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I recently read an article about a retired grandfather who was struggling to navigate “the system” and secure financial support to care for his grandchild. The child’s father was placed in police custody on a raft of charges and his mother had died five years prior. It caused me  to reflect on some of the cases that I had been involved with as a family lawyer representing grandparents, many of whom walked a very hard road to have the Court legally recognise their relationship with their grandchildren.

When parents decide to part ways, it is the start of a major transformation to family life as they once knew it. Amidst all the emotion that occurs when a relationship ends, creating interim arrangements takes up a lot of energy and focus. Once these immediate decisions have been made, the next phase shifts the focus to navigating the new normal and this can also be quite a challenge for parents.

Where to begin with dividing relationship property? This is the second instalment in Fair Way’s new Separation Series, focusing on the experiences and challenges families face during separation. 

On the 25th of April each year, New Zealanders and Australians commemorate the sacrifices their ancestors made on the shores of Gallipoli in 1915 for the first time as “ANZACs” (Australian & New Zealand Army Corps), as well as remembering those involved in subsequent conflicts thereafter.

Nau mai haere mai, welcome to the first edition of Kōrero, our new quarterly newsletter, which is designed to keep you informed about what's going on in Fair Way's ACC service. As the whakataukī above emphasises, it is the people who are of the most importance to us, the people in our team, the people who we assist, and the people like yourselves that we work with closely every day.

How does family justice respond to ground zero resilience? Earthquakes. Pandemics. Flash floods. Landslides. Loss of lives. Loss of livelihoods. Loss of possessions. Destroyed homes. Power cuts. Communication cuts. Loss of internet. Destroyed crops. Disconnected and divided communities. Misplaced tangata whenua. Widespread catastrophe. Aotearoa New Zealand has seen it all in recent times.

This is the first instalment in Fair Way’s new Separation Series, focusing on the experiences and challenges families face during separation.  This piece was written by Samantha de Coning. 

Travel came back on the cards in 2022, with a phased border reopening starting with Australia in late February. The full re-opening of New Zealand’s border at 11.59pm on 31 July 2022 signalled the end of a two year long, unprecedented domestic lockdown. While a proportion of New Zealanders quite content to keep sheltered in the “hermit kingdom” remained, it was mostly a case of the opening of the flood gates on 1 August 2022.

The question of whether a matter is suitable for mediation is often grappled with by those working in the family justice system. Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) mediation is mandatory for families seeking to air their parenting disputes in Court unless the matter is deemed “inappropriate” for mediation. What is deemed appropriate often depends on the judgment call of one individual.

As mediators and facilitators involved in addressing workplace bullying issues, Fair Way has developed a significant level of experience supporting people to resolve issues and helping organisations to foster meaningful change. So, based on our experience of the modern workplace, how can organisations support their staff and shift their workplace culture?