Podcasts, powerpoints and/or papers from the presentations are available to LEADR members and
'kon gres 2011 participants via a password protected area. Click here >>

Learn from a case study of a multi-party mediation involving complex issues co-mediated via a video conference and explore this technology's pros and cons.

‘Getting people together face-to-face at the table’ has long been the classic mediation scenario but in a world of ongoing advances in telecommunications, videoconferencing provides a further means for people to participate in mediation.   When it is not possible to get everyone together face-to-face, videoconferencing provides a sound alternative.

The way we timetable our lives and increasing demands for maximum efficiency in a time of recession has forced people and agencies to closely evaluate whether they can afford the time and cost of travel to a different location to meet face-to-face.  The New Zealand Human Rights Commission continues to look for innovative mediation arrangements which meet these demands.

We work to foster accessibility:  to make sure that the mediation process is accessible to a person whose disability makes attendance at a face-to-face meeting difficult.

This workshop will discuss practical examples and tips including reference to a recent complicated case that I co-mediated via videoconference.

The case was a multi-party mediation that involved complex wide ranging issues with a number of parties in different locations within NZ and the Pacific.  The co-mediators also co-mediated from different cities.  It was the technology of videoconferencing that made this possible.  It worked well and laid the path to an arrangement we will use when the opportunity arises.

For us, utilising videoconferencing has enhanced our mediation practice.  I value the opportunity to share that experience and in doing that, to learn from the broader experiences of us all.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini.

Mine is not the strength from being alone, but from being united.

Podcast: Listen to Sue talk about this session pre-kon gres (8 mins) >>

Sue lives on Auckland’s North Shore.  She is a keen tramper who enjoys exploring New Zealand’s bush.  She plans to walk the Milford Track later this year.  She enjoys gardening and practising Tai Chi on the weekend.