Wanganui - Manawatu
Employment law specialist
QUALIFICATIONS BA/LLB Victoria University of Wellington Diploma in Industrial Relations Victoria University of Wellington Mediation for Lawyers NZ Law Society Continuing Legal Education Restorative Practice Margaret Thorsborne
 

I have worked in Employment Relations for 35 years, most recently in senior positions in large organisations, though I have also worked for unions and the Employment Tribunal. I have experience in advocacy, bargaining, facilitation and mediation but my key focus is assessing and resolving complex employment relationship issues with a view to providing low level and early resolution of the issues.
As an adjudicator in the Employment Tribunal, I had to investigate and reach decisions on complex disputes in a fair and equitable way with a good understanding of the law. I have a high level of integrity and work at building trust within working relationships, again in order to seek early resolution of issues.
I have provided tailored training for organisations on managing behaviour and working within the employment relations context as well as on bullying and harassment, and performance management. Such training is aimed mainly at managers to develop their capabilities in managing personal disputes and managing poor behaviour in order to prevent it escalating within an organisation.
My experience enables me to work with managers, employees, unions and lawyers on a range of employment issues, concerns and grievances whether through providing advice, investigating an issue or mediating a resolution. I look for common sense and practical outcomes that are appropriate for any situation.
I also enjoy researching issues and have had a number of papers published and have presented others at the Australia and
New Zealand Education Law conferences.