Our people
Te Ngāpara Centre for Restorative Practice
-
Dr Jane Bolitho
Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice
School of Government
RH 302, Rutherford House, 23 Lambton Quay
As the Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice, Jane provides academic and practice leadership for the Centre. Her research focuses on understanding why restorative justice works and how wise practice can be developed and sustained across diverse settings.
Jane supervises a number of PhD candidates and welcomes conversations with prospective students interested in restorative justice and related fields. She regularly advises governments in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand on restorative practice and justice reform. Most recently, she served as the invited expert reader for the restorative justice materials in the Australian Law Reform Commission's report Safe, Informed, Supported: Reforming Justice Responses to Sexual Violence (2025).
Jane is also an experienced keynote speaker and educator. In this short seminar, she discusses the role of restorative justice in advancing Sustainable Development Goal 16: promoting peaceful, just and inclusive societies. The presentation forms part of the Wellington School of Business and Government's PRME Funded Chairs Series on the Sustainable Development Goals. Watch the seminar here.
Some of Jane's most widely cited and influential publications include:
More of Jane’s publications and work can be found on her university profile page: Dr Jane Bolitho
2023-2024, Jane led several significant national projects for New Zealand's Ministry of Justice, including:
- refreshing the national training and accreditation pathways for pre-sentence restorative justice (with Hummingbird Effect).
- designing a new complaints management framework to support continual learning and quality improvement.
- developing a specialist training and accreditation pathway for practitioners seeking endorsement in family violence and sexual violence restorative practice.
Justine joined the Centre as Director in 2025, following a career leading innovation across justice, health and social sectors, including as:
- Chief Advisor, Māori Health, Ministry of Health
- Programme Director Transformation with Whaikaha, Ministry for Disabled People.
While with the New Zealand Police, Justine:
- supported the testing and implementation of the forerunners of Te Pae Oranga for NZ Police: Te Pae Oranga Iwi Community Panels | New Zealand Police
- undertook the review of how Police and Iwi I Māori can work together to reduce offending and victimisation: Review of Police and iwi/Māori relationships
At the Centre, Justine led the development of the Alternative Restorative Justice guidelines (add link to section) for the Ministry of Health and the restorative practice guide for the Accident Compensation Corporation’s case managers (add link to section).
-
Ava Gibson
Director of the Employee Advisory and Resolution Service (EARS)
School of Government
RH 305, Rutherford House, 23 Lambton Quay
Ava is Director of the Employee Advisory and Resolution Services (EARS – Te Rauawa) at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University where she provides guidance and conflict resolution processes for staff, along with coaching, supervision and training in restorative practices across the University.
Ava is an experienced leadership and conflict coach, mediator, facilitator and professional supervisor. She has held significant leadership roles including Chief Executive of LEADR NZ, a professional organisation for dispute resolvers before becoming Resolution Institute. She has worked with leaders and teams within the public service, community, health, education, disability and business sectors.
Affiliates
Adreanne (Rongomaiwāhine, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is a Māori academic dedicated to the transformation of the Māori people at all levels of society. Through her work in restorative practice, she strives to address systemic inequities and foster pathways for Māori self-determination and well-being.
She was a visiting scholar with the Centre from 2022-2025, and while Adreanne has returned to her substantive role as Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, she has continued to support the Centre, and advance mātaurangi Māori approaches to restorative practice, for example, through her current course on restorative practice beyond the justice sector, see: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/courses/educ/564/2026?crn=27237
More of Adreanne’s publications and work can be found here: Adreanne Ormond
Christina is a distinguished restorative justice facilitator and mediation expert with extensive international experience in conflict resolution and employee advisory services. She is a panellist for EARS, and one of the trainers in the Centre’s micro-credentials.
Christina was Director of the Te Rauawa Employee Advisory and Resolution Services at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and has delivered training on restorative practice for the University and the private sector, including the Centre’s micro-credential Restorative Foundations: Principles and Applications of Restorative Practice
Outside of the work with the Centre, Christina provides a range of services, from leadership coaching, professional supervision, and facilitation across public, private and not-for-profit organisations.
Research fellows
Dr Jeremy Simons is a senior research fellow with over 20 years of experience as an educator, and a research focus on education, justice sectors, and community contexts.
Having been born and raised in the Philippines he is curious about how culture interacts with restorative justice, peacebuilding, and community development. Jeremy helps lead the Centre’s micro-credential on restorative foundations: see Restorative Foundations: Principles and Applications of Restorative Practice
Adjuncts
Andrea has an established track record of peer-reviewed evaluation and research. Her research focuses on restorative justice practice, with particular emphasis on youth justice, family violence, elder abuse and harm, and alternatives to imprisonment.
Recent publications include:
- Co-editor of volume two, European section of The International Encyclopaedia of Restorative Justice
- Evaluation of the Ministry of Justice alternative options to increase victim participation in restorative justice: Exploring ‘alternative restorative justice options
- Responding restoratively to elder harm: lessons from a pilot scheme in Aotearoa New Zealand
- Experiences of restorative justice professionals at the Porirua District Court to ensure safe and timely use of restorative approaches: Restorative justice in cases of family violence and harm - Learnings from the Porirua Model
Emeritus Professor
Dr Chris Marshall was the inaugural Professor of Restorative Justice at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington. He has published extensively on restorative justice theory and practice, especially its theological dimensions, and has worked as a restorative justice facilitator over the past 15 years.
Chris’s detailed profile and publications can be found here:
Senior Administrator
Clare provides part-time administrative and research support for the Centre, while working on her PhD.