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

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

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

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

This is part one of a series of four articles providing some guidance, tips and talking points to assist you to co-parent your children during the COVID-19 self-isolation period. Along with my colleague (FDR mediator) Barbara McCulloch, and the FDR Centre’s Senior Manager - Kaye Penney, we have put together a document covering a variety of subject matters, which we hope that you will find useful. The overarching message throughout the document is that good, honest and meaning