Commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Table Tennis NZ recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document
and is committed to upholding the mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the principles of Partnership, Protection and Participation.
Policy 20: Conflicts of Interest
Conflict of interest
Aotearoa New Zealand is a small country, and it is not unusual for people of valuable knowledge and skills to have wide relationships including social, business and whānau within the sport and the wider community.
Sometimes those relationships and influence may overlap and cause other people to question the person’s ability to be impartial in their decisions.
In these situations, it is not unusual for conflicts of interest or perceptions of a conflict to arise.
The existence of a family/whānau or other close relationship or business, social or community connection does not automatically mean there is a problem. The question to be asked is did or could that person use their position to gain an unfair benefit or advantage, or could other people call their ability to be impartial and fair into question. If so, the situation needs to be managed to avoid that risk.
What is a conflict of interest?
If a person has an interest in the outcome of a decision and has some influence or ability to affect the decision, a conflict of interest may exist. Their interest could be financial or personal.
A conflict of interest may be an actual conflict, a potential conflict, or a perceived conflict. In all cases the conflict must be stated up front (disclosed) and managed.
A conflict of interest is not automatic evidence of any wrongdoing. Disclosing a conflict of interest is not an admission of guilt. It simply flags a situation that may need steps to manage any risks.
A conflict can arise out of relationships. For example, a coach selects her nephew for a team when other people believe the nephew was not the best choice. Or a coach does not select a great participant because their families are involved in a dispute. Or someone on a committee has shares in a business that wants to do some paid work for the organisation/club.
Relationships such as whakapapa relationships do not automatically mean there is a conflict of interest and should not stop a person from taking on a role or making decisions in their role.
Being upfront about a possible or actual conflict of interest allows for the people involved to manage the conflict of interest and the perceptions of everyone involved, as well as protecting the integrity and mana of the people involved and of the decisions made.
This policy is focused on transparency, dignity and maximising the potential of all people in the sport.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on how to identify, disclose and manage potential or actual conflicts of interest.
It aims to:
- support people to identify potential, actual and perceived conflicts of interest on their own
- give clear guidance for identifying, recording and managing with conflicts
- make sure the approach taken to manage conflicts is fair, transparent, and consistent including enabling culturally appropriate responses and processes.
Identify
It is sensible for Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation to think about what conflicts of interest may exist and whether they can be managed when recruiting for roles at Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation.
When someone takes on a role for Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation, they must ask themselves “do I have a conflict of interest?” There are two things to think about:
- Do I have any personal interests relevant to the job?
- Am I able to influence decisions?
Raising a possible conflict of interest gives everyone involved in the process the chance to deal with information in a fair, open and respectful way and protects the integrity and mana of the people involved and decisions made.
Disclosure and record: Interests Form
At the time a person is appointed to a role they will complete an Interests Form, noting potential or actual conflicts of interest. A potential conflict of interest is where there is no actual conflict yet, but there could be a conflict in the future.
People are only required to disclose conflicts of interests relevant to the role they are doing for Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation. Over time things can change and conflicts can change.
When the person in the role, Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation, or someone else becomes aware of a change, the new conflict must be disclosed, and an Interests Form completed or updated.
If in doubt about whether something might be a conflict of interest, it is best to disclose it, just in case.
The Interests Form asks the person to describe the impact or potential impact of their continuing in the role. It will not always be easy to complete this question. The Chief Executive, Table Tennis NZ, or the relevant lead role in any Table Tennis NZ affiliated organisation, will offer as much help as possible and sit down with the person to work through the issues.
The information in the Interests Form will be kept confidential and only disclosed to the relevant people. The Interests Form can only be referred to in relation to the role it was completed for and is not relevant to any other role the person may perform for Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation.
The Interests Form will be held by the Chief Executive, Table Tennis NZ, or the relevant lead role in any Table Tennis NZ affiliated organisation.
When the person is no longer in the role, the Interests Form will be held for 12 months then destroyed.
Manage
When a conflict of interest is disclosed Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation must decide whether the interest would cause the person to act in a way that may not be in the best interests of the participants, the sport of table tennis and/or Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation.
If an actual conflict is identified there are a few ways Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation can manage the conflict and include:
- replacing the person
- ensuring they are not involved in the final decision if it is possible while still performing their role.
At the start of all meetings, members must assess the agenda and disclose if a conflict of interest exists for a decision required by the Board or Committee.
When a potential conflict is recorded, the person and Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation should together work out and put in place protections for the person and Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation. For example, if a member of the person’s close whānau subsequently qualifies for consideration for a team, the person will withdraw from discussions while the whānau is considered.
A perceived conflict can be raised by the person, Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation or any outside person.
Using the previous example, if a participant being considered for the team is aware a close family member of a selector is also being considered, they may believe a conflict exists. It would be sensible to be upfront and inform the relevant organisation prior to the trials that if a selector has a personal relationship with a participant, that selector will be absent during consideration of that participant and will only know the outcome of the participant’s trial once the team has been finalised. Alternatively, an independent person may be involved in decisions.
The key requirement is that all conflicts whether actual, potential, or perceived are managed upfront, with openness and respect for all people in the process and the integrity of the decisions made. This protects everyone involved in the decision and Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation.
Conflicts of Interest registers must be regularly monitored, updated and reviewed.
Complaints policy and procedure
If someone makes a complaint about a conflict of interest, or the steps taken to manage a conflict, the process set out in Policy 19: Complaints, Disputes and Appeals should be followed.
People are entitled to raise concerns or complaints and to have those addressed promptly and fairly. No one should be punished or victimised for raising a concern or a complaint in good faith.
Sponsorship
When dealing with conflicts of interest involving sponsorship or fundraising Table Tennis NZ or any affiliated organisation policies apply and assist in understanding whether a conflict exists. For example, the policy may restrict organisers of fundraising activities from participating as a contestant in the same draw they organised to win prizes or cash and may include immediate family/whānau of the organiser. Commonsense will be needed: family, whānau and friends often buy raffle tickets. As long as the raffle is drawn in a fair way by someone not having a ticket in the raffle, that will not be an issue.
Version: February 2025