Policy: Standards of Integrity and Conduct
POL-337
Issue Date
October 2019
Approved by DCE Corporate
Owner
Manager People
Author
Manager People Support
Team
Services
1. Purpose
This policy outlines expected standards of professional behaviour contributing and supporting
Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities to build and maintain the trust and confidence of all
stakeholders including Kāinga Ora employees, customers and the communities we serve.
The purpose of this policy is to set out Kāinga Ora’s requirements to act as a good employer and
together with employees, contractors and others to act in good faith and to ensure that:
Kāinga Ora will:
Provide equal employment opportunities recognising our obligations under the Treaty of
Waitangi
Comply with our employment obligations
Provide a safe and healthy working environment
Meet our employment obligations to provide a fair and reasonable employer
Apply fair and impartial recruitment, selection, appointment, performance and salary review
processes;
Provide appropriate conflict and dispute resolution and disciplinary processes as required by
legislation.
Address complaints or unacceptable conduct, behaviour and or performance with
procedural fairness.
Kāinga Ora employees will:
Maintain appropriate professional standards of behaviour and conduct
Act with integrity, honesty and openly in all matters
Be committed to performance
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Comply and meet the requirements of Kāinga Ora employment agreements, employment
legislation, policies, guidelines, standards and guidelines
Communicate and behave in a supportive and constructive way towards others.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the State Services Commission: Standards of Integrity
and Conduct.
2. Scope
This policy and any related guidelines apply to all Kāinga Ora employees (including permanent,
casual and fixed term employees), contractors, consultants, secondees, cadets, apprentices and
interns. It must be read in conjunction with the relevant legislation, regulations, standards and
guidelines.
3. Help
Should you require help or information about this policy please contact the People Partnership
Team or your People leader for assistance.
4. Policy statements
This policy is based on the premise that Kāinga Ora employees will behave with integrity, fairness,
impartiality and empathy towards one another, customers and the wider community and that they
will perform their duties efficiently, professionally and conscientiously.
Any alleged breach of Kāinga Ora policies or guidelines by Kāinga Ora employees may be subject to
investigation and disciplinary guidelines and processes.
This policy is developed around the following guiding principles:
Kāinga Ora is a Crown Entity and the relationship between the Government, Board and
management of the organisation needs to be effective and understood by all Kāinga Ora employees.
The Chief Executive holds responsibility for employing, leading, and managing Kāinga Ora
employees and must make sure that responsibilities, duties and powers delegated to them and
others in the Kāinga Ora are properly performed and exercised.
The Kāinga Ora has substantial legal authority. It collects and spends public money and must
conduct its business in an open, transparent, and democratically accountable manner. There is a
high expectation of professional behaviour and accountability, both in the eyes of the law and the
public.
The Chief Executive, managers and Kāinga Ora employees are guided in their work practices,
behaviour and conduct by the Kāinga Ora’s vision, goals and values.
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5. Key accountabilities and responsibilities
Role
Description of responsibility
Chief Executive
Approval of this policy and associated guidelines.
Deputy Chief
Ensuring Kāinga Ora meets its obligations under this policy.
Executives and Heads Embedding this policy in their business groups.
Ensuring their business groups are compliant with this policy.
Policy owner – People Reviewing the policy and recommending appropriate changes.
Team
Compliance information and monitoring regarding the
performance of this policy.
Promoting awareness of this policy.
Providing advice on remuneration.
People Leaders
People managing teams.
People Partners
People team’s business partners holding business unit
portfolios.
All employees
Kāinga Ora salaried and waged employees.
Reading, understanding and complying with this policy and its
related policies and guidelines.
6. Definition of terms
The following definitions apply when interpreting this policy:
Term
Definition
Act in good faith
is a mutual obligation set out in the Employment Relations Act
2000 that underpins all employment relationships.
Good Employer
is an obligation set out in the Crown Entities Act 2004. It requires
Kāinga Ora to operate a personnel policy that provides for the fair
and proper treatment of our people in all aspects of their
employment.
7. Related policies, guidelines, legislation, and documents
Related Kāinga Ora policies, guidelines and agreements:
I-145 Acceptable Use of ICT
H-122 Conflicts of Interest
H-109 Standards of Integrity and Conduct Guidelines
H-121 Protected disclosures Policy and Guideline
H-227 People Management Delegations
HS-101 Health, Safety and Security management system
R-105 Records retention and disposal
Individual and collective employment agreements
T- 241 Tenancy Management
Creating Safe Workplaces Policy and Guideline
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Relevant legislation, regulations, standards and guidelines:
Kāinga Ora Values
Crown Entities Act 2004
Clean Slate Act 2004
Employment Relations Act 2000
Equal Pay Act 1972
Harassment Act 1997
Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015
Health Safety and Employment Act 1992
Human Rights Act 1993
Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities Act 2019
Official Information Act 1982
Paid Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987
Privacy Act 1993
Protected Disclosures Act 2000
State Services Commission Standards of Integrity and Conduct
State Sector Act 1988
Wages Protection Act 1983
WorkSafe Preventing Bullying in the Workplace Guide
8. Measures of the success of the policy
Meet legislative and compliance obligations.
9. Compliance management process and reporting
H-227 People Management Delegations are applied.
The People Team will oversee the general compliance with this policy. Monitoring of compliance
will occur through regular reporting against organisational goals and objectives.
10. Training and communication
This policy will be available on the Kāinga Ora intranet and promoted across the organisation.
Subsequent amendments or substantive changes to the policy will be supported by a
communication plan.
11. Consultation in developing or reviewing this policy
All internal policies adopted at the establishment of Kāinga Ora were developed from source
agencies. Where relevant, policies from one agency were merged into another, using the most
recently updated policy as the template. Kāinga Ora establishment policies were reviewed by
subject matter experts in source agencies. It is envisaged that establishment policies will be
reviewed by relevant policy owners within the first year from Kāinga Ora becoming operational on 1
October 2019.
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12. Document control
Date
Reviewed/Modified by
Comments/Descriptions of changes
October 2019
People Partnership Team
Update for Kāinga Ora
Details of previous versions of policies and guidelines will be stored in Kāinga Ora’s document
management system (Objective).
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