Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy

The New Zealand Institute of Chemistry is the national body representing members engaged in the profession of chemistry in New Zealand. We are committed to upholding the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and recognizing the distinct status of Māori as tangata whenua, with whom we look to partner to achieve greater diversity and inclusion within the scientific community.

We believe that science must be inclusive of people from many backgrounds, and we acknowledge that we need to do work to remove the barriers that still remain for people from underrepresented groups. We are committed to the safety and support of our members, and therefore will work to promote inclusion, and prevent bullying and discrimination in all their forms.

We commit to appropriate representation of our community at all New Zealand Institute of Chemistry events. It should be noted that we currently have a membership comprised of 30% women. Where events have multiple speakers a programme is required to be provided to the President of the NZIC in advance to ensure that it does not misrepresent our community. We also encourage all event organisers to think of ways to encourage broader diversity.

The New Zealand Institute of Chemistry has the following policies in place, and we require all members to abide by and implement them. This document and the policies within are to be taken as a whole.

Conference/meeting code of conduct

As an institute representing all professions involved in the pursuit of excellence in Chemistry, we value the free exchange of ideas and respectful debate, and we understand our responsibilities in ensuring that our community supports these values. The New Zealand Institute of Chemistry is therefore committed to providing a harassment-free experience for participants at our hosted and sponsored events regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion.

Harassment and hostile behaviour are unwelcome at any New Zealand Institute of Chemistry event. This includes speech or behaviour (including in public presentations and on-line discourse) that intimidates, creates discomfort, or interferes with a person’s participation or opportunity for participation in the event. We aim for New Zealand Institute of Chemistry events to be an environment where harassment in any form does not happen, including but not limited to: harassment based on race, gender, religion, age, colour, national origin, ancestry, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Harassment includes but is not limited to: verbal comments that reinforce social structures of domination [related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, etc]; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; unwelcome sexual attention; and advocating for or encouraging any of the above behaviour.

It is the responsibility of the community as a whole to promote an inclusive and positive environment for our scholarly activities. In addition, any participant who experiences harassment or hostile behaviour may contact any current member of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry Council or contact the event organiser who is usually available at the registration desk of the event. Please be assured that if you approach us, your concerns will be kept in strict confidence, and we will consult with you on any actions taken.

Implementation

This policy should be posted prominently on all event webpages, with a notice of a list of people who can be contacted by members and attendees with concerns. In case of a formal complaint, the contacted New Zealand Institute of Chemistry representative(s) will first speak to all parties involved to try to resolve the issue – without presupposition of guilt.

For New Zealand Institute of Chemistry sponsored events, a condition of sponsorship is that event organisers develop and adopt a similar code of conduct or harassment policy, post that policy prominently on event websites, and provide contact details for the event attendees in case of complaint.

Childcare Policy

The New Zealand Institute of Chemistry recognizes that some of our events require people to take time away from their family responsibilities, and that this can be an additional burden and barrier to inclusion of people at particular points in their career. We also recognize the other caring responsibilities that all people have, at different times.

Our commitment is as follows:

We will provide childcare support for members at all New Zealand Institute of Chemistry events that require overnight travel. This may take the form of:

Reimbursement of additional (e.g. after-school) childcare costs.

A small koha for family members, e.g. grandparents, who take on additional responsibilities to make travel possible.

Provision of a childcare professional on site for larger events (e.g. the biennial NZIC conference) where there is sufficient need.

For the biennial NZIC conference: the availability of childcare options (whether paid or unpaid) will be advertised on the conference website at the time of abstract submission, and expressions of interest will be possible at the time of registration.

We will make what accommodations we can, in the case that other caring responsibilities impact on the ability of our members to attend New Zealand Institute of Chemistry events. As such responsibilities are naturally less systemic than childcare needs, the appropriate support will need to be discussed with a member of the Council leadership team (President, Vice-President or Past-President).

In all cases, we recognize that the removal of barriers to participation requires proactive and transparently available support, and we will work to provide the necessary information well in advance of all events.

If you wish to discuss childcare support, please contact the NZIC  Before September 24, 2024. After this date, no support can be guaranteed due to timeframes.