Careers

Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) is a mediation service designed to help parents and caregivers resolve the care arrangements for children without needing to engage in Court proceedings.

To ensure that all decisions and choices made at FDR by parents and caregivers are made with children’s best interests at heart, we have an exciting opportunity for passionate FDR Child Specialists to join our Family Services team.

The Child Specialist role is dedicated to providing children who are the subject of a family dispute an opportunity to provide input in an age-appropriate and safe way.

The role will be responsible for directly engaging with children to seek their views regarding their care and/or making recommendations to mediators so that mediators can ensure children’s needs and views are given due weight in decision-making around their care arrangement. The role will also be responsible for providing specialist support, advice and guidance to our child practitioners and meditators facilitating child-inclusion.

The role can be full or part-time (at least 3 days per week). As the sole nationwide supplier of FDR services, we are open to applicants from across New Zealand. Please note that regular travel is required.

To be successful in this role you will ideally have:

• A relevant qualification e.g, clinical psychology, social work, youth work, health teaching, or human services (Level 6 or above).
• At least two years’ proven practice experience engaging with or interviewing children or young people in a family post-separation context.
• An up-to-date registration with a relevant professional body (for example, Aotearoa NZ Association of Social Workers).
• A clean, current driver’s license.
• Proven ability to build rapport and trust with children and their whānau in environments of family conflict and complexity.
• Knowledge and understanding of tikanga Māori, te reo Māori, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and how it applies to FDR.
• An understanding of the impact of adversity and trauma, and child and adolescent brain development.
• Knowledge of techniques for eliciting the views of children, including those with disabilities and communication challenges.
• An ability to recognise and respond to family violence and concerns regarding abuse and neglect.
• Knowledge of Care of Children Act 2004, Family Dispute Resolution Act 2013, Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, Children’s Act 2014 and Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

What we offer:

• Competitive pay
• An opportunity to participate and benefit from a profit-sharing framework
• Life and income protection insurance
• Wellbeing benefits
• Flexible working
• An outstanding team and culture
• Cultural capability learning and growth opportunities

What you need to know:

• We’re committed to the Treaty of Waitangi, and whilst we don’t expect you to be an expert in in this, we do expect our team to actively engage, learn, and grow their cultural capability and comfort, and we have a framework for this to occur within.
• We care about our people, and deeply about the work we do. With this comes an expectation that you bring your best, do your best and help others.
• Our values of Empathy (aroha), Integrity (pono), Professionalism (tika), Collaboration (mahi tahi) and Fairness (tōkeke) matter to us. We expect you to know what they mean to you and your commitment to these to exist beyond words.

To learn more about this role download the position description:

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@fairwayresolution.com. Applications close Monday 2 June 2025 at 5pm.

We have an opportunity for an experienced lawyer with post qualification experience to join our team of passionate Practitioners.

The Resolution Practitioner is accountable for providing a range of high quality, efficient and timely dispute resolution services, including (but not limited to) facilitation, mediation, conciliation and adjudication, for a diverse group of customers.

The focus of this role will be review hearings and alternative dispute resolution of ACC personal injury disputes. This involves conducting case conferences and hearings and providing a written decision to the parties setting out the reasons for the decision.

To be successful in this role you will have:

• An understanding of dispute resolution, particularly adjudication, facilitation and conciliation. Competence in problem solving and the ability to provide clear reasoning for decisions made using plain English.
• Extensive experience in providing a high-quality service that meets customer expectations and professional standards, ensuring customers have trust in the fairness of services provided.
• The ability to understand, interpret and apply ACC legislation to analyse and identify issues; and make robust decisions with experience in conducting quasi-judicial hearings.
• A Tertiary qualification in Law is essential and Membership of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand (or equivalent professional membership) is advantageous.
• The ability to deliver a professional service that recognises and supports customers unique cultural requirements.

What we offer:

• Competitive pay
• An opportunity to participate and benefit from a profit-sharing framework
• Life and income protection insurance
• Wellbeing benefits
• Flexible working
• An outstanding team and culture
• Cultural capability learning and growth opportunities

What you need to know:

• We’re committed to the Treaty of Waitangi, and whilst we don’t expect you to be expert in in this, we do expect our team to actively engage, learn, and grow their cultural capability and comfort, and we have a framework for this to occur within.
• We care about our people, and deeply about the work we do. With this comes an expectation that you bring your best, do your best and help others.
• Our values of Empathy (aroha), Integrity (pono), Professionalism (tika), Collaboration (mahi tahi) and Fairness (tōkeke) matter to us. We expect you to know what they mean to you and your commitment to these to exist beyond words.

To learn more about this role download the position description:

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@fairwayresolution.com. Applications close Monday 2 June 2025 at 5pm

Our ACC team is busy, so to help with the workload, we are looking for a Resolution Coordinator to join our dedicated ACC Services team.

This is a great opportunity for someone with a passion for great customer service. You will work as part of a close-knit team who are based across 3 locations coordinating, monitoring and managing the progress of cases against timelines. This will include responsibility for supporting customers through the ACC review process, while working closely with our team of reviewers and ensuring that legislative requirements are met.

To be successful in this role you will ideally have:

• An interest or understanding of dispute resolution processes.
• Customer service experience.
• Ability to work within a close-knit diverse team, teamwork is key to the success of this role.
• Excellent case management and administration skills.
• Strong time management, planning and organisational skills.
• Excellent listening skills with the ability to remain calm and balanced and extract the relevant information from the customer, together with the ability to understand and communicate information.
• Good questioning skills, employing empathy, resilience and understanding.
• A high degree of initiative, self-motivation and problem-solving skills.
• An appreciation and understanding of different cultural backgrounds, values, beliefs and perceptions.
• A desire to assist individuals who are in a time of conflict and challenge.
• An eye for attention to detail.
• Passion for what you do and take pride in the quality of your work.

What we offer:

• Competitive pay
• An opportunity to participate and benefit from a profit-sharing framework
• Life and income protection insurance
• Wellbeing benefits
• Flexible working
• An outstanding team and culture
• Cultural capability learning and growth opportunities

What you need to know:

• We’re committed to the Treaty of Waitangi, and whilst we don’t expect you to be expert in in this, we do expect our team to actively engage, learn, and grow their cultural capability and comfort, and we have a framework for this to occur within.
• We care about our people, and deeply about the work we do. With this comes an expectation that you bring your best, do your best and help others.
• Our values of Empathy (aroha), Integrity (pono), Professionalism (tika), Collaboration (mahi tahi) and Fairness (tōkeke) matter to us. We expect you to know what they mean to you and your commitment to these to exist beyond words.

To learn more about this role download the position description:

To apply please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@fairwayresolution.com. Applications close Monday 2 June 2025 at 5pm

Would you like to join Fair Way’s panel? 

We are now inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from accredited FDR providers to join our mediation panel.

Contractor opportunities are available from 1 July 2025, with full training provided to the panel immediately prior to launch.

For experienced FDR providers who are interested in this opportunity we ask that you complete our online form and submit any supporting documents to this form by Sunday, 8 June.  Please include a copy of your CV and cover letter, along with any relevant membership certificates or accreditation documents.

If you have additional questions regarding the FDR scheme, please contact Will Story, Family Services Operations Manager (Will.story@fairwayresolution.com) or Samantha de Coning, Head of Practice at Fair Way (Samantha.deconing@fairwayresolution.com). 

Would you like to join Fair Way’s panel? 

We are now inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from contractors to join our Voice of Child (VOC) practitioner panel. 

Contractor opportunities are available from 1 July 2025, with full training provided to the panel immediately prior to launch.

For experienced VOC practitioners who are interested in this opportunity we ask that you complete our online form and submit any supporting documents by Sunday, 8 June. Please include a copy of your CV and cover letter, along with any relevant membership certificates or accreditation documents.

If you have additional questions regarding the FDR scheme and the role of VOC, please contact Will Story, Family Services Operations Manager (will.story@fairwayresolution.com) or Samantha de Coning, Head of Practice at Fair Way (Samantha.deconing@fairwayresolution.com).

Are you interested in joining Fair Way’s diverse panel of practitioners?

We invite experienced and accredited mediators, adjudicators and other dispute resolution professionals to express your interest using this form.

Your application will be reviewed and you may be invited to meet with our team for a friendly conversation to learn more about our services and the requirements as a contracted dispute resolution professional.

Successful applicants will be provided with information and training as part of their onboarding to our services, in addition to ongoing professional development.