Ngāti Apa
Ngāti Ruanui
Ngāti Tūwharetoa
Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga
Ngāti Apa Ngāti Ruanui Ngāti Tūwharetoa Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga
About Sandra
A restorative practitioner and family mediator based in Manawatū-Whanganui, working with people and organisations across Aotearoa.
My approach is informed by the neuroscience and psychology of trauma — drawing on the work of Bruce Perry and Kathryn Berkett — because high-conflict situations, especially where family violence is present, need to be met with an understanding of what the nervous system is actually doing, not just what's being said.
That way of working sits on a long career. Before restorative and family work, I spent twenty years in financial services — seven of them coaching, mentoring and facilitating — learning how people think, decide and shift when the pressure is on. Everything since has been in service of the same thing: walking alongside people through their hardest conversations, in workplaces, whānau and restorative justice across the motu.
When I'm not holding space for others, you'll find me in the vege patch, walking my dogs, or spending time with my whānau.
How I work — Aro ki te hā
Hohou i te rongo — making peace
Aro ki te hā — the way I walk toward it
Before the kōrero, the breath. When we're hurting, body, mind and spirit pull us back to old fears.
So I attend to the person before the issues — regulate, relate, then reason.
The pou that hold my practice
Mana — everyone leaves with their dignity intact.
Whanaungatanga — connection before content. I meet each person on their own first.
Manaakitanga — care in how I host, pace and prepare the space.
Hā — my own calm comes first, so I can read yours.
For a brief time our paths meet, and we share the same breath. I'll walk this ara with you.
Background & training
For those who like to know the grounding underneath the work.
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Family Dispute Resolution provider (FDR) — contracted through Fairway Resolution and the Family Dispute Resolution Centre
Accredited Restorative Justice facilitator — contracted to Manawatū Restorative Justice Trust and an assessor for new facilitators for Simply Resolution
Resolution Institute accredited mediator and member
Bachelor of Business (Financial Planning and Advice)
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Restorative problem-solving in the workplace, trained with Margaret Thorsborne.
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Ongoing training in trauma-informed and relational approaches — Kathryn Berkett (behavioural neuroscience), Hakomi (somatic mindfulness), Dr Nicola Atwool and Soma Psych (both trauma-informed facilitation), and Authentic Relating workshops, alongside Lead the Way (equine-assisted leadership and communication).