Software Innovation New Zealand is committed to providing a welcoming space for all attendees. A primary goal of our workshops and seminars is to promote the open exchange of ideas and the freedom of thought and expression among software engineering researchers in Aotearoa. These require an environment that recognizes the inherent worth of every person and group; fosters dignity, understanding, and mutual respect; and embraces diversity.
For these reasons, Software Innovation New Zealand is dedicated to providing an inclusive harassment-free experience for participants at our events and in official communications channels, including social media. We want every participant to feel welcome, included, respected, and safe. There is no tolerance for unwelcome or hostile behaviour or speech that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with a person’s participation or opportunity for participation at our workshop and events.
Expected Behaviour
We expect all Software Innovation New Zealand workshop and seminar participants to behave professionally and to help create a safe and welcoming environment for all attendees, volunteers, sponsors, organizers, speakers, venue staff, and exhibitors in all venues, including ancillary events and unofficial social gatherings:
- Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions;
- Be mindful of cultural differences in engagement – attendees originate from all over the world and may have a different level of comfort with respect to language and personal space;
- Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behaviour and speech;
- Discuss and critique ideas, not people;
Unacceptable Behaviour includes: abusive or degrading language, sustained disruption of a talk or other activity, discrimination, deliberate intimidation, stalking, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, sexual imagery, and unwelcome sexual attention.
Harassment includes: comments, writings, or actions including jokes that discriminate or denigrate an individual on the bases of race, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy, medical conditions, veteran status, or any other aspect of a person’s social identity.
Sexual Harassment includes: unwelcome advances or propositions; inappropriate touching of an individual’s body; degrading or humiliating comments about an individual’s appearance; displaying or distributing sexually explicit images or messages.
Alert community leaders if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this policy, even if they seem inconsequential.
How to Report Unacceptable Behaviour
Anyone witnessing or subject to unacceptable behaviour should notify anyone on the workshop organising committee or the Software Innovation New Zealand executive committee.
If you feel that you or someone around you is in immediate danger, please dial 111 on your phone (police, fire, ambulance).
An individual violating these standards may be sanctioned or excluded from further participation at Software Innovation New Zealand events, without refund, at the discretion of the event organizers.