About SRCMS
The SRCMS provides a process to fairly and amicably resolve disputes in the sports context. Our team of highly skilled professionals can listen to the issues and identify the best avenue for resolution. This can include speaking matters through over the phone, utilizing our early facilitation service and engaging one of our expert mediators. The service has been operating successfully since 2021 and has had huge success in resolving issues across a range of different sports in New Zealand. It is a refined resolution process where parties can be heard and constructive outcomes are reached.
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Empathetic, specialist triage and customer service teams will help you in the first instance
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They will then select a specific mediation solution based on your individual circumstances
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From a wide range of independent experts on our panel
> Mediators
> Investigators
> Dispute resolution providers
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Mediation sessions can be F2F or on-line to best accommodate your needs
Mediation sessions can be F2F or on-line to best accommodate your needs
Service guidelines
For a detailed overview of the SRCMS processes, policies, terms and conditions please download the 'Quick Guide' and the 'Service Guidelines'.
1. QUICK GUIDE - PDF DOWNLOAD2. SERVICE GUIDELINES - PDF DOWNLOADMeet the team
Meet the team behind the Sport and Recreation Complaints and Mediation Service. Learn more about their credentials and experience in dispute resolution.
Meet Lucy Skellern
Lucy Skellern is a certified dispute resolution specialist and mediator, currently leading the Sports and Recreation Complaints and Mediation Service (SRCMS) in New Zealand. Specializing in family dispute resolution across New Zealand and Australia, Lucy also worked as a mediator trainer and assessor, sharing her expertise with emerging professionals.
In her current role, Lucy employs a nuanced approach, combining alternative dispute resolution and counseling qualifications with expert knowledge and empathetic understanding. This enables her to skillfully triage complex scenarios and guide parties toward constructive dialogue.
Lucy’s commitment to facilitating fair and amicable resolutions has significantly contributed to the success of SRCMS in the field of sports and recreation dispute resolution in New Zealand.
Meet Henry Moore
Henry is an experienced sports lawyer with over ten years of legal experience in New Zealand, mostly in the professional sporting environment. Henry has been responsible for fronting highly sensitive athlete disputes, negotiating collective agreements, resolving integrity related matters, launching integrity specific education, and implementing crisis management plans. Henry’s specialist skill set in sports dispute management and depth of knowledge of the New Zealand sporting environment means that he is uniquely placed to assist sporting organisations, athletes, parents, coaches and volunteers at all levels of competition.
As senior consultant to Immediation, Henry has assisted many parties with resolution of their sports disputes by combining an empathetic and approachable style with highly skilled and bespoke early facilitation.
Meet Lucy Brittain
Lucy Brittain is an experienced lawyer with combined passions for sport and alternative dispute resolution. As an SRCMS dispute resolution specialist, Lucy is dedicated to providing comprehensive resolution for parties.
Lucy has experience with top-tier law firms working in competition disputes and commercial litigation and in-house focused in privacy, contract and human rights law. Lucy recently gained her Masters of Law from Melbourne University focused in mediation and dispute resolution.
This extensive mix of legal experience and dispute resolution education is unique. It allows Lucy a considered and innovative approach to issues and resolution possibilities. She is an empathetic listener and draws on significant knowledge of sport in New Zealand to consistently deliver successful outcomes for parties.
Meet Michael Heron KC
Michael Heron KC is a leading KC in commercial and regulatory litigation and arbitrations. He is a trusted legal advisor to New Zealand businesses, government entities, and public bodies.
Michael was formerly New Zealand’s Solicitor General, meaning that he ran and oversaw the Crown Law Office and played a key constitutional role in protecting New Zealand’s legal system and providing advice to all arms of government.Michael has a wealth of experience in completing independent inquiries, investigations, and reviews including for example, a review of the NZ Rugby Union’s 2007 world cup campaign.
Michael is a judicial officer for New Zealand Rugby and SANZAAR, he is National Commissioner for New Zealand Cricket and a member of the International Cricket Council Code of Conduct Commission and Disputes Resolution Committee.Michael is a member of the NZ Law Society, the NZ Bar Association and the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand. If you have a complaint about the SRCMS, Immediation NZ or the panel, Michael will review that in the first instance.
A service for anyone engaged in sport and active recreation – from community to elite level.
FAQs
This service is operated by Immediation New Zealand Limited, an online dispute resolution company which has been contracted by Sport NZ. It is independent of Sport NZ, High Performance Sport New Zealand and all other sporting bodies, clubs and organisations.
If you are a parent or legal guardian, you may raise an issue relating to a child; please see our Quick Guide and Service Guidelines for further details.
- Early facilitation: this is a flexible and informal process where we work with all parties involved to seek to resolve a dispute;
- Mediation: this is a facilitated resolution process with an independent expert mediator. The mediator assists the parties to seek to resolve their dispute on terms that they agree;
- Investigation: we will assess whether an investigative mechanism is available to you under the Service. If it is, the sporting organisation may appoint an independent investigator from our panel (see our Investigation Protocols).
- A combination of any of the above.
Free and confidential counselling services provided by EAP Services are also available to anyone using this Service.
It is always up to you whether or not to participate in one of our facilitated dispute resolution processes. We will provide support and guidance throughout the process.
You may wish to speak with a friend or family member about the Service and you can also seek legal advice from a lawyer about whether the Service is right for you.
- a complaint about on or off field behaviour of a coach, volunteer, parent or sportsperson;
- a dispute about selection for a particular team or event;
- a complaint about club management, culture, or a policy;
- a complaint of wrongdoing by a volunteer, coach, individual team member or their parent;
- complaints of bullying, harassment, or discrimination;
- a dispute about inappropriate use of social media in a sporting setting.
Please see our Service Guidelines for further details of how working collaboratively with Tutira Mai we adapt our dispute resolution approaches in accordance with parties’ wishes.
Method A) To submit a complaint or dispute over the phone, simply call 0800 493 612. Your telephone call will not be recorded. Your call will be answered by a member of the SRCMS team who will take details of your complaint. They will then talk with you about available dispute resolution.
Method B) To submit your complaint online, follow the 3 simple steps below.
Step 1: Go to: https://sportsmediationservice.whispli.com/inbox/register and create a Whispli inbox.
Please note that if you wish to submit a complaint through our online portal you will need to create a Whispli account even if you do not wish to remain anonymous.
Step 2: Click on 'Create a Report', provide details of your complaint or dispute by filling in the online questionnaire, and submit once ready.
Step 3: Once submitted, a member of our team will receive the details of your dispute or complaint and will get in touch with you to let you know whether the matter is within the scope of the Sport and Recreation Complaints and Mediation service and to explore available options with you.
We will ask you some details about your complaint or dispute including:
- the nature of your complaint or dispute;
- the names of individuals and where relevant, organisations that are the subject of the complaint and/or party to the dispute;
- whether the issue has previously been raised with any person, club or organisation.
We do not take sides in a dispute. We are completely impartial.
We will:
- inform you whether or not your complaint/dispute can be dealt with through this service;
- provide you with information about the dispute resolution option (or options if there is more than one) that are available to you given the nature of your complaint or dispute.
We would only disclose your name or details of your complaint without your consent in extreme circumstances such as where we were required by law to disclose e.g. following a request under the Privacy Act for access to information and where there was no basis on which to refuse that request.
- is completely impartial and does not take sides in the complaint or dispute;
- is not providing any legal services i.e. does not provide any legal advice or opinion in connection with the complaint or dispute;
- is not there to take a detailed account or sworn witness statement about your complaint;
- is not there to assess or comment on the strength or weakness of a complaint or the evidence in support of it.
The team will:
- inform you whether or not your complaint/dispute is within the scope of the Service;
- provide you with general information about the facilitated resolution services and avenues available to you under the Service.
In order for mediation to take place, the parties must agree to participate in the process. The mediator does not make a decision about the issues in dispute but rather assists the parties to seek to resolve it. The parties control whether an agreement is reached and the terms of any agreement reached.
If you wish, the mediation can be conducted by online video conference on the Immediation Platform.
Each party will have the opportunity to put forward their side of the story and any facts or evidence they wish to rely on. The mediator will guide and support the parties throughout the process.
In most cases, the mediation conference will be held within 45 days of the complaint being submitted.
The Service will help you by providing information about agencies that you may wish to contact. So even if your complaint is outside the scope of the Service, we will provide you with information about available avenues for progressing your complaint.
Where appropriate, the SRCMS team may refer the complaint back to the entity/organisation or appropriate national organisation or to another agency itself.
If you have any questions in relation to the Protected Disclosures Act, you should contact the Ombudsman and/or obtain your own independent legal advice.
We cannot provide you with legal advice about whether or not you are covered by the Protected Disclosures Act or the steps you should take under that Act.
- submit a complaint or dispute;
- participate in an early facilitation process;
- participate in a mediation process;
- participate in counselling.
Please note that we do not cover the cost of:
- legal advice and/or representation for you or any party at any stage;
- any settlement that is agreed in connection with a complaint or dispute.
A dispute resolution process (early facilitation or mediation) will require the participation of both parties and so will be unable to proceed anonymously.
Whether or not you wish to remain anonymous, if you have any safety, wellbeing or other concerns about submitting a complaint, please let the team know when you submit your complaint so we can handle the matter appropriately.
See also FAQ re confidentiality.
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