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A recent article from Daily Sabah highlights a powerful shift in how disputes are being resolved in Türkiye — and the results are hard to ignore. Mediation is no longer just an “alternative” to court; it is becoming a primary pathway to faster, more practical, and more human outcomes. The numbers tell a compelling story Since its introduction into the legal system in 2012 (with practical rollout in 2013), Türkiye’s mediation system has delivered significant impact: 9.27 milli

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has become an increasingly popular method for resolving legal disputes outside of the courtroom. As a lawyer, it is essential to have a strong understanding of ADR processes such as mediation and arbitration, as they can offer a quicker and more cost-effective way to resolve conflicts for your clients. One valuable resource for lawyers looking to enhance their knowledge of ADR is Focus Mediation, a leading dispute resolution service based

In the realm of dispute resolution, high net worth clients often face complex and costly legal battles that can drag on for months or even years. However, there is a more efficient and cost-effective solution available - alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services provided by experts in the field. One such expert service based in Auckland, New Zealand is known for its exceptional track record in helping clients resolve disputes swiftly and economically. Darren Rawlins has o

I have had a number of discussions with Mediator Vikram about the use of mediation in a school setting. We have discussed enabling those students who want to be part of dispute resolution in the school setting to be encouraged to do so. We have discussed the skills mediators have, and that although training can help, we always land on the belief that people are naturally capable of resolving disputes, when it comes to helping others. Mediators come from a variety of professio

Rwanda embraces mediation in 2020, with over a 90% success rate, and over $15b value of cases successfully resolved…and counting. One of the (many) positive pillars of mediation is the success rate for resolving disputes, anecdotally we hear around 80% of disputes that are mediated resolve. There has been a 50% increase each year from 2019 in cases coming before the courts. Mediation has been and continues to be a success, with more cases being directed to mediation as a resu

Thank you to Vikram Gee aka Vikram, mediator for inviting me to be part of the International Mediators Symposium on Colonisation, Decolonisation and Mediation held on Zoom and Youtube Live earlier this year on 15-30th September 2022. It was my pleasure to speak about this topic from a NZ context and to converse with Vikram throughout my presentation. Click here to view my presentation on YouTube

I recently listened to a great podcast - well worth a listen, here is a background summary: Cease Fire was a non-profit organisation that focuses on reducing gun violence through building relationships and providing opportunities for young men and women in Chicago. Gary Slutkin an epidemiologist started CeaseFire, he views shootings as a public health issue. Gary noticed the similarities between infectious diseases and violence, that being that if you go after the most infect

In a somewhat interesting move, with no prior announcement, Amazon has changed its terms of service and no longer requires customer disputes against it to be resolved through arbitration, but rather via the court process. Whilst Amazon news has recently been centered around its founder and CEO Jeff Bezos being launched into space aboard the New Shepard, Amazon has quietly changed its requirement for arbitration for pursuing claims against it. Many disputes have arisen from th

I was delighted to be asked recently by Ellerslie Rotary Club to attend one of their weekly meetings as a guest speaker, to speak with them about mediation. Whoever was taking notes did an absolutely sterling job at summarising what I shared with them, a mediator in the making! The Rotary Club members were extremely friendly and welcoming, I was taken aback at their generosity in providing three local schools each with a $3,000.00 cheque to help them, the Principal's of each

I was delighted to be asked by Legalwise to present at their webinar, a presentation - 'Top Tips for the Best Outcomes in Mediation'. There was some great feedback from the webinar. "I have not yet been involved in a mediation and I learnt a lot from the speaker. There are many points which I can take out of this webinar." "The seminar provided excellent insight from highly skilled practitioners that I can immediately implement into current case load." "Excellent. I have dev

Thankyou to bestrated.co.nz for recognising me as one the five best mediators in Auckland, it is an honour to be named third in such esteemed company of hardworking and skilled peers. Congratulations to my fellow mediators - Deborah Claphsaw, Paul Sills, Senta Knapp and Claire Thompson who make up their five best mediators in Auckland.

Following on from our post in August - the government backed mediation & arbitration scheme, for resolving commercial rent issues between business and landlords impacted by COVID-19 is now live. The purpose of the scheme is to to deliver fully funded arbitration and mediation services for commercial leases who are in dispute about the payment of rent and outgoings, where the tenant has experienced a loss of revenue during an Alert Level 3 or 4 lockdown period, because of gove

Another lockdown for us here is New Zealand is going to be challenging. We have some early helpful guidance from the government as to what this means for caregivers who have a shared care arrangement of their children. - If caregivers are based in Auckland you can travel within Auckland to enable the continued shared care arrangements. - Caregivers based in Auckland can also travel out of Auckland, and caregivers not based in Auckland can travel into and through Auckland to

This week, Minister of Justice, Andrew Little introduced the Family Court (Supporting Children in Court) Legislation Bill. This arises from the report of the Independent Panel Te Korowai Ture ā-Whānau, which examined the effectiveness of the 2014 family justice reforms, which recommended many changes. There will be amendments to the Care of Children Act and the Family Dispute Resolution Act, if the bill is approved. The bill looks to establish children’s participation as a gu

Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced that the government will provide $40M to assist in subsidising the cost of mediation and arbitration, for resolving rent issues between businesses and landlords impacted by COVID-19. Little said ‘This funding will ensure that tenants and landlords, even if financially constrained, will be able to access dispute resolution services. I continue to encourage businesses and landlords to work towards reaching a fair agreement on the pay

In international mediation news, a court-ordered mediation will start this week between the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government and Canadian mining company Barrick, over the Porgera gold mine. The two parties have been in stand-off since the government refused to renew the companies lease. With operations suspended and 3000 employees local employees currently out of work, both the PNG national and Enga provincial governments have lost millions of kina in the impasse. https://ln

If there was ever a need for urgent dispute resolution, now is that time. Business owners all over New Zealand, are struggling with paying their rent following the lock down period. Many are struggling to engage with their landlords about their cash-flow problems, and trying to reach a deal until they are in a better position. Many businesses in New Zealand that have a downturn due to COVID-19 and are looking to talk with their landlords to find a mutually satisfying agreem

The dispute between Christ Church college, Oxford, and its dean, Martyn Percy has been spiraling out of control for nearly two years. The dean was suspended by the college in November 2018, for alleged misconduct. The Dean returned to work after the conclusion of a behind closed doors tribunal headed by retired High Court judge Sir Andrew Smith. Sir Andrew Smith dismissed the allegations against the dean and ordered his reinstatement at the college. An employment tribunal is

Parents Ebony Roberts and Shaka Senghor separated when their son was three years old. The journey that they decided to take as co-parents is inspirational. The love that they both have for their son over-rode their heartache, hurt and the fear that comes with trying to navigate their new roles as co-parents. They choose to remember the best qualities of each other and support each other, by honouring their love for their son, and sharing the parenting workload. Through the

This is the final part of the 'Co-parenting through Isolation' series. Thank you again to my collaborators Barbara McCulloch, Kaye Penney and John Green of the FDR Centre. A special thanks to Brendon Smith and Allan Harvey of Kidz Need Dadz for their input. Here our top tips for looking after yourself as well as your children through isolation. 1. Your video/phone calls do not need to be an exhibition, plan ahead, choose the stories that you will read and the things that you