The AMINZ Mediation Skills Intensive (AMSI) is one of our most sought-after courses. Whether you are new to mediation or looking to refine your skills, AMSI provides an immersive learning experience designed to deepen your mediation practice and strengthen your conflict resolution skills through hands-on learning, role plays, and expert feedback from some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading practitioners and educators.
What To Expect:
AMSI is designed to build critical, transferable skills for managing conflict that you can apply in both professional and personal contexts. You’ll learn:
The nature of conflict and how anger changes our thinking and our responses.
Effective conflict management strategies and practical skills for navigating people-related challenges.
Negotiation styles and how to work effectively with each, understanding the process of negotiation and its close relationship with mediation.
The mediation framework and the key pre-mediation and formative stages of the process.
Learning is reinforced through realistic role plays and guided practice sessions led by experienced dispute resolution practitioners.
On completion of the programme, you will receive a certificate and 10 CPD points. (In Aotearoa New Zealand, there is no official compulsory qualification for practising as a mediator.)
“The AMINZ intensive mediation skills course redefined how I viewed conflict resolution and what mediation was. I highly enjoyed the workshop, gained much deeper insight into the lens people viewed conflict through their emotions." – 2026 AMSI Participant, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
Who Can Attend:
People at all levels of mediation experience – whether you’re just beginning your journey or already practising in the field; and
From a range of professions: including law, management, human resources, government, non-profit organisations, and the community sector.
This diversity enriches discussion, fosters collaboration, and deepens understanding of how mediation works across different contexts.
“Fantastic course, probably the very best intensive course I have ever done in my career. Brilliant facilitator and coaches and a lovely bunch of people.” – Angela O'Leary, Hamilton Deputy Mayor
Meet the Facilitator:
Nicola Hartfield FAMINZ(Med) is a dispute resolution and workplace consultant, with over 30 years’ of experience in conflict management, family dispute resolution and mediation. Previously a contract teacher for the Massey University Dispute Resolution Centre, Nicola regularly presents both nationally and internationally on dispute resolution, mediation skills, and workplace conflicts.
Nicola is very active in mediation and consultation across workplace, governance, management, and community contexts.
Course Details:
Date: Monday 23 - Friday 27 March 2026
Schedule:
Monday to Wednesday: 9am–4pm
Thursday: 8.30am–4.30pm
Friday: 9.30am–3.30pm
Location: Online via Zoom (places are limited)
CPD: 10 points
“I came with no legal background and only a beginner’s understanding of mediation. By the end, I left feeling confident to a mediation process, equipped with practical skills and a wealth of stories and insights to draw from.” – Matthew, Friends of Old Fairfield