Achieving AMINZ Fellowship in Arbitration: In Conversation with our 2024 Fellows Bill Gambrill and Janine Stewart
AMINZ Fellowship is the Institute’s highest professional distinction and a mark of excellence that recognises skill, integrity, and leadership in dispute resolution. Each year, the programme alternates between a Mediation or Arbitration focus. This year, the programme is focussed on arbitration.
We speak with Bill Gambrill and Janine Stewart, our 2024 Fellows in Arbitration, about their motivation for undertaking Fellowship, the most rewarding aspect to achieving Fellowship, and key advice for anyone looking to begin their Fellowship journey.
What was the driving factor for you to undertake Fellowship?
Bill (BG): I wanted to develop my arbitration expertise and build relationships in the arbitration community.
Janine (JS): The driving factor for me was cementing my arbitration knowledge and experience, to become more specialised.
What has been the most rewarding aspect to achieving Fellowship?
BG: The most rewarding aspect has been strengthening my connections within the arbitration community – both within AMINZ, including colleagues such as Royden Hindle and Paul Sills and the wider AMINZ team, and across the broader arbitration profession. It has also been hugely valuable to build strong relationships with the other Fellowship candidates. Those professional connections, and the sense of belonging to a supportive and highly skilled community, have been a real highlight of the Fellowship experience.
JS: I’ve especially valued the breadth of learning, the strong practical focus, and developing a fantastic study group with my fellow candidates.
What is one piece of advice you would give someone who is considering Fellowship in arbitration next year?
BG: Be prepared for the significant time commitment and make the most of working closely with the other candidates. Forming a study group and supporting each other through the process makes a huge difference. My study group was invaluable to both the learning experience and getting through the workload.
JS: It is a lot of work, and it is important to attend the catch ups with AMINZ in the lead up to the exams and practical exam. Royden Hindle was particularly helpful and extremely knowledgeable and caring in his approach to us all.
More about Fellowship
The 2026 Fellowship programme is delivered by Paul Sills, Director of Professional Studies, and Lauren Lindsay, Deputy Director of Arbitration. The programme offers a challenging yet rewarding pathway to deepen the practitioner’s knowledge and demonstrate their capability at the highest level.
“Becoming a Fellow of AMINZ is both personally and professionally rewarding,” says Lauren. “You develop specialist knowledge in a critical area of dispute resolution, expand your horizons and you gain the ability to meet smart, interesting and diverse people through the AMINZ network.”
Fellowship represents the highest standard of professional capability within AMINZ. “It recognises technical excellence and a deep commitment to integrity, leadership and contribution to the wider dispute resolution community,” comments AMINZ Executive Director Monique Pearson. “Our Fellows set the benchmark for practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
The programme begins in March 2026. To be considered, applicants must be Associate Members of AMINZ and have completed the AMINZ Advanced Seminar or the Arbitration Skills Intensive (ArbSI) before the application deadline on Monday 30 March 2026. (If you hold Fellowship with a recognised organisation, you may be eligible for reciprocal recognition with AMINZ.) Learn more and see the key dates.
