1. Be inclusive.
We welcome and support people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members of any sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, social and economic class, educational level, colour, immigration status, sex, age, size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
2. Be considerate.
We all depend on each other to produce the best work we can as an organisation. Your decisions will affect your colleagues and supporters, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions.
3. Be respectful.
We won’t all agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for disrespectful behaviour. We will all experience frustration from time to time, but we cannot allow that frustration become personal attacks. An environment where people feel uncomfortable, bullied or threatened is not a productive or creative one.
4. Choose your words carefully.
Always conduct yourself professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others. Harassment and exclusionary behaviour aren’t acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Threats of violence.
- Discriminatory jokes and language.
- Sharing sexually explicit or violent material via electronic devices or other means.
- Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
- Unwelcome sexual attention.
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behaviour
5. Don’t harass.
In general, if someone asks you to stop something, then stop. When we disagree, try to understand why. Differences of opinion and disagreements are mostly unavoidable. What is important is that we resolve disagreements and differing views constructively. We are all volunteers doing our best to create an effective team. Most of us have other commitments and limited time. We have different life experiences which may make us sensitive to different triggers.
6. Make differences into strengths.
We can find strength in diversity. Different people have different perspectives on issues, and that can be valuable for solving problems or generating new ideas. Being unable to understand why someone holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. We all make mistakes, and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere.
Codes of conduct for political parties and their candidates
- The NZ Outdoors Party seeks to be transparent and to raise the standard of conduct in New Zealand politics including by consistently modelling good conduct.
- Be fair. Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.
- Be honest. If you make a mistake you need to own it.
- Do not engage in violence or intimidation, or in language or action or post on social media that which might lead to violence or intimidation;
- Do not react to any level of violence or intimidation but rather distance oneself away from any possible exposure;
- Do not publish, post on social media or repeat false or defamatory allegations about political opponents;
- Do not destroy, disfigure or remove other political parties’ campaign materials;
- Do not plagiarize other political parties’ symbols, colours or acronyms;
- Do not abuse positions of power, influence or privilege in respect of the election campaign or voting
- Do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, class, gender or religion or legal occupation in connection with the election or electoral activity;
- Cooperate with other political parties to avoid scheduling political activities at the same time and places;
- Stick to the issues and the policies, not the personalities, except where it is necessary to do so to expose corruption, bullying or other concerning behaviour.
Breaches of the Code
- If possible firstly raise any concern directly with the person responsible.
- If you do not feel comfortable doing this, or if the person responsible does not respond satisfactorily, please raise it with one or more Board members.
- Depending on the circumstances, the Board member may ask the complainant to provide a written report.
- Concerns that are considered by the Board (or a Board subcommittee) to be of concern will be allocated to a Board member to investigate (“an investigation”).
- The principles of natural justice and good faith will apply to each investigation. The accused will be given an opportunity to understand and consider the allegations and then provide a written or oral response. The investigator may exercise discretion to decide whether or not it is appropriate to disclose the name or any other details about the complainant.
- If the investigator must update the Board on progress as soon as possible. If the investigator is concerned that any breach is serious they may seek approval from the Board to temporarily suspend the accused until complaint is resolved
- If the investigation establishes a serious concern, the accused may be invited to appear before the board or a sub-committee of the Board.
- After the investigation is complete, the Board at its discretion may reject the complaint, provide an oral or written warning and temporarily or permanently change or remove the membership and/or any duties of the accused so as best to uphold this code and protect the interests of the Party and its members.
- In deciding what action to take, the Board will take into account the seriousness of the breach, whether it was deliberate or accidental, and any previous complaints against that person.