The Waikato Role-Playing Guild (We) is dedicated to providing a harassment-free gaming experience for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment of attendees to Guild events or online participants in any form. The consequences of violating this policy are outlined below.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neurotype, physical appearance, body, age, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, or religion.

• Unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment.

• Deliberate use of incorrect names or pronouns, including misgendering or use of ‘dead’ or rejected names.

• Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they’re not appropriate.

• Physical contact and simulated physical contact (e.g., textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub”) without consent or after a request to stop.

• Derogatory comments that refer to a particular person without directly mentioning them, especially for, but not limited to, means of mockery or criticism (e.g., “subtweeting” or “vaguebooking”).

• Making intentionally false communications, either written, spoken, or posted on any social media, that harms a member’s or the Waikato Role Playing Guild’s reputation.

• Stealing or misappropriation of any property (including digital) belonging to another member or the Waikato Role Playing Guild, including all materials developed for or on behalf of the Guild without the express permission of the member and/or the Guild.

• Acting in a manner that endangers the health or safety of another person.

• Exhibiting disorderly conduct, including but not limited to, abuse of controlled substances or overt drunkenness.

• Bringing any weaponry (including realistic prop weaponry), firearms, dangerous chemicals, or any materials specifically banned by the Waikato Role Playing Guild and/or venue space to a Guild-sponsored activity or event in either physical or digital spaces.

• Defacing property.

• Any social media posting reflecting any of the above behavior occurring at a Waikato Role Playing Guild-sponsored/affiliated event or activity.

• Threats of violence.

• Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.

• Deliberate intimidation.

• Stalking or following, including both physical and digital spaces.

• Harassing photography or recording, including logging online activity for harassment purposes.

• Sustained disruption of discussion.

• Unwelcome sexual attention.

• A pattern of inappropriate social contact, such as requesting/assuming inappropriate levels of intimacy with others.

• Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease.

• Deliberate “outing” of any aspect of a person’s identity without their consent, except as necessary to protect other Guild community members or other vulnerable people from intentional abuse.

• Publication of non-harassing private communication via any platform within or without the Guild network without consent by the involved parties.

The Waikato Role Playing Guild prioritizes the safety of marginalized individuals over the comfort of privileged individuals. To this effect, the Guild reserves the right to not act on retaliatory complaints or other attempts to weaponize this Code of Conduct or other community processes. Such bad faith actions include, but are not limited to:

• Complaints of ‘reverse’ -isms, including ‘reverse racism,’ ‘reverse sexism,’ and ‘cisphobia’.

• Complaints against the reasonable communication of boundaries, such as “leave me alone,” “go away,” or “I’m not discussing this with you.”

• Complaints of someone communicating in a ‘tone’ you don’t find congenial.

• Complaints against criticisms of racist, sexist, cissexist, or otherwise oppressive behaviour or assumptions.

Enforcement
The Guild, including any organisers of Guild events, may be proactive in determining harassment and need not receive a complaint before deciding what action to take.

Participants of all Guild-related events and venues (including online ones) asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, event organisers or moderators retain the right to take any actions to keep the event or online environment a welcoming place for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event [with no refund] or issuing a ban from posting in an online environment. In some cases, the Guild Council may choose to revoke Guild membership and temporarily or permanently ban someone from attending Guild events or being involved in online environments. The Guild Council may institute enforcement with or without a dedicated meeting.

Reporting
If someone makes you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please communicate it as soon as possible.  The Guild does not require a formal identifiable complainant to investigate harassment.  Harassment and other code of conduct violations reduce the value of our events for everyone. 
For transparency and safety, facilities are not available for anonymous reporting, but complainant identities will be treated as confidential.

You can report to us by either: 

• Contacting a Committee Member or event organiser

• Emailing waikatoroleplayingguild@gmail.com

When taking a report in person, we will ensure you are safe and cannot be overheard. We may involve other event staff to ensure your report is managed properly. Once safe, we'll ask you to tell us about what happened. This can be upsetting, but we'll handle it as respectfully as possible, and you can bring someone to support you. You won't be asked to confront anyone and we won't tell anyone who you are without your permission.
With your permission, our team will be happy to help you contact the police, local support services, provide safe passage, or otherwise assist you to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.

Determination
We may investigate the issue further upon a complaint or suspicion of harassment. During the investigation, we may ask for information from any person we feel is relevant. This may or may not include seeking information from the alleged harasser.  
In situations that are time-sensitive, or the alleged harassment is more than minimal, the Guild may act swiftly with a determination.  
We will promptly and efficiently notify all persons of any determination made against them.  If the determination is made in person, reasons will follow in writing.

Appeal Process
There are two possible Appeal Processes:

Reconsideration
This is the only option available for persons who are not paid up society members of the Waikato Role Playing Guild.  Paid up members may elect this process. 
Any individual with a Determination made against them may email the Waikato Role Playing Guild Committee at waikatoroleplayingguild@gmail.com, including any details that the individual feels that the Committee did not consider or details they think the committee ought to place different weight on.  This may include an apology, and also may include a commitment to better behaviour.  The Guild Committee will consider any correspondence at a scheduled meeting and notify the individual accordingly.  

Dispute Resolution Process
As of 2025, the Waikato Role Playing Guild will have an official Dispute Resolution Process as part of its Constitution (this is a requirement of the updated Incorporated Societies Act).  Paid up members may avail themselves of this listed process, which can be found in the Guild Constitution.