Massey teacher wins inaugural mediation award

A Massey University short course teacher has won the inaugural Mediator of the Year award at the NZ Law Awards.

Geoff Sharp, who is also a graduate of Massey’s dispute resolution programme and a commercial mediator at Clifton Chambers, was commended for his commitment to mediation and being a pleasure to work with.

This year marks the first time a mediation award was presented at the NZ Law Awards, which are voted on by members of the legal profession and users of legal services. 

Gabrielle O’Brien, chief executive of LEADR NZ and the award sponsor, says the inclusion of the new award shows that mediation is now an important option in mainstream dispute resolution.

“The days of mediation being viewed warily and with some suspicion by the legal fraternity are long gone and lawyers are increasingly recognising not only the value of this process but also the skills displayed by mediators such as Geoff,” she says.

Mr Sharp has not only been instrumental in the development of mediation in New Zealand, but has been a key player in the international stage. He is a former litigation lawyer and partner in Bell Gully in Wellington but he has, for the past ten years, operated as a full-time mediator.

Over the past decade Mr Sharp’s practice has taken him, both as mediator and teacher, to Amsterdam, America, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Dubai, and in 2008 he was invited to join Europe’s new International Mediation Institute as an Independent Standards Commissioner.

Mr Sharp originally enrolled at Massey as an extramural student in the Graduate Diploma in Business. He says his decision was based on the fact that Massey had “the only New Zealand dispute resolution offering of a serious academic nature”.

“I was excited to explore the theoretical learning but also, at the same time, have the opportunity to apply this learning to practice,” he says.

Mr Sharp was later invited to be a key presenter in a mediation education programme for lawyers by Massey lecturer Virginia Goldblatt. The programme was a partnership between the University’s PaCe (Professional and Continuing Education) centre and the New Zealand Law Society.

“I felt this initiative brought my personal and professional mediation education experience full circle and, in the years between my own study at Massey and the short courses now available for lawyers through Massey, so much has happened in the field of mediation,” Mr Sharp says.

“These courses have been successful and rewarding – for the participants and the teaching staff alike. It has been satisfying to be able to work with people who are new to the profession, starting out in mediation as I was 15 years ago, and also to re-engage with a wider group of academic colleagues from the University and senior members of the legal community.”

Alongside Mr Sharp, Massey’s mediation programme had a second teacher nominated for the 2012 ‘Mediator of the Year’ award – Tony Lendrum of New Plymouth.