Ian Macduff graduated from the University of Auckland with a BA (in History and German) and LLB (Hons, First). Following a period tutoring in law in Auckland he practised with the firm of Tarlo, Lyons & Aukin in London. He then joined the Inner London Probation and After Care Service as part of a special team working on a programme with serious and recidivist offenders. He then joined the Law School at Middlesex Polytechnic (later University) teaching on the new law degree programme.

On his return to New Zealand, Ian joined the Law Faculty at Victoria University of Wellington, where he initially taught Legal History, Jurisprudence, and Criminal Law. After undertaking mediation training in the US in the early 1980s, Ian returned to New Zealand and was pioneering in introducing mediation in private, statutory, commercial and other contexts. He introduced and taught courses in Dispute

Resolution, Negotiation & Mediation, Arbitration Law & Practice; and International Conflict Resolution. He established the Centre for Conflict Resolution in the Faculty of Law, which became a vehicle for public and professional seminars, training programmes, inter-departmental research collaboration, and for co-operation between the professions and academia.

In his professional practice, Ian has been consultant and trainer for the World Health Organisation for a capacity building programme in Sri Lanka from 1999 to 2001 and again in 2004, and a consultant to that programme in Geneva. He has also acted as mediator in a wide range of contexts, including family, community, commercial, environmental, and the inter- and intra-tribal negotiations involving the Maori and the Crown; and has been mediation, negotiation and conflict management trainer for a wide range of private and public entities. He was Professor in the School of Law, Singapore Management University from 2008-2016, Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore, from January to April 2004; and held a one-year joint appointment in Law and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS, in 2005. He has been Visiting Professor at the International Training Programme in Conflict Management of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa on several occasions; and has taught at “La Sapienza” (L’Università di Roma I).

Ian is a founding member of the Steering Committee of the Asia-Pacific Mediation Forum; a member of the Scientific Committee of the World Mediation Forum; New Zealand Council member, Council for Security Co-Ooperation in the Asia-Pacific(Track II advisory body to the ASEAN Regional Forum); a former mediation panel member of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand; a member of the Public Sector Mediators’ Association of New Zealand; a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution; and formerly member of the Governing Council and member of the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research. He is also a member of the International Advisory Board Asian Journal on Mediation; the

International Editorial Board, Journal of South Asian Development and Revista Italiana di Conflittologia, Napoli.