ACC Services Kōrero - December 2024
Tīhema / December 2024
Nau mai haere mai, welcome to the latest edition of our ACC Services Kōrero.
Believe it or not we are only a few short weeks away from drawing 2024 to a close. It’s been an action packed 12 months at Fair Way and many of our team are looking forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation over the holiday period, as I’m sure many of you are too! We will still have a small crew here to help if you need us, details of the days and hours that we will be available can be found below.
Each and every month of the year gone by has had successes to celebrate, but there have been a few highlights in particular that have made 2024 extra special. One of these has been welcoming a number of amazing new practitioners to our team, many of whom you would have had the opportunity to work with on your reviews and mediations by now. This growth has also provided us with the opportunity to add to our team of Resolution Coordinators and we recently welcomed two new faces, Sonia and Charmaine, to our Tāmaki Makaurau and Ōtautahi offices. A little intro about each can be found further on.
There have also been some really exciting developments in terms of what we can offer our customers through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). We shared a little about this in our last edition and are pleased to say that this has gone from strength to strength. You may also recall earlier in the year we introduced you to Hinemoa Dixon, Fair Way’s Cultural Capability Lead. Hinemoa has been working closely with our team to help provide support for parties requesting a tikanga approach to navigate their conflict, a recent example of which we are pleased to share in this edition.
In amongst all of that there have been a number of milestones reached, wonderful bits of customer feedback received and daily opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. It’s a real privilege to be able to do the important mahi that we do every day and we look forward to continuing to work with you all in the new year.
We hope that you enjoy hearing about what’s been going on at Fair Way and please get in touch if you have any feedback, comments or suggestions.
Ngā mihi
Blair Wadams and Genessa Tabak
Operations Managers - ACC Services
ADR service update
In our previous edition of Kōrero we wrote about how excited we were to be in the early stages of expanding our ADR service. A few months down the road and we are very proud of what our team has been able to achieve in this space.
Since 1 July 2024 we have been able to fully or partially settle 90% of all cases that have gone through our ADR process. This is an outstanding result and reflects the dedication and skill our practitioners bring in working collaboratively with parties to find a suitable solution. For the small percentage that weren’t quite able to come to an agreement, thanks to some newly implemented process efficiencies we have been able to quickly transition these through to our review service, so that parties can have closure of their dispute in a timely manner. On the topic of timeliness, 92% of our ADR cases have from start to finish been completed in less than 60 days, highlighting the effectiveness of this approach in getting matters resolved.
While our team thoroughly enjoy using ADR, what matters the most to us is the experience our customers are having through this process. It’s therefore been rewarding to hear that 85% of customers surveyed say they are feeling satisfied or very satisfied with their ADR experience with Fair Way. Delighted with this as we are, there’s always room to improve, so if you have any feedback or suggestions that might be of benefit to all involved then please reach out to us.
Introducing new team members
We are very excited to introduce you to our two new Resolution Coordinators who have recently joined the Fair Way Whānau.
If you haven’t already had a chance to work with them, you will do soon as they are working solely in our ACC Services team. Here is a little bit about each of them.
Sonia Sharma in Tāmaki Makaurau
Hi, I'm Sonia and I am excited to be a part of a new journey with the Fair Way team in Auckland. I went to Auckland University of Technology (AUT) where I pursued my studies for four and a half years, studying a certificate in Social Sciences and eventually graduating and gaining a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Criminology. After graduating, I worked at Ministry of Justice, being a part of the Collections unit. I love watching movies, music, spending time with my two nephews who I live with and adore (seeing as they are very spoilt by me), catching up with friends, and am also somewhat of a foodie. I do also love to travel and looking to do more of this soon (hopefully). I am eager and looking forward to meeting and working with you all.
Charmaine Kettle in Ōtautahi
Hi there, my name is Charmaine and I am excited to have joined the Fair Way team. I am originally from Upper Hutt, Wellington and have been here in Canterbury the last 4 years, after 14 years in Melbourne. I am a mother of 3 adult children and I live with my wonderful Husband Brett and our now 3 dog family. I love hiking, the outdoors, gardening, and cooking. Most of my working career has been within the health industry both here in New Zealand and in Australia as an allied health assistant, working in both Acute hospital settings as well as Rehabilitation settings. Most recently, I was working as an employment consultant for a disability service. I have a real passion for assisting people in their life's journey and look forward to utilising my skills at Fair Way.
Case study
Te ao Māori approach to ADR
One of the remarkable things about Fair Way is the depth and breadth of expertise our people provide within the range of services we offer. Listening and understanding the needs of the parties, including cultural considerations, gives us the flexibility to adapt the resolution approach. This creates the right environment and a learning experience for all parties.
An example of this came up recently, where a dispute with ACC presented a complex set of considerations. The claimant was a survivor of considerable trauma, living with a covered mental injury. There was a history of communication difficulties, and a feeling that, historically, te ao Māori tikanga (Māori customs) had not been considered and applied to the claimant’s injury management.
The parties agreed to discuss matters through conciliation as the claimant had requested tikanga be observed in the process. Drawing on expertise within Fair Way, the conciliator suggested a co-conciliation with two practitioners might be helpful to incorporate experience in ACC law and process, a te ao Māori lens, and creative dispute resolution techniques. The conciliator explained what that entailed to the parties, and with their consent, invited Fair Way’s Cultural Capability Lead, who is also a senior resolution practitioner, to co-conciliate.
From there, the co-conciliators worked together with the parties, in every aspect of the conciliation. They took the time to establish their roles with agreed tikanga (protocols) for the conciliation to ensure that all parties were supported culturally and procedurally. This provided the space to get to know the parties in advance, as well as enabling the parties to understand respective connections, with the effect of enabling identification and management of potential conflicts of interest.
The conciliation itself was structured with opening and closing karakia (blessing), pēpeha (introductions), respectful conversation, and shared kai (food) afterwards. Resolution points were explored that considered not only the decision at review, but the opportunity for learnings for ACC and clients, the physical, spiritual, family, and mental health of the claimant, and the importance of those aspects to a constructive ongoing relationship between the parties.
It was clear in the resolution, that the process itself was of great importance to the claimant as was the opportunity to be heard. It meant a lot to Fair Way to be able offer this service and meaningful support to the parties. While co-conciliation might not always be required, we look forward to continuing to draw upon the varied backgrounds and skills of all our practitioners, in assisting dispute resolution through Fair Way.
Case study written by Frances Linde (Resolution Practitioner) & Hinemoa Dixon (Cultural Capability Lead/ Senior Resolution Practitioner).
Customer feedback
"It was a very clear cut meeting, all the details were explained in detail and nothing was left out, the Fair Way reviewer was kind and understanding and was really receptive to any input I had. I would 10/10 use Fair Way again if needed."
"Our reviewer was professional yet down to earth. I felt listened to and understood."
"The mediator was very fair and listened to both sides and came to a very good conclusion to move forward that we both moved forward with."
"The reviewer was on time, easy to communicate with, understanding and thorough."
Christmas and New Year
The Fair Way team are available Monday to Friday across the Christmas and New Year period, except for the official statutory days.
You can get in touch as usual with our ACC Services team by phone on 0800 77 44 14 or by email at reviews@fairwayresolution.com
Please note we may have reduced capacity at times as some of the team take a well-deserved summer break.
Christmas Opening Hours
Mon 23 December – Tues 24 December:
08:30 – 17:00
Friday 27 December:
08:30 – 17:00
Mon 30 December – Tues 31 December:
08:30 – 17:00
Friday 3 January:
08:30 – 17:00
Mon 6 January – Friday 10 January:
08:30 – 17:00
New location
Fair Way are a nationwide team with practitioners around the motu and offices in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington) and Ōtautahi (Christchurch).
In Ōtautahi, we recently moved into a new office premises in the central CBD area. Our team are settling in well, enjoying the extra space and facilities for online meetings.
While this office is not currently open to the public, we have plans to renovate the space next year so it can be available as a venue for hearings and mediations. We will keep you updated on our progress.