Madeleine Hawkesby

I am a special counsel in the Christchurch employment law team. I enjoy working in collaboration with my clients to provide practical, strategic and solution focused advice.

My expertise covers all aspects of employment law, from disciplinary process, performance management, incapacity, investigations, restructuring, drafting employment agreements and policies, and mediations. I have developed particular expertise in mediating and facilitating conflict resolution solutions between employees.

I advise employers from a wide range of industries, and have particular expertise in the education sector where I not only advise on employment law matters but also have experience in privacy law, parent complaints, health and safety, student disciplinary matters, ombudsmen investigations, Official Information Act requests, performance appraisal, school governance and conflict resolution.

My experience includes:

• Conducted a high profile review into employment and HR practices at ARISE Church
• Conducting a mediation/facilitation process between employees in a school in order to resolve conflict 
• Conducting a disciplinary process for a large secondary school regarding misconduct by a teacher
• Being appointed by the Ministry of Education to conduct an investigation into conduct of a Director at a preschool
• Being appointed by the Ministry of Education as a Commissioner to an Area School
• Being appointed by the Ministry of Education as a Limited Statutory Manger in a number of schools
• Responding to an Official Information Act request in a school environment
• Responding to an Ombudsman investigation in a school environment
• Conducting a performance management process in a school environment.

I am an Associate of the Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand Inc. I am also a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.