New Zealand

The New Zealand Hive is dedicated to solving real nationwide challenges. Make your own Proposal for change, vote on collectively-determined Topics, and review the Insights to see where Aotearoa stands—and why.

Hive rules

‍Kia ora, and welcome to Buzzy!

We're glad that you're here. If you have questions about user standards and privacy before getting started, please keep reading. You can view our full code of conduct at: buzzyapp.co.nz/codeofconduct

Buzzy is a platform that aims to help communities find common ground on the issues that matter. See where people stand on different issues, and what aspects of it they care most about. Participation is open to every Kiwi over the age of 16.

We expect all New Zealand Hive members to behave respectfully and respond to others with integrity. You can help us foster a healthy national community on Buzzy by:

- Treating other members with respect. Communication should be civil, even when disagreements occur.

- Embracing diversity of opinion. No one should have to feel unwelcome on Buzzy based on who they are.

- Giving and accepting criticism gracefully. Try to focus on improvements and solutions over who to blame.

- Being honest about your knowledge. Accurate information helps Buzzy be a better community resource.

- Taking responsibility for the experience. Demonstrating accountability sets a positive example for others.

- Upholding the Buzzy spirit by keeping conversations fun, informative, and appropriate for the debate.

On Buzzy, your data is encrypted in transit and stored with established cloud providers in Australia and the EU, which have protections at or above New Zealand standards. Moderators can see your username and what you post, but they can’t see your email, your name or other specific identifying details. We do not distribute or profit from your personal information in any way.

‍Certain behaviours are considered unacceptable in our community. To maintain a safe and respectful environment, the following actions are prohibited:

- Harassment and bullying: Any form of harassment, intimidation or abuse is forbidden. This includes stalking, repeated unwanted contact, or personal attacks.

- Hate speech and discrimination: You may not attack or demean anyone on the basis of any personal characteristic. The prohibition also covers casual racism and cultural insensitivity.

- Offensive or inappropriate content: Content should remain appropriate for a general audience. Hurtful language, unwelcome attention, and sexual advances are considered harassment and are not tolerated.

- Misinformation: Knowingly sharing or promoting false, misleading or unsubstantiated claims is forbidden. Posting overt misinformation may result in enforcement actions.

- Threats of violence or incitement: You may not threaten violence towards any individual or group, or encourage others to engage in violent behaviour.

- Illegal activities: You may not engage in or promote illegal activities anywhere inside Buzzy. This includes sharing instructions for committing illegal acts and posting content that involves fraud, hacking, or piracy.

- Personal data and privacy: We aim to ensure that every user's privacy is protected. Please do not share identifying information about yourself or others on Buzzy, such as real names, addresses, and workplaces.

- Publishing private communications: Please do not publish or share content from private communications. If there is a serious violation to report, please share it with Buzzy directly by flagging it for moderation.

- Impersonation and misrepresentation: Misleading others by pretending to be someone you’re not (e.g. a public figure) undermines trust and is not allowed.

- Spam and self-promotion: Unwanted repetitive content, advertisements, or self promotion that is not permitted by our community guidelines will be removed. Repeated infringements will lead to suspension.

- Any other inappropriate conduct: This Code of Conduct is not exhaustive. If something is clearly creating a hostile environment, it will be addressed by moderation. This includes problematic social behaviours such as trolling, deliberately derailing discussions, excess negativity, and others not explicitly listed here.

Moderators consider impact over intent when assessing the severity of unacceptable behaviour, using these factors:

- Target and harm: Is anyone (especially a marginalised group) targeted or harmed?

- Safety and legality: Does it create a safety risk or involve illegal activity?

- Privacy: Does it expose private/personal data?

- Scope and Recurrence: Is it an isolated slip or a pattern over time?

- Context: Time, place and potential to influence community decisions.

‍Our moderation team is responsible for interpreting and enforcing this Code of Conduct. We take violations seriously. If you violate the rules, you can expect appropriate action from the moderators, which may include any of the following consequences:

- Friendly Warning or Reminder: For minor first-time offences, a moderator may reach out privately to explain the issue and remind you of the rules.

- Official Warning: For more serious violations or repeated issues, you will receive a formal warning. This is an explicit notice that the behaviour is unacceptable and must stop immediately.

- Content Removal: Proposals, comments or any content that violates the Code of Conduct may be removed or edited by moderators.

- Temporary Suspension: The moderators may suspend your participation privileges for a period of time. The length of the ban will depend on the severity of the violation and whether it’s a repeat offence.

- Permanent Ban: For very serious violations or repeat offences, a member may be permanently removed from the community. This is a last resort for users who are openly unwilling to follow our Code of Conduct.

- Other Actions: Our team reserves the right to take other appropriate actions to maintain the safety and integrity of the platform. This includes contacting authorities if a situation poses imminent danger.

A breach of our Code of Conduct is behaviour that is targeted, harmful, illegal, or privacy-violating, including any conduct that attacks protected characteristics, creates fear or risk, or shows refusal to comply after warnings.

Examples of a Major Breach include:

- Slurs, dehumanising language, or explicit attacks on groups e.g. race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, body size, caste, nationality

- Doxxing, publishing private information without consent, or exposing identifying information

- Knowingly spreading falsehoods or manipulated media, especially when high risk to affect community decisions.

‍We strongly encourage members to report any behaviour or content that violates this Code of Conduct. You can report problematic content for review by a moderator using the ...[flag] option. If you experience harassment, hate speech, or any other misconduct, please do not hesitate to report it to the moderation team.

‍If you think you have been moderated against unjustly, you can submit an appeal. Our moderation team reviews appeals on a case-by-case basis to determine if any further action is warranted. Please contact us with your username and the appeal itself at: support@buzzyapp.co.nz

Thank you for helping us build a productive New Zealand Hive! We appreciate your help building a healthy, welcoming environment for every Kiwi on Buzzy.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at: kiaora@buzzyapp.co.nz