28 February 2012

Maori land issues, valuation disputes, sharemilking agreements and farm ownership structures will be among the highlighted issues at an intensive seminar on rural dispute resolution seminar to be held in Wellington.

The three-day gathering, from March 16-18, will be hosted by the Arbitrators and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand, or AMINZ, the country’s professional association for dispute resolvers.

The seminar is one of an array of similar events over the coming months aimed at helping improve dispute resolution and providing continuing professional development across several sectors.

It offers in-depth tools to assist anyone with a rural dispute resolution practice along with others looking to deal with disputes in the sector. Course materials will also be provided.

Included in the programme are sessions on dispute resolution in relation to such areas as sharemilking agreements and variations, resource management, employment, technical issues, valuation and lease disputes and developing a practice.

Among the confirmed speakers are Ian Blackman Bruce Cottrill, Ranald Gordon, Brett Gould, David Hosking, John Larmer, Richard Munneke, David Patten and Roger Pitchforth, Chris Southgate and Bruce Wills.

The programme also features a dedicated sessions devoted to reviewing and updating a variety of existing practical and technical material.

“As our country’s economic backbone, it’s hardly surprising that the rural sector should have so many challenges in the area of dispute resolution,” says Deborah Hart, the executive director of AMINZ.

“What is surprising is how relatively few forums there are for the relevant professionals to come together around the subject—a situation our institute has been pleased to help change.”

ENDS

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