Volunteer Code of Conduct 2023

Purpose

The purpose of these guidelines is to:

  • create a safe working environment,
  • protect volunteers and elected/appointed party office holders
  • let people know what conduct is expected of them.

A safe working environment includes all communications and interactions, be they verbal, written or electronic.

The guidelines lay out appropriate conduct for volunteers and office holders, and the procedures to be followed in cases of inappropriate conduct.

The guidelines are for volunteers and office holders at branch, provincial or national level, including committee members.

Instances of inappropriate conduct involving staff employed by Parliamentary Services should be taken directly to the Office Manager at the Green Parliamentary office. 

Instances of inappropriate conduct involving staff employed by the party should be taken directly to the staff member's supervisor or to the Party Co-convenors. All regular staff (paid or unpaid) should have a code of conduct relating to their work. See our Preventing Bullying, Harassment, and Sexual Violence Policy for more detail on this. 

 

General

It is expected that all Green Party volunteers and office holders will:

  1. uphold the Charter of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
  2. follow these guidelines for appropriate conduct
  3. use, and refer people to, the existing mechanisms and institutions of the Green Party as appropriate (for example the branch, provincial or national Executive, the national Policy Committee, Green Party Counsellors) for the resolution of problems which may arise

Appropriate conduct

It is expected that Green Party volunteers and office holders will:

  1. Conduct themselves in a way which will uphold the good name of the Party and will not bring it into disrepute.
  2. Clearly distinguish between what they do on behalf of the Party, and what they do as private individuals
  3. Carry out their duties in an efficient and competent manner
  4. Work with the party in giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
  5. Treat each other and all contacts with courtesy and respect for their human rights and privacy
  6. Follow the principles and processes of good listening and of consensus decision-making
  7. Act with fairness and integrity and not abuse the advantages of their position
  8. Abide by financial delegation authorities and not enter into any contracts, verbal or written, on behalf of the party without appropriate approval
  9. Keep confidential all information relating to Green Party business
  10. Respect the intellectual property of others and refrain from claiming another person's ideas or contributions as their own.
  11. Do not accept personal gifts or koha in exchange for favours
  12. Use Green Party property with care and diligence and not use it for personal use unless authorised to do so
  13. Use Green Party computers and internet access appropriately, exercising restraint in use for personal matters, and in no circumstances access pornographic or other offensive or illegal material or download large files such as music videos for personal use.
  14. Conduct themselves in a way which will not harm their performance when carrying out green party business.
  15. Refrain from allowing personal relationships and work relationships to develop into a potential conflict of interest. Where a personal relationship exists alongside a work relationship this must be acknowledged and care taken to ensure that integrity is not compromised.
  16. Identify any conflict with others as the conflict arises, and deal with it appropriately, either by dealing constructively with the people directly or by seeking assistance from the person supervising them, or the Party Co-convenors or another member of the Executive (branch, provincial or national, as appropriate).

Notes:

  1. The Charter of the Green Party is available on the Green Party website at www.greens.org.nz 
  2. Respectful conduct takes account of cultural, emotional, intellectual, religious, physical and sexual orientation considerations and family circumstances. We recognise that the experience of respectful conduct is subjective.
  3. Human rights and privacy will be interpreted through the human rights and privacy legislation of Aotearoa New Zealand.
  4. No forms of bullying, harassment or sexual violence will be tolerated by any person within the Party: Party members, volunteers or staff, or by any person/s at Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand organised or affiliated gatherings or events, whether online or in-person. See our Preventing Bullying, Harassment, and Sexual Violence Policy for more detail on this.  

Instances of inappropriate conduct

If a volunteer or office holder feels there has been an instance of inappropriate conduct, which, for any reason, they are not comfortable dealing with directly, they should approach the person supervising their work or a member of the Executive (branch, provincial or national, as appropriate).

The person to whom an instance of inappropriate conduct is referred must in the first instance contact one of the Party Co-convenors or the General Secretary. This is to ensure that the matter is dealt with properly from the outset, and that those people dealing with the inappropriate conduct have the support and advice they need.

The initial aim when addressing instances of inappropriate conduct will be to re-establish good working relationships so that the person can continue in their capacity of volunteer or office holder, if this is what they want.

If a good working relationship cannot be re-established, or if instances of inappropriate conduct recur, the volunteer or office-holder who has conducted themselves inappropriately may be asked by the Executive (branch, provincial or national, as appropriate) to cease their work for the Party.

Any person who is alleged to have conducted themselves inappropriately is entitled to have representation and/or support when the inappropriate conduct is investigated.

Ensuring the personal safety of all volunteers and office holders, and the people they come into contact with while carrying out their duties, is a matter of paramount importance. Any conduct which affects any person's personal safety will be viewed seriously. A person whose conduct affects another person's personal safety will be asked to step down from their role until it is established that there is no further risk to personal safety.

Any instances of inappropriate conduct which cannot be resolved within the Party can be referred to independent mediation.

Procedures for dealing with instances of inappropriate conduct

The steps that will be taken are as follows:

  1. Any volunteer or office holder who feels that there has been an instance of inappropriate conduct should first, if they are comfortable with doing so, discuss the matter with the person (or group) and attempt to resolve the conflict. Any resolution should be recorded in writing and signed by both parties.
  2. If for any reason this is not possible, or if the parties have not resolved the conflict by talking to each other, or if this is a recurrence of inappropriate conduct, then one or both of the parties should contact the person supervising them or the Executive (branch, provincial or national as appropriate) and request that they assist in resolution of the conflict.
  3. At this point the supervisor or the Executive (branch, provincial or national, as appropriate) must contact a Co-convenor or the PDC to discuss with them how the breach should be handled. A mediator should then be appointed to deal with the matter.
  4. A meeting should be arranged between the mediator and the parties concerned. Either party may bring people to represent and/or support them at the meeting, or may request that they meet separately with the mediator.
  5. Both parties and the mediator should check all facts surrounding the conflict to make sure there have not been assumptions or misunderstandings, and should ensure that all relevant information is available at the meeting.
  6. At the meeting the mediator will attempt to find a resolution to the conflict which is acceptable to both parties. Any resolution should be recorded in writing and signed by both parties.
  7. If either party is dissatisfied with the outcome of the meeting, they can request that the matter be referred back to a Co-convenor, to a Green Counsellor or to an outside mediator if appropriate.

Note:

There will be some instances where a separate appeals process has been set up to deal with particular conflicts. An example of this might be a candidate who feels they have been unfairly turned down for entry into the candidate pool or for selection. Where an appeals process has been set up, the procedures outlined in the appeals process will be followed.

 

What do do if there is an incident

 

If there is an incident in regard to injury, violence, criminality, abuse or conflict involving any Greens’ staff, candidates or volunteers, please report it to the General Secretary ([email protected]) or the Party Co-Convenors ([email protected]). In an emergency, where the safety of people or property is at risk, first contact the emergency services on 111.

 

Confidentiality

All campaign documents, (including this one!) must be treated as confidential. All staff and volunteers accessing our online communication systems must sign our confidentiality agreement. 

Confidentiality Agreement Here