Fair Way Kōrero - March 2024
March 2024
He rau ringa e oti ai
Kia ora koutou
Welcome to the March edition of our ACC Services Kōrero and first edition for the year.
The above whakataukī sums up the first quarter of the year well - many hands make light work.
It’s been an action packed few months. We have been very busy with our mahi tahi assisting customers through the review and conciliation process. So busy in fact that we have been recruiting for some new Resolution Practitioners to join our ACC Services whānau.
We are excited to let you know our team is growing and we will have some new Resolution Practitioners joining our team in April. Watch this space for bios in our next edition and in the meantime you may notice some new faces.
Another change that you may start to notice is that the team has been busy updating our written correspondence to all parties. Letters, emails and notices will now be more streamlined and customer focused. We would love to hear any feedback you might have as you come across these.
In this Kōrero edition we are also excited to introduce our new and improved submissions builder tool.
I’d like to finish with the below feedback recently received from a customer which is at the very heart of the mahi we do.
“Fair Way’s communication, processes and cultural support. It took courage to challenge the decisions so having a space that upholds the mana of people was really important to us. The conciliation process through Tikanga Māori was a safe place for us to kōrero. Really what the issues involve (is) serious injury involving the head/brain therefore there’s a lot of emotion in this dispute relating to breach of tapu and mana. The conciliator helped to hold the space for this kōrero in a culturally sensitive safe space while being professional and sincere in guiding the kōrero towards a resolution. Ngā mihi Fair Way".
Ngā mihi
Blair and Gess
Operations Managers - ACC Services
Submission builder
New and improved for 2024
One of the most important steps that can be taken in preparation for a review hearing is making a clear and detailed submission. The reviewer needs to know as much as possible about the circumstances of the claim and decision in question. A well-prepared submission can make a big difference in highlighting the key information and outlining what outcome is being sought. To assist with this, we have recently launched a new and improved version of our submission builder tool, which turns the creation of a detailed submission into an easy step-by-step process.
In designing the new submission builder, we sought to make it accessible and valuable to each party that may be attending a review hearing.
This includes ACC claimants, representatives and advocates, and third parties such as accredited employers.
The questions have been tailored to suit each particular user and to help clearly identify to the reviewer the position that is being taken. There are helpful tips included at each step, for example, writing the submission chronologically and cross-referencing the evidence that is being relied on to support the position. We’ve also included examples for use as a guide, as well as links to other useful pieces of information, such as the costs regulations.
Preparing a written submission is helpful for everyone involved in the review process, including the applicant themselves. One of our reviewers shared:
“Although not compulsory in this jurisdiction, I always encourage applicants to consider providing written submissions. In my view, it helps them to think about what they want to say at the hearing and why they lodged the application for review in the first place. A written submission helps the reviewer to understand where the applicant is coming from, and to appreciate what most concerns them in the dispute. Reviews are conducted in an informal manner, but for many applicants it may be the first time that they have attended a hearing. Preparing written submissions in advance also means that the applicant does not have to worry about forgetting to say something that is important to them.”
One of the most exciting features of the new submission builder is that it is now hosted entirely in-house. This means that we can easily make changes to incorporate feedback, or any general user experience improvements.
Next time you are preparing for a review hearing, please give our new submission builder a go and let us know how you found it. We always appreciate your feedback!
Click here to see our new submission builder
Meet the team
Introducing Hinemoa Dixon
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Hinemoa Dixon as Cultural Capability Lead and Senior Resolution Practitioner at Fair Way.
Hinemoa is experienced in developing and providing culturally responsive services for te ao Maaori. Most recently, she was a Senior Employment Mediator in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) where her role involved building capability and capacity in te ao Maaori me ona tikanga. Hinemoa was awarded Te Tohu Ratonga Tūmatanui o Aotearoa (the New Zealand Public Service Medal) in 2021.
Click here to continue reading
New office
Wellington
Fair Way are a nationwide team with offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Our Wellington team have recently moved into a new premises at Level 8, 95 Customhouse Quay. It features purpose-built meeting rooms, along with facilities for online meetings.
If any customers would like to meet in person as part of their review or conciliation process, we can host them in our new office location.
Newsletter feedback
Get involved in the next edition!
If you would like to provide some feedback or suggest topics of interest for future editions. please email submissions@fairwayresolution.com – we welcome your contributions