Dr. Deborah Inder

Dr. Deborah (Deb) Inder is a highly respected professional in the field of family law and mediation. With over two decades of experience, she has made significant contributions to the New Zealand Family Justice System. Dr. Inder is an accredited NZ Law Society Family Specialist Mediator and a member of the New Zealand Family Law Section. Her expertise in mediation lies in Child Focused Mediation, where she deals with issues surrounding the care of children and guardianship disputes. Dr Inder also undertakes private Relationship Property mediation.

Dr Inder advocates for a child centred, trauma informed and culturally responsive approach to her practice. Dr Inder holds a strong belief that the needs and voices of all family members should be acknowledged and respected in the mediation process. Mediation must create a safe, balanced environment where power imbalances are actively managed, emotions are supported with empathy and robust, agreements are developed that set clear engagement parameters so as to reduce the risk of future conflict.

Dr. Inder has also contributed to the academic field through her publications. She has written articles for the New Zealand Family Law Journal and the NZFLS Family Advocate, where she has compared mediation models and discussed their benefits and relevance in the context of family law practice in New Zealand. A frequent face at seminars, conferences and online webinars Dr Inder has presented numerous times both nationally and internationally to lawyers, mediators and the judiciary. Dr Inder conducted the Child Participation Stock take for the Ministry of Justice between 2001 and 2002. The report evaluated children’s participation practices within the New Zealand Family Justice System making recommendations that led to the development of the role of Child Specialists in FDR. Dr Inder has recently spent a year as Principal Advisor on Judicial Education working at Te Kura Kaiwhakawā | The Institute of Judicial Studies within the Office of the Chief Justice. Her specialist areas were Youth Court and Family Court. Dr Inder was responsible for working closely with the judiciary and judicial education committees advising on curriculum content development and design for judicial educational programs.