Making Peace with Systems

From the author of Peace by Piece: Mediation and Negotiation in a Divided World comes a compelling new work on mediation and systems change. In Making Peace with Systems: Mediation, Justice and Institutional Change, Gary Martin asks: what do we do when the systems meant to support us end up causing harm? Drawing on decades of frontline experience in community mediation, grassroots advocacy, and institutional reform, the author exposes how everyday systems-whether in housing, health, justice or welfare-can entrench inequality, exclusion and mistrust. But this is not just a critique. It's a roadmap. With clarity, compassion and insight, the book offers a framework for reimagining the systems that shape our lives. Through real-world stories and thoughtful analysis, it challenges us to move from reaction to repair, from despair to design. This is a book for changemakers: policymakers, practitioners, community leaders and engaged citizens alike. It invites us to re-centre humanity in our systems-and to build structures rooted in justice, accountability and care. Making Peace with Systems is not just a book about conflict resolution or institutional change, it's a book about possibility. It is about imagining and enacting systems that heal instead of harm, that listen instead of silence, and that build trust instead of eroding it. Drawing from real, world examples, lived experience, and a wide array of disciplines, from restorative justice to systems thinking. Each chapter builds on the one before, offering tools, insights, and questions designed to spark critical reflection and concrete action. While the book includes examples from land lease communities and legal advocacy in New South Wales, its relevance reaches far beyond, into health care, education, social services, and government.