LaHatte Legacy Mediation - Wellington City, New Zealand

My name is Alice LaHatte, and Lahatte Legacy is the story I carry forward — a weaving of whakapapa, lived experience, and the quiet strength of the people who shaped me.

This legacy begins with my father, an esteemed family mediator whose calm presence guided the rhythm of my childhood. He taught me that conflict can be softened, that listening is an act of care, and that families can find their way back to each other through patience and dignity. His name sits at the heart of my practice, not just as a tribute, but as a compass — a reminder of the gentle steadiness he modelled every day.

My mother’s influence is equally powerful. She was among the first women in Aotearoa to graduate with a Women’s Studies degree from the University of Auckland, a milestone that shaped the landscape of feminist scholarship in New Zealand. Her courage, her advocacy, and her insistence that women’s voices matter became the foundation of my own commitment to women’s rights, safety, and  

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empowerment. From her, I learned that legacy is not only inherited — it is created.

My academic qualifications are from a diverse background. I have a Bachelor of Social work and professional mediation training from AMINZ. Including a range of professional development that has continued to shape my practice. My father always said “The day you no longer want to keep on learning in your field is the day you retire.”

I carry the importance of my academic teachings into my work as a social worker, mediator, and therapeutic practitioner. I also draw on my own lived experience. I have separated. I have sat in mediation rooms. I have rebuilt communication after rupture. I balance the art of co‑parenting both my biological child and my stepchild, navigating the shifting rhythms, routines, the emotional weight, and the challenges that can sit beneath shared care.

This journey has taught me compassion, resilience, and the truth that families are not defined by perfection — they are defined by how we show up for one another through change. We are paving the way for our own tamariki’s legacy.

Lahatte Legacy is the weaving of all these threads:

A father’s guidance,

A mother’s advocacy,

A professional path shaped by care,

and a personal story shaped by courage.

It is a practice grounded in gentleness, clarity, and connection — supporting whānau to move forward with dignity, hope, and a legacy they can be proud of.