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 5: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Table Tennis NZ is committed to including and celebrating diversity and people from all backgrounds and abilities, in line with the concept of manaakitanga, broadly meaning having respect, care, generosity and support for others.
Purpose
Aotearoa New Zealand is a country of people from many cultures, beliefs, and backgrounds. We want to let people know we are a welcoming, accessible, safe place for all people. Our table tennis community is committed to including and celebrating diversity and people from all backgrounds. Everyone involved in the activities of Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated organisations need to play their part to make our sport a safe, welcoming space and to encourage participation by as many people as possible.
Inclusion
We know there are different ways of thinking, doing, working, and feeling connected that may differ from our own. It is okay to be different in the same place. We want to enable everybody to bring their whole self to table tennis participation. Everybody has the right to participate within an inclusive and safe space and to be treated with respect, care, and a positive attitude. We believe at its heart, inclusion is simple: no one is left out. That means more than saying everyone is welcome. It means taking action to include people in opportunities and that people feel they are included and belong. This involves talking, listening and following the lead of people from different cultures and backgrounds about ways our sport can be made safe and suitable for them. There should be no set way about how we do things. We will be flexible, instead of expecting people to adapt to how we think things should be done.
Exemptions under the New Zealand legislation may permit certain forms of Discrimination. These may include Discrimination:
- for the provision of separate facilities or services for each sex on the ground of public decency or public safety;
- or any other application of NZ laws
Diversity
We believe there is strength in diversity. We welcome people of all races, cultural, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. We encourage people from all cultures and backgrounds to become involved in the sport as participants, volunteers, employees and supporters. We will make table tennis governance and management bodies representative of our community.
How
We welcome diversity and we are committed to taking steps towards inclusion. This is about more than just refusing to tolerate racism or discrimination.
We want Table Tennis NZ and its affiliated organisations to reflect the community that we are part of. We will have a good understanding of who is in our community and the obstacles they may face to participating in table tennis.
We will regularly engage with groups in our community, including schools, community centres, refugee centres, Para groups, cultural groups, and religious groups. This will help us understand the needs of our community and how we can improve table tennis participation for everybody.
We will make our policy public by publishing it on our website.
With help from the community, we wish to use multi-language signs and images that reflect our diversity as a table tennis community.
Change Request
Our place can be everybody’s place with your help. We welcome your suggestions to change, improve your experience and make our place your place too.
If you would like to propose ways Table Tennis NZ can be more inclusive, we have a process for change. We ask that you complete the Change Form and give it to an official representative of the relevant organization.
You are welcome to have a support person and/or translator present for any meetings which take place if helpful.
Discrimination
Despite our best efforts, sometimes people are not inclusive, and do not respect the diversity of others.
Discrimination is unacceptable and unlawful.
Table Tennis NZ will not tolerate discrimination against those involved in table tennis. If you have been discriminated against, our Preventing Discrimination Policy outlines the steps you should take.
Version: February 2025