About the Guild
The Guild is a not-for-profit incorporated society. Our purpose, structure and rules are set out in our constitution and founding documents below.
The New Zealand Tattooists Guild Inc. was formed to give the tattoo profession in Aotearoa New Zealand a formal, national body. Its purpose, as set out in the constitution, is to:
The Guild is not a regulator and does not licence artists. It is a membership body that sets a shared standard of conduct and care, and represents the profession in public and government conversations that affect it.
The Guild is registered as an incorporated society under the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. It is a not-for-profit body: it does not operate for the financial gain of its members, and any surplus is directed to its purposes rather than distributed.
The Guild is governed by a committee of between three and five officers, elected by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. The committee is responsible for managing the affairs of the Guild in line with the constitution and the Act. Officers serve one-year terms and act under the duties of good faith, care and proper purpose set out in the constitution.
Membership is open to professional tattoo artists who agree to abide by the Guild's constitution, code of conduct and duty of care. Applications are considered by the committee. Full detail on who can join and how is on the membership page.
All members agree to uphold the Guild's code of conduct and duty of care, to promote the interests and purposes of the Guild, and to conduct themselves in a way that reflects the integrity and professionalism of the tattooing industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Our founding and governing documents are available to read in full below.
Documents open as PDFs in a new tab.