Mediation Services

Family Disputes

I can help resolve disputes between family members in the following areas:

→ Care of Children
→ Relationship Property
→ Conflicts Within Families

I guide couples towards amicable separation agreements that honour both their shared history and future aspirations. I can assist with all aspects of the separation:

• Design a robust parenting plan that will be the road map for your future co-parenting.
• Negotiate an agreement on how to share your joint property.*
• Collaborate with an experienced financial advisor to help with family business appraisals and other required property-related advice.
• Collaborate with divorce coaches to provide individual support for one or both party so they can cope with the difficulties in rebuilding your life after separation.

*Note, under New Zealand law, in order for a relationship property agreement to be legally binding each party needs to obtain independent legal advice.

Private Care of Children Mediation

This process helps parents separate amicably, reducing stress and powerlessness, while working together to maximise the wellbeing of their children. It is a comprehensive process that takes parents through a structured journey helping them create the best parenting plan for their family.

Here’s what’s included:

• Intake session – an individual in-depth conversation with each parent designed to collect background information and explore their needs and wants for themselves and their children following separation.
• Strategy session – a second individual session designed to help parents prepare for the mediation. It focuses on the individual parent’s goals for post-separation care arrangements and assists parents to develop an effective strategy for achieving these goals.
• Joint mediation meetings – a series of facilitated conversations between parents in which they share their views on the future care arrangements for their family and work to develop a mutually acceptable plan. Through this process parents will have an opportunity to brainstorm and discuss options for best care arrangements and develop new communication skills and rules that will govern future parenting.
• Support and advice – throughout the process parents will benefit from professional knowledge and experience to assist them in identifying the best parenting plan.
• Constructing the parenting plan – a draft parenting plan will be drawn based on the understandings reached in the joint mediation meetings and shared with parents for comments and discussion. If necessary, further joint meetings shall be arranged to discuss any disagreements.
• Finalising the parenting plan – a final parenting plan will be drawn and signed by both parents and an implementation strategy outlined.

• BONUS follow-up session – an individual review conversation with parents, three months after implementation of the new parenting arrangements, to examine how well these arrangements are working and suggest any tweaks or adjustments.*

At the end of the process, parents will have a robust and detailed parenting plan that will enable them to get on with their post-separation lives. In the process, they will learn new ways to communicate with each other, being respectful of the other parent’s autonomy in their parenting style and in their new life, thus futureproofing the parenting relationship.

*In the event the parenting plan requires substantial amendments, new mediation sessions may be required at additional cost.

Relationship Property

Dividing your joint assets following separation is often a complex task both at the level of defining what is the pool of assets that need to be shared as well as how to share these assets. The key to doing this amicably, is engaging in a comprehensive mediation process, walking step by step through a structured process with distinct stages, involving experts such as accountants or estimators where needed.

A relationship property mediation process may vary depending on the circumstances of each case. It will include individual sessions with each party to explore their needs and strategies for the mediation. Detailed property questionnaires will be sent to the parties and an agreed list of the pool of property for division will be agreed upon at the first stage.

The process will continue with a series of joint mediation meetings where the views and needs of the parties will be shared and considered with the goal of reaching a fair and adequate resolution.

A written agreement will then be formulated and signed and the parties will each seek legal advice to make sure they are aware of their legal rights when signing the agreement.

Conflicts Within Families

Families are complex systems with interdependent relationships between family members. These relationships are not constant; they evolve and change with time and the family life-cycle. Often, changes involve conflict and if ignored or handled incorrectly, such conflict can destroy these important relationships. I can help with providing a safe environment and a proven process that will help all parties speak and be heard and work together to find solutions. Most typical are disputes:

• Between parents and teenage children
• Between siblings about the care of an elderly parent
• Between children and their elderly parents
• Between couples who run a family business

Business Disputes

Running a business comes with challenges — and sometimes, disagreements can arise with partners, suppliers, contractors, employees, or customers. These conflicts can quickly escalate, damaging relationships, disrupting operations, and draining time and resources.

I’m familiar with these challenges first-hand. For 20 years, I owned and managed a few family businesses in NZ. I can help business owners and stakeholders resolve disputes quickly, fairly, and confidentially through mediation. My role is to create a safe and structured environment where all parties can openly share their concerns, explore options, and work towards practical, mutually acceptable solutions.

Buying or selling a business can often result in disputes between the buyer and seller. This is familiar territory for me, as I bought and sold 4 businesses over the years and am very conscious of the importance of resolving these disputes quickly so that both buyer and seller can move on.

Mediation offers:

• Confidentiality – Keep sensitive business information private.
• Efficiency – Resolve matters faster than going through court or formal proceedings. Mediation can be completed in 3-4 meetings and typically doesn’t take more than a few weeks.
• Cost-effectiveness – Avoid the high expenses of drawn-out legal battles. Mediation can be done with or without lawyers representing the parties, depending on the parties’ wishes.
• Preserved relationships – Maintain important working relationships by focusing on collaboration, not confrontation.

Whether your dispute involves a contract, a payment issue, a partnership disagreement, or an internal workplace matter, I bring neutrality, clarity, and a results-focused approach to help you move forward.

Workplace Mediation

Conflict in the workplace can affect morale, productivity, and the overall health of an organisation. Left unresolved, disputes can escalate, damaging working relationships and creating costly disruptions.

I provide confidential, impartial workplace mediation to help resolve conflicts between:

• Employees and colleagues
• Managers and their teams
• Individual employees and management

My role is to create a safe and respectful space where all parties can speak openly, listen to each other, and work toward practical, lasting solutions. Through structured conversation and guided problem-solving, I help people move beyond positions and focus on shared interests, so they can rebuild trust and get back to working productively.

Benefits of workplace mediation:

• Preserves relationships – Focus on repairing and maintaining respectful working connections.
• Confidential and voluntary – Encourages openness and honesty without fear of repercussions.
• Cost and time-effective – Resolve issues quickly, avoiding drawn-out grievances or formal processes.
• Positive workplace culture – Supports a cooperative, respectful, and engaged environment.

Whether it’s a personality clash, a communication breakdown, or a disagreement about roles and responsibilities, workplace mediation offers a constructive path forward for everyone involved.

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