Putting whānau foremost in Family Dispute Resolution

24 October 2014

Dispute resolution company, FairWay Resolution, has developed a uniquely New Zealand approach to family dispute resolution (FDR) that is underpinned by the cultural needs and values of the parties to a family dispute.

In support of its role as a provider to the Ministry of Justice’s new FDR mediation service FairWay has developed Tumeke Whānau Whanui, a family dispute resolution approach for Maori based around traditional Maori values. The approach draws on whanau parental guardianship as a collective responsibility and understanding that what happens in the family today makes a difference to the generations to come as much as the present family.

“Conflict is a fact of life – regardless of ethnicity, age or gender,” says FairWay FDR Scheme Director Denise Evans. “FairWay’s aim is to help build strong capable families where conflict is managed to create awesome opportunities for children”.

The new FDR mediation service has been introduced by Ministry of Justice as part of the Family Justice system and aims to help families reach agreement on parenting arrangements after separation and avoid the time, expense and stress of going to court.

As a national FDR service provider Fairway Resolution has a team of more than 150 accredited mediators and provides FDR services in 61 locations throughout New Zealand.

In the first six months of the Family Justice system’s new FDR mediation service FairWay mediations have reached some form of agreement in 84% of cases handled to date.

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