Community Forum terms & conditions

Written By Nick Tucker

Last updated: 1 Feb 2023

•About the Quorum Sense Community Forum and services

The Quorum Sense Community Forum is an app to enable invited users of the platform to post content and links to the whole user group and communicate directly (via direct messages) with individuals or small sub-groups belonging to the user group. 

To be eligible to use the Quorum Sense Community Forum a user must be over 18 years of age and have received a direct invitation confirming access to the Forum from Quorum Sense.

Key things to remember when using the Quorum Sense Community Forum (also please see our detailed Terms & Conditions below, plus the Quorum Sense Community Agreement and the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy):

  1. Be mindful how much personal or identifiable information you share in discussions and posts - it is your responsibility to manage and appropriately limit the information you share

  2. The content you share in discussions:

    (a) will be visible to all current and future users of the Quorum Sense Community Platform;

    (b) is licensed to Quorum Sense (see  clause 7.1 for more detail in respect of the nature of this license); and

    (c) may in future be used by Quorum Sense in accordance with that license to expand its shared library of knowledge relating to regenerative farming systems (either anonymously, or attributed with the permission of the user who posted the content).

  3. Note that content within private discussions or direct messages (with individuals or groups):

    (a) is only visible to those individuals or group members invited into those discussions; and

    (b) will be visible to any individuals or groups added to those discussions in the future.

  4. How content will be handled if removal of personal information is requested by you is covered in the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy clause 7.

To help us maintain the Quorum Sense Community Forum, the Quorum Sense Charitable Trust may seek funding from outside sources, including possible subscription payments from users, but excluding the sale of any user information.

• Quorum Sense Community Forum and services Terms & Conditions

  1. Introduction

1.1 What these Terms cover: Welcome to the Quorum Sense Community Forum and related services (Community Forum).  These terms and conditions (Terms) explain the terms that apply to your use of the Community Forum (however accessed) and any of our services.  

1.2 How to contact us: If you would like to contact us in relation to these Terms, the Community Forum or our services, please email us at the details set out in the Contact Us section below.

1.3 Who we are: In these Terms, references to: 

(a) these Terms means these Quorum Sense Community Forum terms and conditions, including the Quorum Sense Community Agreement and the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy;

(b) we, us or our means Quorum Sense, a charitable trust (Quorum Sense); and

(c) you means any user of our Community Forum.

2. Application

2.1 Acceptance of these Terms: Please read the Terms carefully.  By accessing and using our Community Forum or our services you are deemed to confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by these Terms.  If you do not agree to any part of the Terms (including the Community Agreement and Privacy Policy), you must not access, or must immediately stop accessing, our Community Forum or our services.

2.2 Use of your information: Any personal information that you provide to us through our Community Forum or our services will

be used in accordance with these Terms and the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy. Please ensure that you have read our Privacy Policy before proceeding.

2.3 Other terms may apply: Please note that specific terms may apply to use of the Community Forum or our services from time to time. If there is any inconsistency between such specific terms and these Terms, the specific terms will apply to your use of such services or online tools.

3. Registration process

3.1 Registration requirements: You must be a Registered User to use the Community Forum and our services.  Registering to use the Community Forum and our services as a Registered User is free, but all Registered Users must:

(a) be at least 18 years old and have capacity to enter into contracts with other Registered Users;

(b) be a resident in New Zealand (unless we specifically agree with you otherwise); and

(c) complete the sign-up process and provide true, correct and up-to-date information.

3.2 Third-party integration: We may allow registration or log-in using a third party service (e.g. Facebook or Twitter), accessing, storing and using your information from that service, subject to any applicable terms and conditions. 

3.3 Multiple accounts: You cannot register multiple accounts, even if using different details. We may contact you to verify your details, and it is your responsibility to keep those details current and correct.

4. The Community Platform

4.1 Services offered: The Community Forum and our services are intended to permit the following functionality:

(a) provide an online space for Quorum Sense community members who are Registered Users of the Community Forum to:

(i) to post content and links to the whole user group; and

(ii) to communicate directly (via direct messages) with individuals or small sub-groups belonging to the user group; and

(b) provide a channel for Quorum Sense to communicate directly (individually or as groups) to Registered Users of the Community Forum or our services.

4.2 Limitations of Community Forum: The Community Forum and our services do not provide:

(a) a platform for advertising or promoting goods or product for sale;

(b) a platform for the purchase of goods or product for sale; or

(c) any dispute resolution services.

4.3 Register User acknowledgments: You acknowledge and agree that:

(a) all communications are made as between yourself and any other Registered User with which you connect, whether directly or indirectly, using the Community Forum. The Community Forum is simply a platform which connects the sender and receiver and facilitates the sharing of information;

(b) all information provided as part of the Registered User’s profile is correct at the time of posting. It is the Registered User’s responsibility to ensure this profile information remains current;

(c) all information, experiences and content shared with the group or individuals is true and accurate; and

(d) you assume ultimate responsibility for your posting, reliance on and consumption of content within the Community Forum.

4.4 Changes to Community Forum and our services: We may, for any reason, at any time in our sole discretion and without prior notice:

(a) add or remove Community Forum or service features or functions;

(b) suspend or stop providing any of the Community Forum or service features, services or functions; and/or

(c) refuse individual Registered Users access to some or all of the Community Forum. 

5. Conditions of using the Community Forum

5.1 We are not responsible for other websites: Our Community Forum and services may provide links to other websites for your convenience and information. These websites are outside our control and the provision of a link to a third party website does not imply our agreement to or endorsement of any of the information contained on the third party website or otherwise imply any association with the third party. Third party websites may have different terms of use and privacy policies, which you should review before using the third party website.  

5.2 We own the intellectual property in our Community Forum and our services: We own or have obtained a valid licence to use all copyright, trademarks and other intellectual property rights in our Community Forum and services (excluding all Submissions) and all such intellectual property rights will remain solely with us and/or our licensors (as the case may be). 

5.3 How you may use our Community Forum: You:

(a) must use the Quorum Sense and our services in accordance with these Terms, including the Quorum Sense Community Agreement and the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy, at all times;

(b) agree not to use the Community Forum and our services for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms;

(c) may download the information on the Community Forum and our services for your own personal use but otherwise neither the Community Forum or our services , nor any material on it, may be altered, modified, reproduced, transmitted or distributed without our consent or otherwise as permitted by these Terms;

(d) may link the Community Forum and our services to your website, but must remove the link at our request; and/or

(e) agree that you will not interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the Community Forum or our services, or damage the operation of the Community Forum or our services, or our systems or those of other persons who use the Community Forum or our services, whether by way of a virus, corrupted file, any other software or program, or otherwise.

6. Using the Community Forum communication services

6.1 Your conduct using our communication services: The Community Forum and our services may contain bulletin board services, chat areas, news groups, forums, communities, personal web pages, calendars, and/or other message or communication facilities designed to enable you to communicate with the public at large or with a group (collectively, Communications Services). You agree to use the Communication Services only to post, send and receive messages and material that are proper and related to the particular Communication Service. By way of example, you agree that when using a Communication Service you will not:

(a) defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy or confidentiality) of others;

(b) publish, post, upload, distribute or disseminate any unlawful, fraudulent, inappropriate, profane, defamatory, infringing, racist, sexist, abusive, obscene, indecent, unlawful or otherwise objectionable topic, name, material or information;

(c) upload files that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property laws (or by rights of privacy or confidentiality) unless you own or control the rights thereto or have received all necessary consents;

(d) upload files that contain viruses, corrupted files, or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another's computer;

(e) advertise or offer to sell or buy any goods or services for any business purpose other than as permitted by these Terms (including the Community Agreement);

(f) use the Quorum Sense name, domain name, trademark, logo or insignia in your user or screen name or in any other manner that would imply you are affiliated with Quorum Sense; 

(g) pretend that you are, or that you represent, someone else or impersonate any other person;

(h) conduct or forward surveys, contests, pyramid schemes or chain letters;

(i) use the Community Forum or our services to direct traffic to other websites or platforms;

(j) download any file posted by another user of a Communication Service that you know, or reasonably should know, cannot be legally distributed in such manner;

(k) falsify or delete any author attributions, legal or other proper notices or proprietary designations or labels of the origin or source of software or other material contained in a file that is uploaded;

(l) restrict or inhibit any other user from using and enjoying the Communication Service;

(m) violate any Community Principles (including the Community Agreement) or other guidelines which may be applicable for any particular Communication Service;

(n) harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including e-mail addresses, without their consent; or

(o) violate any applicable laws or regulations.

6.2 Review of materials posted to a communication service: We have no obligation to monitor the Communication Services, however, we reserve the right to review materials posted to a Communication Service and to remove any materials in our sole discretion. We reserve the right to terminate your access to any or all of the Communication Services at any time without notice for any reason whatsoever.

7. Materials provided to Quorum Sense or posted on the Trading Hub or our services

7.1 Ownership of materials: Quorum Sense does not claim ownership of the materials you provide to Quorum Sense (including feedback and suggestions) or post, upload, input or submit to the Community Forum or its associated services, including any content you share or post publicly in conversations or sent by private direct message in any chat functionality (collectively, Submissions). However, by posting, uploading, inputting, providing or submitting your Submission you are granting Quorum Sense and necessary sublicensees a perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use your Submission in connection with the operation of Quorum Sense’s businesses including, without limitation, the rights to copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce,

edit, translate and reformat your Submission subject to the terms of our Privacy Policy.

7.2 Use of your Submissions: Quorum Sense is under no obligation to post or use any Submission you may provide and may remove any Submission at any time in Quorum Sense’s sole discretion. 

7.3 Materials must not infringe intellectual property rights: By posting, uploading, inputting, providing or submitting your Submission you warrant and represent that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to your Submission and the use of the Submission by Quorum Sense as described in this section 10 will not infringe upon or violate another party’s intellectual property rights.

8. Security

8.1 Security: Security of your information and use of our Community Forum is very important to us.  Once we receive your information via the Community Forum, we do our best to protect its security on our systems.  For example, we protect personal information we gather on a secured server that is located behind a firewall and have arrangements in place with third party service providers in industry standard terms regarding the security of your information. However, due to the inherent nature of the internet, we are not able to guarantee the security of our Community Forum,

our services or any information that you hold or that you transmit to us and we take no responsibility for any breach of the Community Forum’s security. 

8.2 Your security responsibility: You are responsible for taking your own measures to reduce the risk of viruses or other forms of interference damaging your computer system or any devices through which you access the Community Forum or our services.

9. Exclusion of our liability

9.1 Disclaimer:  Except as expressly stated herein, we make no representation or warranty, either express or implied, of any kind with respect to the Community Forum, our services or any content posted on the Community Forum or via our services. Except as expressly stated herein, we expressly disclaim all warranties, express or implied, of any kind with respect to the Community Platform or our services and any products sold on the Community Forum or our services, including but not limited to merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. 

9.2 Liability: To the extent permitted by law:

(a) the Community Forum and our services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and any warranties, representations, conditions, undertakings and terms, whether express or implied, are expressly excluded;

(b) you assume full responsibility for any loss or damage that results from your use of the Community Forum or our services; and

(c) in no event will we be liable under contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise to you or any other person under or in connection with these Terms and/or your access to, use of, inability to use or reliance on our Community Forum, our services or any information contained in or accessed through our Community Forum, our services and/or any interactions or transactions with other Registered Users.

9.3 Accuracy and completeness of information:  All information contained on or within our Community Forum and our services is provided for general information purposes only. We will have no liability with respect to any claims arising from the use of the information on the Community Forum or our services however arising. We do not warrant that the information contained on the Community Forum or our services is accurate, complete, current, virus-free, error free or complies with any legislation or regulations other than those in New Zealand. The material on the Community Forum and our services should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate and more complete sources of information. Any reliance on the material on the Community Forum and our services is at your own risk. 

9.4 We are not responsible for events beyond our control:  We will be excused from any obligation under these Terms if non-performance is due to events beyond our reasonable control.

9.5 Your acknowledgement: You acknowledge that access to our Community Forum and our services is provided at no charge and accordingly the exclusions of liability set out in these Terms is fair and reasonable. 

9.6 Your interactions with other Registered Users: Quorum Sense is not a party to any interactions between Registered Users of the Community Forum or our services.

10. Updates

10.1 Changes to these Terms: We may update these Terms (or any part of them), the Quorum Sense Community Agreement and the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy at any time by posting an updated version through the Quorum Sense website, Community Forum or our services.  The updated version of these Terms will take effect immediately upon such notice.  We may also take additional steps to bring the changes to your attention, including by notifying

you directly.  You are responsible for reviewing these Terms regularly to ensure that you are aware of any updates. 

10.2 Changes to our Community Forum or our services: We may change the format, content and/or functionality of any part of our Community Forum or our services at any time.

11. General

11.1 New Zealand access only: The Community Forum and our services have been designed and developed for a service within New Zealand and are not intended for viewing or use by visitors outside of New Zealand.  If you access the Community Forum or our services from outside New Zealand you are responsible for compliance with any applicable laws of that jurisdiction.  

11.2 Entire agreement: These Terms (the Quorum Sense Community Agreement and the Quorum Sense Privacy Policy) constitute the entire agreement between you and us relating to the Community Forum and our services. 

11.3 We may delay in enforcing our rights: If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under

these Terms that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. 

11.4 These Terms are governed by New Zealand law: These Terms are governed by New Zealand law and any applicable legal proceedings must be heard in the New Zealand courts.

11.5 Children: You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Community Forum. By using the Community Forum, you affirm that you are 18 years of age.

11,6 If you are under the age of 18, please do not use the Community Forum or our services.

12. Contact us

12.1 Contact details: If you have any questions about these Terms or our Community Forum or our services please contact us using the contact@quorumsense.org.nz email.

These Terms were last updated in 1 Feb 2023.

Nick Tucker