Waikato Hockey Association Media Release

2023 Code of Conduct Review
In the 2023 season, Waikato Hockey Association under guidance from Hockey New Zealand has taken proactive measures to bring our Code of Conduct and Judicial Process documentation up to date, and in line with national best practice.

Our Goal
Our goal is to improve our overall hockey product and experience for all participants. To do this we are motivated to create competitions that are positive, free from abuse, and enjoyable for all.

To achieve our goals, we:

• Formally adopted the Hockey New Zealand Code of Conduct;
• Implemented the WHA 2023 Misconduct and Umpire Abuse Policy; and
• Publicly released accompanying Umpire and Community Guidance.

These initiatives came after:

• An extensive review of our previous documentation and competition environment;
• Review of neighboring and high-profile Association documentation;
• Guidance from Hockey New Zealand;
• Collaboration with our community and the Waikato Hockey Board.

They were approved and implemented for the season by the Waikato Hockey Board, and Chief Executive Officer, and scheduled for a public mid-season review which has just been undertaken.

Mid-Season Review
Waikato hockey was pleased to see 100% of review participants state that they were FOR the formal adoption of the Hockey New Zealand Code of Conduct, and the implementation of the Misconduct and Umpire Abuse Policy.

Outcomes
From submissions of comment and feedback provided by the community, Waikato Hockey has settled on the following outcomes for the 2023 season:

1. Waikato Hockey will facilitate mid-season courses with umpires that have strong focuses on player engagement, and accurate implementation of the Misconduct and Umpire Abuse Policy.
2. The 2023 Misconduct and Abuse Policy will remain unchanged and in place until the end of the season, where we will hold another review, with the intention of making improvements and changes to its specific wording and detail of the Policy.

Waikato Hockey wants to express a sincere thanks to the leadership shown by many who continue to contribute to the positive improvement of our competitions.