section 21A agreement, including the preparation work that happens before Agreeable's questionnaire
• People comparing the price of a guide against Agreeable and wondering if one replaces the other
• De facto partners past the three-year threshold who need to classify their asset pool before entering any drafting process

Who This Comparison Is NOT For

• Couples in high-conflict situations where direct negotiation isn't possible — both options assume cooperative communication
• Anyone with hidden assets or suspected non-disclosure — you need a forensic accountant and a lawyer, not a preparation guide or an online drafter
• People who need court representation for a contested Family Court property order

What Agreeable Does Well

Agreeable is the standout NZ-specific online legal service for relationship property agreements. Founded by Michael Heron KC, it offers a structured online questionnaire that turns your answers into a draft separation agreement, then connects both parties with independent panel lawyers for the mandatory Section 21F certification. The fixed pricing is transparent — NZ$595 for drafting, with certification packages ranging from NZ$2,850 to NZ$3,250 depending on complexity.

The service excels at the drafting and certification stage. If you and your ex-partner have already agreed on who gets what, know the values, and understand the classification of each asset, Agreeable turns that clarity into a legally binding document efficiently.

Where the Gap Is

Agreeable's questionnaire asks for your numbers. It doesn't help you find them.

Before you can answer "what is the relationship portion of your KiwiSaver?" you need to obtain statements showing your balance at the start of the relationship and at the separation date, calculate the growth attributable to contributions during the relationship, and decide whether to offset against another asset or apply for a formal transfer through the Family Court.

Before you can answer "what are the joint debts?" you need to pull statements from every credit card, personal loan, and mortgage, classify each as a relationship debt or personal debt under the PRA, and calculate the current balances as at the separation date.

That upstream work is what a preparation guide covers. The New Zealand Divorce Financial Split & Asset Division Guide provides structured worksheets for each of these steps — asset and debt inventory, KiwiSaver split calculator, family home buyout worksheet, separate property tracing, and financial disclosure checklist — specifically designed to produce the organised numbers that a drafting service or lawyer needs to work from.

The Combined Cost

Using both a preparation guide and Agreeable, the total cost looks like this:

• Preparation guide: $29
• Agreeable drafting: NZ$595
• Agreeable certification: NZ$2,850–$3,250
• Agreeable total: roughly NZ$3,445–$3,845, plus the preparation guide

Compare that with the traditional route of hiring a family lawyer from the start at $250–$600 per hour for both preparation and drafting, which typically costs $3,000–$8,000 per party (so $6,000–$16,000 total for both parties). The guide-plus-Agreeable combination can save thousands, particularly for couples whose assets are relatively straightforward.

The Honest Tradeoffs

Preparation guide strengths: Teaches you the PRA framework so you understand what you're agreeing to, provides NZ-specific calculation methods for KiwiSaver and property classification, costs a fraction of any alternative, works at your pace.

Preparation guide weaknesses: Cannot produce a legally binding document, requires self-discipline to work through systematically, assumes both parties can communicate about finances.

Agreeable strengths: Fixed, transparent pricing with no hourly surprises, NZ-built for NZ law, handles the Section 21F certification process end to end, reputable legal backing.

Agreeable weaknesses: Starts at NZ$595 before certification costs, assumes you already have your financial information organised, doesn't help with the inventory and classification work that determines what goes into the agreement, doesn't cover edge cases that need personalised legal advice (trust structures, business interests, extraordinary circumstances claims).

When to Use Each

Start with the guide if:

• You haven't inventoried your assets and debts yet
• You're not sure what counts as relationship property versus separate property
• You need to calculate the relationship portion of KiwiSaver accounts
• You want to understand the PRA framework before committing to a drafting service
• One partner owned the family home before the relationship and you need to trace the separate portion

Go straight to Agreeable if:

• You've already agreed on the split with your ex-partner
• You know the values of everything and have documentation ready
• Your assets are simple (one property, standard KiwiSaver, joint account, minimal debt)
• You just need the drafting and certification step

Use both if:

• You need to organise your financial information before you can answer Agreeable's questionnaire
• You want to understand the PRA framework so you can negotiate informed terms before locking them into a draft agreement
• You'd rather spend a few hours with a guide than pay a lawyer $350/hour to sort through your bank statements

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a preparation guide replace Agreeable?

No. A preparation guide produces an organised financial brief and a settlement proposal. It cannot produce a legally binding agreement. Under Section 21F of the PRA, both parties must receive independent legal advice and have the agreement certified by their respective lawyers. Agreeable handles that certification. A guide handles the work that comes before it.

Can I use Agreeable without doing any preparation first?

Technically yes — Agreeable's questionnaire walks you through the information it needs. But if you can't answer questions about asset values, KiwiSaver splits, or property classification, you'll need to pause and gather that information anyway. Doing the preparation work beforehand makes the Agreeable process faster and reduces the risk of leaving assets out of the agreement.

What if my situation is too complex for Agreeable?

Agreeable works best for couples with relatively straightforward assets who've agreed on terms. If you have business interests, family trusts, disputes about property classification, or extraordinary circumstances claims under Section 13 of the PRA, a private family lawyer may be better suited to handle the drafting. A preparation guide still helps you organise your financial information before that lawyer meeting.

Is Agreeable's certification legally equivalent to using my own lawyer?

Yes. Agreeable connects both parties with independent panel lawyers who provide the same Section 21F certification that any private family lawyer would. The legal effect is identical — the resulting agreement is binding and enforceable under the PRA.

How long does the preparation-to-certification process take?

Working through a preparation guide takes 8–15 hours spread over a week or two. Agreeable's drafting takes a few hours online, and the certification process depends on lawyer availability and the complexity of the agreement. The time from starting the guide to having a certified agreement therefore varies.

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