Qualifications and Experience
Since becoming an accredited mediator with the Community Mediation Service, Christchurch, in 1984 Gay has continued to attend courses on facilitation, mediation, environmental and public issues conflict resolution in the USA and New Zealand.
Gay has mediated disputes in a wide range of fields since 1984 and mediated conflicts inside organisations, public issues and environmental conflicts. In private practice since 1995, she was formerly manager of the Centre for Resolving Environmental Disputes at Lincoln University.
Conflict Resolution Services
- Independent conflict assessments reporting on who is involved, what the issues are and suggesting ways to manage the situation.
- Facilitation of meetings, one off or on-going.
- Mediation of environmental conflicts
- Facilitation of pre-hearing meetings.
- Mediation of disputes between individuals, within workplaces and between organisations.
- Mediation or facilitation of public issues.
- Individual and team coaching in conflict prevention and conflict management skills.
Through providing:
- an independent assessment of the problem that reduces opportunities for blaming and accusations of bias
- safe and confidential action based on fairness
- attention to working relationships
- a range of approaches to suit the uniqueness of each situation
- techniques so that individuals are better able to manage future conflict
- over 21 years mediation experience.
Examples of case work for workplace conflicts
Disputes have been mediated between staff in schools, between Boards of Trustees and staff, and between staff in hospitals to resolve a range of issues. Practical solutions have been found to improve working relationships, deal with distrust and resolve difference over areas of responsibility and team work.
Agreement has been facilitated to achieve a shift system change for an essential industry after a history of unresolved conflict over shift system options.
Through mediation, a manager and Board of Trustees achieved an amicable resignation by the manager from the organisation.
Examples of case work for resource management issues
Facilitating Lyttelton Harbour Wastewater Working Party discussions is an ongoing, current project where community representatives and Christchurch City Council seek the best ways to manage wastewater in the harbour basin.
Community consultation meetings have been facilitated in the Timaru district to develop community outcomes for their LTCCP.
Duntroon community’s negotiations with Meridian Energy over Project Aqua were facilitated and a community submission prepared prior to the project being withdrawn.
Meetings between community members and government department representatives were facilitated for three contentious site disputes over the placement and activities at children’s homes and treatment centres in the South Island. The goal was to have designations with accepted descriptions of site activities.
For further history please contact Gay.
Training Services
Course examples
Training can be designed to fit your individual needs. All courses have a strong emphasis on developing skills as well as knowledge.
NEGOTIATING RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS – One or two days
This course is designed for people who need to build agreements and preserve on-going working relationships over resource management issues. Training includes actively testing a range of practical approaches for application in a wide range of situations. The goal is to reduce the need for litigation.
NEGOTIATING WORKPLACE AGREEMENTS
Designed for people who are aiming for clarity and cooperation over workplace issues, the training topics include how to be persuasive, listen for what really matters, define issues constructively, how to build understanding and not prematurely solve problems and how to minimise risk of apparent agreements failing.
FACILITATING AGREEMENTS AT MEETINGS – One or two days
People with different points of view, different levels of knowledge and strong emotions are often gathered together for meetings and expected to work cooperatively. This training is for people who manage such meetings, who are looking for new skills and seeking feedback on their current meeting management methods. Resource Management Act Section 99 meetings can be a focus of the training.
MANAGING DISPUTES—SKILLS MEDIATORS USE—One day
On this intensive training day you will receive coaching, and apply skills to use in challenging situations. People who often feel they are caught in the middle of conflicts will benefit from this course. The course aims to add to participants’ abilities to understand conflicts and to apply strategies promoting resolution. The processes and techniques can be applied to a wide range of situations.
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT CONFLICTS – Making Talks Work Two days
This course aims to add to participants abilities to understand community conflicts and to apply strategies that promote resolution. Some of the topics include: diagnosing conflicts, recognising cultural perspectives, identifying common ground, designing public participation strategies for meetings, skills to facilitate conflict at meetings, building agreements and dealing with ethical issues.
WORKING IN TEAMS—One day
How to work together on projects, practical ways of dealing with differences, creative thinking and problem solving approaches are covered on this course.
Examples of Training Provided
Facilitated training workshops and provided tutoring for the Ministry of Environment and Local Government NZ Good Decisions training project in the South Island. This project is ongoing.
Provided courses nationally on Negotiating Agreements, Negotiating Resource Management Agreements, Conflict Management for Enforcement Situations, Skills for the Prevention and Management of Conflict.
In-house training has been provided to major businesses on how to negotiate between each internal business units and with national and international clients. This training was contracted through the University of Canterbury.
Massey University, Dispute Resolution Centre, one week postgraduate course on Managing Resource Management Disputes was provided.
In-house training on managing hospital based conflicts for a public hospital.
Negotiating effectively and facilitating cooperative problem solving meetings skills training has been provided to a range of people including business managers, natural resource managers, farmers, social service managers and community workers in
Referees for conflict resolution work and training are available.
Affordable practical QUALITY training
Contact Gay
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