Mediation Model Clause

Ensure an effective and proportionate response in the future should a dispute arise

The following mediation clause should be included in contracts where the parties wish to have any future disputes resolved by Mediation under the Building Disputes Tribunal’s Mediation Rules as the primary method of dispute resolution:

“Any dispute or difference arising out of or in connection with this contract, or the subject matter of this contract, including any question about its existence, validity or termination, shall be referred to mediation in accordance with the Mediation Rules of the Building Disputes Tribunal.”

NOTE: parties to an existing dispute that have not incorporated the Building Disputes Tribunal Model Clause into a prior agreement may agree to refer that dispute to Mediation under the Building Disputes Tribunal Mediation Rules by signing the Mediation Agreement in the form found at Appendix 2 to those Rules.

If the mediation does not result in full and final settlement of the dispute, the Mediation Rules allow a party to initiate arbitration within 30 days.

More Model Clauses

Download our complete guide to model clauses here as a pdf or read online below.

Obstructed view review

Written by Maria Cole Introduction In Wynyard Quarter Residents Association Incorporated v Auckland Council and Orams Group Limited,[1] a group of apartment owners filed judicial review proceedings seeking to overturn an Auckland Council decision to grant resource...

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Written by Alexander Lyall Nearly 10 years on, English rugby finally has a victory related to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In FM Conway Ltd v Rugby Football Union,[1] a company contracted by the English Rugby Football Union (the RFU) for maintenance works at Twickenham...

Keep calm and carry on: English Court of Appeal overturns controversial High Court ruling and clarifies guiding principles in serial adjudications

By Kate Holland The English High Court caused concern earlier this year when it held that an adjudicator had breached natural justice by holding himself bound by a previous adjudicator’s findings. Now, in Sudlows Ltd v Global Switch Estates 1 Limited,[1] the Court of...

Moving home

Written by Richard Pidgeon A family became dissatisfied with a house removal firm who had shifted their home from Remuera to Katikati. In Stott v Uplifting Homes Ltd [2023] NZHC 1514, the High Court determined the level of compensation after the contract was...

Big loss for insurer in legal battle with Napier Council over leaky building clause

Written by Sam Dorne In a recent case, the Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled in favour of the Napier City Council in an insurance claim involving building defects including weathertightness or “leaky building” issues, in what is seen as a return to the status quo...

BuildLaw Issue 51

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By Richard Pidgeon The New South Wales Supreme Court in Parkview Constructions Pty Limited v Futuroscop Enterprises Pty Limited [2023] NSWSC 178 provides insight into the date of practical completion under an AS 4902-2000 contract. Background Parkview Constructions...

Take a rain cheque – Full Federal Court of Australia reads common sense into insurance policy

By Alexander Lyall A decision by the Full Federal Court of Australia has provided clarification about the wording of an insurance policy for a construction project. In Acciona Infrastructure Australia Pty Ltd v Zurich Australian Insurance Limited [2023] FCAFC 47,[1] ...

Case update: English Court of Appeal confirms ‘useless’ ADR procedure too uncertain to enforce

By Kate Holland In our December 2022 issue of BuildLaw, we reported on a case in the English High Court[1] about an unusual alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedure in a construction contract that was held to be too uncertain to be an enforceable condition...

High-rise blues

By Richard Pidgeon The lawyers who acted for the body corporate and most unit owners in settling the Spencer on Byron’s leaky building claim have been successfully sued by the body corporate in Body Corporate 207624 v Grimshaw & Co [2023] NZHC 979. The body...