The Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration (M.J.C.A) is conducting a seven-week Soalaupule Samoan Customary Mediation training at its Mulinu’u headquarters.
The aim of the course is to equip mediators who deal specifically with cases from the Land and Titles Court. The course is taught in four components.
Associate Professor of Law at the University of Otago, Selene Mize, told the Samoa Observer that the training is not only useful for the purpose of the Land and Titles Court, it is also useful in other areas.
“In the Land and Titles Court, mediation is compulsory,” she said.
“As I understand it now (it is used) to resolve disputes and it takes some of the burden off the Court because mediation can often resolve them.
“The Court only needs to get involve to sign off the agreement.”
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Ms. Mize said mediation is particularly important to Samoa “because there’s a customary mediation tradition which is one of the ways that Samoa is quite special internationally.”
Born in the United States, Ms. Mize, who is based in New Zealand, said both those countries don’t have this traditional mediation.
“(Parties) were much more likely to go to war or for tribes to have conflicts between them rather than just stick to common ground.
“So that makes it particularly useful to have compulsory mediation here. It’s a way of coming up with really wise agreements.”
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