CODE OF CONDUCT
A founder-centric Code of Conduct to foster trust & respect of all in the startup ecosystem
Introduction
Tena koutou, innovation ecosystem providers, mentors, advisors, coaches, investors and supporters.
As a member of the startup ecosystem, we — Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) — want to help build a startup ecosystem that's diverse, inclusive and supportive; where words and actions carry weight; and where we own it when we get things wrong.
That's why we've adopted this Code of Conduct (the Code) for everyone working with founders and startups through our programmes - in particular programme providers, investors, advisors, coaches and mentors.
This Code applies alongside our existing employment and health and safety policies, and we expect everyone we work with - founders, providers, mentors, investors and partners alike - to uphold it.
Thank you for your ongoing service and support of our entrepreneurs and future leaders of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Code of Conduct
The purpose of The Code
The Code is a founder-centric document that spells out what's acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the startup ecosystem. It's meant to help everyone recognise good behaviour, know how to identify and address unacceptable behaviour, encourage bystanders to step in, and send a clear message that poor behaviour won't be tolerated.
We — Ocean Impact Organisation and our partners — foster the following core values throughout BlueStart and the wider New Zealand startup ecosystem.
Foundational values
Manaakitanga -Care and enhance the experience of founders and their teams on their entrepreneurial journey.
We bring compassion and care to working with founders — acknowledging each person's unique context and valuing their wellbeing. As members of the startup ecosystem, we have a duty of care to support founders through the ups and downs, and we stand by them even more on the bad days. Failure can go hand-in-hand with the entrepreneurial journey; that's when the ecosystem rallies together to help.
Safety - Create a safe space for ourselves and others.
We respect and support founder wellbeing, whatever that looks like for each individual. We hold ourselves and our partners to a standard of professionalism in every engagement — using positions of power or authority to impact a founder's entrepreneurship journey will not be tolerated. It's part of our duty of care to ensure founders and their teams feel safe with the partners we introduce them to. It's important that they have clarity on who to go to for support and understand the process for raising concerns and how we'll address them.
Tikanga Māori - Programmes that promote the application and exploration of mātauranga Māori should prioritise a tikanga Māori approach by providers, investors, mentors, founders and their teams.
Tikanga Māori is a set of binding principles, beliefs and traditions practised collectively by Māori whānau, hapū and iwi since time immemorial. The word tika means 'correct', 'just', 'decent' and 'honourable' in te reo Māori — tikanga is the right way to do things, and it guides and constrains all aspects of Te Ao Māori and Māori life, including social relationships and ceremonies, moral behaviour, and economic activity.
As tangata whenua, Māori are the kaitiaki, or custodians, of mātauranga Māori. The interconnected nature of kaitiakitanga and whakapapa means Māori have the right to protect and secure the integrity of tikanga and mātauranga Māori.
Founders should not be expected to fill the role of a cultural capability builder for us or our partners. Terms or conditions of investment should not compromise the integrity of tikanga or mātauranga Māori.
We, and our partners, are expected to understand the importance of tikanga Māori — particularly as it applies to mātauranga Māori and the status of tangata whenua as its kaitiaki.
If your knowledge of te ao Māori is low and you wish to adapt these values for your own unique context, we advise engaging with experts in tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori — research who the most suitable person, institute or group is.
Core values
Diversity - Actively seek diversity, promote inclusion and value alternative or unique points of view.
Good ideas can come from anywhere — we celebrate that and look for diverse points of view to drive real innovation. In practice, that means acknowledging and respecting founders' worldviews and perspectives, and considering their cultural realities and contexts as part of who they are.
Respect - Respect each other's history and future.
An entrepreneurial journey takes courage and grit. We make sure founders feel supported and free to be true to their identities, and we — along with our partners — advise and challenge founders in a way that shows respect for them.
Transparency - Communicate clearly and transparently when we engage with the founders and their teams.
A culture of transparency means:
Intentions and expectations are clearly communicated, with no hidden agendas.
Terminology is clearly explained, and founders can ask questions — for example, why they've been matched with specific advisors or investors.
Founders can give feedback through safe channels.
We do not gatekeep relationships founders have built with investors or mentors through their own networking or connections.
Founders are encouraged to be open and honest about team dynamics, progress, and the statistics and metrics behind them when communicating with stakeholders.
Accountability - Encourage everyone in the ecosystem to take responsibility for their own actions.
Everyone in the ecosystem has a role to play in a founder's entrepreneurial journey — sometimes that means calling out unacceptable behaviour and speaking up in support of those who need it. For our investor partners, accountability means taking responsibility for their own due diligence process. Founders are encouraged to do the same: due diligence on potential investors, board members or advisors.
Self-determination - Encourage and empower founders and their teams to make decisions for their startup without external pressures.
We provide founders with advice, support and connections, but the decision to pitch for investment — or not — is theirs. If a founder decides not to pitch, we respect that.
Founders should feel safe telling us about major changes to their startup, including shutting it down or pivoting, and no one is pressured to work with an investor who isn't the right fit.
What unacceptable behaviour looks like
Unacceptable behaviour takes many forms. Some — bullying, harassment, violence and aggression — carry legal ramifications and are summarised below, with more detail and examples in Appendix A.
Bullying - Repeated and unreasonable behaviour directed towards a person or a group that creates a risk to safety and health. 'Unreasonable behaviour' means behaviour that a reasonable person, having considered the circumstances, would see as unreasonable — behaviour that is victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening.
Harassment - Sexual, racial or other harassment that is one-off, repeated or continuous. Anyone can be harassed, regardless of gender, age or background. Harassment can create a hostile environment and impact a person's sense of safety, and can take many forms including threats, abuse, insults and taunts resulting from discrimination.
Violence & Aggression - A broad range of actions and behaviours that create a risk to safety and health, and that may physically or psychologically harm another person — both the person it's directed at and anyone witnessing it. Physical assault or the threat of physical harm of any form is a criminal act.
Discrimination - The Human Rights Act 1993 protects people in New Zealand from discrimination in a number of areas. Discrimination occurs when a person is treated unfairly, or less favourably, than another person in the same or similar circumstances.
Raising concerns
We, and our partners across the startup ecosystem, work to make sure this Code is followed — that means keeping it visible and understood, having at least two ways to catch early signs of problems, and giving people a safe way to raise concerns formally when needed.
If you are experiencing any unacceptable behaviour, or notice anyone else experiencing it, please contact our Head of Global Programs & Partnerships @elisamarie@ocean-impact.org or our NZ Program & Community Lead @sarah@moananui.org.nz. All reports will be treated confidentially, and we will support you in deciding what happens next.
Need to talk?
For immediate and free assistance from a trained counsellor: call or text 1737; call 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354); text HELP to 4357; or call the Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0508 TAUTOKO (0508 828 865). A full list of helplines and other resources is available via the Mental Health Foundation.