Cost of the FDR service
You may be eligible for government funding
FDR mediation, Preparation for Mediation and Voice of Child Specialists are free of charge if you qualify for government funding.
If you do not qualify for full funding, you will still be able to access FDR (mediation, Preparation for Mediation and Voice of Child Specialists) at a cost of $448.50 per person including GST.
To find out whether you qualify for government funding call us on 0800 77 44 20 or go to the funding table at the Ministry of Justice website.
To apply for government funding, complete this form and send it to fdr@fairwayresolution.com.
There is no cost for checking if FDR might be right for you
There are no costs to contact Fair Way and discuss Family Dispute Resolution (FDR), or for Fair Way to undertake an initial assessment of each person’s readiness and suitability to participate in FDR.
If as a result of the initial assessments, the FDR Provider decides that FDR is not suitable for the people involved, you will be provided with an FDR Outcome Form referring the family dispute to the Family Court. Fair Way’s FDR service is completed at this point, and there is no cost for this form.
The cost is shared depending on the number of parties
Where the FDR Provider considers that each person is ready and the dispute is suitable for FDR, the FDR mediation process begins.
If you do not qualify for government funding, the fee is $448.50 per person (or shared depending on the number of parties involved). For example, if there are two people, then the cost per person is $448.50 including GST.
Where one person is funded and the other is not, the cost will be $448.50 including GST to the non-funded person.
The FDR Resolution Coordinator can explain the costs to you.
Payment of the FDR fee
If you are not funded, the cost of FDR must be paid before you meet with your mediator or Preparation for Mediation provider. Payment can be made by deposit to Fair Way’s bank account at any BNZ branch or you can also pay by internet banking entering account number 02-0108-0402108-01. Please provide your case number and party number in separate fields.
If you would like to pay by credit card, please contact the FDR Resolution Coordinator who can arrange the payment by phone. Call us on 0800 77 44 20 and talk to one of our FDR Resolution Coordinators.
The fee includes up to 12 hours of FDR services in each 12-month period.
The FDR mediation process begins at the first point of contact between each person and their appointed FDR Provider or Preparation for Mediation Provider. Individual meetings with your mediator and Preparation for Mediation sessions are counted as part of the 12 hours of mediation available to all parties.
The fee is non-refundable. There is no refund for partial completion of the process and any unused hours are not refundable.
Change of mediator and cancellations
If you wish to change mediator, you may need to explain your concerns or demonstrate to Fair Way the circumstances that affect the mediator’s impartiality or independence in the eyes of anyone involved in the dispute. If a change of mediator is requested and undertaken for any other reason, any hours already undertaken in mediation by the original FDR Provider will not be refunded to the parties.
If you do not show up for your PFM session or any mediation meeting, or cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, one hour will be deducted from your 12-hour mediation time.