How to become a dispute resolution professional
Official title: Dispute resolution professional
Also called: Mediator, Arbitrator, Adjudicator, Litigator, Negotiator, Appeals adviser, Disputes referee
Dispute resolution professionals help people and workplaces resolve conflict, legal disputes and claims.
Main tasks
- Mediate personal and workplace conflicts
- Make decisions in legal cases
- Direct courtroom activities
- Prepare written legal decisions
- Authorise payments to settle disputes
- Hold hearings to investigate legal issues
- Research legal materials to help decision making
- Analyse legal information on public record
How to become one
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a dispute resolution professional. You usually need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in law studies, psychology studies, human welfare or similar area; a Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution or similar; experience in similar work; to join the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand.
Ways in
- University: Law & Justice degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand
- University: Psychology degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- University: Social Work & Community degrees, Offered by 3 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $70,000 to $102,000 a year (median $88,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $54,000 a year · Upper: $149,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 590 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
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Questions people ask
How do I become a dispute resolution professional?
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a dispute resolution professional. You usually need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: a relevant tertiary qualification in law studies, psychology studies, human welfare or similar area; a Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution or similar; experience in similar work; to join the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand.
How much does a dispute resolution professional earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $88,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $70,000 to $102,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a dispute resolution professional grown in New Zealand?
It has grown: TEC records an increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026