HireWays Ltd Privacy Policy
HireWays Ltd Web Privacy Policy
HireWays Limited (HireWays) supplies people and businesses within New Zealand with hire machinery services. HireWays’ website, www.hireways.co.nz (and its accompanying website terms and conditions), and HireWay’s terms and conditions of trade and hire are subject to this privacy policy (Privacy Policy). By using the website or entering into a contract for services with HireWays you are deemed to have read, understood and accepted this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy explains how HireWays may collect, store, use, and disclose any Personal Information that you provide to HireWays. Your engagement with HireWays (including, but not limited to reacting to any of HireWays’ social media content across Facebook, Instagram and Linked-In (whether included on HireWays’ branded social pages or those of other third parties), making an enquiry, doing business with or continued use of the website) provides your acknowledgement of, and agreement with this Privacy Policy. By using the website and/or doing business with Hireways, you consent to HireWays collecting, storing, using, and disclosing your personal information in the manner set out below.
HireWays reserves its right to change the terms of this Privacy Policy from time to time. Your continued use of the website or engagement of HireWays represents your agreement to be bound by any amendments to the Privay Policy.
Collection
In this Privacy Policy, ‘Personal Information’ means information relating to an individual which can be used to identify that individual. HireWays may collect your Personal Information (including, without limitation, your name, email address, phone number, and postal address, areas of interest and other demographic information). HireWays collects Personal Information in order to conduct its business, to provide and market its hire services and to meet its legal obligations. If you do not provide Personal Information, HireWays may not be able to provide services to you.
HireWays uses LiveChat, Inc to provide the LiveChat function on the HireWays website. Any Personal Information disclosed using LiveChat may be used to provide customer support. Use of the LiveChat function may amount to cross-border disclosure by HireWays in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020. If this is the case, you consent the HireWays making a cross-border disclosure to LiveChat, Inc and accept and acknowledge that the Personal Information disclosed may not be accorded the same protection as provided for under New Zealand privacy laws. You can view more information here about how LiveChat, Inc uses and stores your Personal Information here.
When you share your email address on the website this information is stored by HireWays using MailChimp. By sharing your email address, you consent to this (as well as any other Personal Information) being stored by MailChimp as well as on HireWays’ New Zealand based servers and cloud based storage. You can view information about how MailChimp uses and stores your Personal Information here.
Cookies - automated collection
When you visit this website, HireWays may use automated technologies (including, but not limited to usage monitoring software, cookies, pixels, web beacons, sessions and other tracking technologies, to collect and store certain information about your visit, including without limitation:
1. The IP address and domain name used by your device to connect to the Internet;
2. The operating system and the browser your device uses, and any search engine used to access this website;
3. The date and time you are visiting and geographical area you a visiting from;
4. The pages you visit;
5. Your clicks and other activities on this website;
6. The referring Website or other platform (if any) through which entered this website; and
7. Any other information you expressly provide (such as your name and areas of interest).
HireWays uses cookies to retain your name and areas of interest if you provide this information on the website. These are first-party, persistent cookies.
This information will be used to customise the website for your use and in anonymized form to analyse how this website is being used. Except for the reasons set out in this Privacy Policy, HireWays will not disclose any such information except in anonymised and/or aggregate form.
Use and disclosure
HireWays will always use and disclose your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, the Privacy Act 2020 and any other applicable privacy law.
HireWays will only use or disclose Personal Information that you have provided to it, or which it has obtained about you if HIreWays:
1. believes that the use or disclosure is reasonably necessary to assist a law enforcement agency or an agency responsible for national security in the performance of their functions;
2. believes that the use or disclosure is reasonably necessary to enforce any legal rights, it may have, or is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property and safety of HireWays, it’s customers, or others; or
3. is authorised, required or permitted by law to disclose the information.
HireWays may use or disclose Personal Information that you have provided to it, or which it has obtained about you, for any of the following purposes:
1. to provide HireWays’ services;
2. to process your Personal Information for HireWays’ own internal business purposes;
3. to carry out transactions, such as customer billing and payments, employee transactions and customer transactions;
4. to undertake credit management activities;
5. for debt recovery purposes, which may also include disclosing information to debt collectors;
7. to provide promotional information, advertising, marketing and newsletters in hard copy or electronic form, or information that HireWays reasonably believe may be of interest to you;
8. to communicate with customers, potential customers, suppliers, staff, contractors and others;
10. to comply with HireWays’ legal obligations, and to meet its reporting obligations as required by law.
HireWays will not sell, rent, or lease your Personal Information to third parties.
HireWays will only disclose your Personal Information to third parties who have agreed to treat your Personal Information in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
By providing HireWays with your Personal Information, you consent to HireWays using and disclosing your Personal Information for the purposes contemplated in this Privacy Policy.
Storage and security
HireWays will ensure that the Personal Information it holds is protected (against loss, unauthorised access, unauthorised use, unauthorised modification, unauthorised disclosure, and other misuse) by such security measures that are reasonable for HireWays to undertake. This extends to Personnel Information held or processed on HireWays behalf (such as in a cloud environment).
Rights of access and correction
You may request access to, removal of, or correction of, any Personal Information HireWays holds about you by contacting HireWays. Please notify HIreWays of any changes to your Personal Information to ensure it is as up to date as possible.
To request access to, removal of, or correction of, your Personal Information held by HireWays, you should contact HireWays’ Privacy Officer whose contact details are set out at the end of this policy.
Third party content
This website may contain hyperlinks to third party websites. HireWays are not responsible for the content of any third party website or other related sites (including, but not limited to third party social media sites), or the way those sites collect, store, use, and distribute any Personal Information you provide. When visiting a third-party site from hyperlinks displayed on this website, HireWays encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms and conditions of the site/s in question, to ascertain how your Personal Information with be collected, stored, used and distributed. HireWays accept no liability for any engagement with or dealings between yourself and any third party or advertiser.
Unsolicited electronic messages - approval
To the extent you provide HireWays with an email address, you agree that HireWays may send you commercial electronic messages. You can request to be removed from HireWay’s mailing list at any time and HireWays will comply with your request for removal. To request to be removed from a mailing list, click ‘Unsubscribe’ in the footer of an electronic message. If you do not see this, you can contact HireWays’ Privacy Officer to action this via email, phone, or by physical mail. See the ‘Contact Us’ section for these contact details.
Digital and Behavioral advertising - approval
Through your engagement with HireWays and use of the website you agree that HireWays may directly market its services and products to you using targeted advertising and marketing communications on digital platforms including but not limited to Google Facebook, Instagram and Linked In.
For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page here.
You can opt out of targeted advertising by changing your preferences on the below websites:
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=ads
GOOGLE - https://www.google.com/settings/ads/anonymous
Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at: http://optout.aboutads.info/.
You can also opt out of third-party vendor’s use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page at: http://optout.networkadvertising.org/?c=1 or control the use of device identifiers by using their devices settings: https://support.google.com/ads/answer/1660762#mob
Changes to this policy
HireWays reserve the right, at its discretion, to update or revise this Privacy Policy at any time. Changes to this Privacy Policy will take effect immediately once they are published on HireWays Website within this Privacy Policy section. Please check this Privacy Policy regularly for modifications and updates. By continuing to use Hireways’ website or providing Personal Information after HireWays publish changes to this privacy policy, you agree to be bound by any revision or amendment of this privacy policy.
CONTACT US
For more information about our privacy practices, if you have questions, or if you would like to make a complaint, please contact HireWays by e-mail at privacy@hireways.co.nz, by phone 0800 447 392 or by mail using the details provided below:
HireWays
Attention: Privacy Officer
5 Kelvin Grove Rd
Kelvin Grove
Palmerston North
4414
New Zealand
Privacy Policy Manual
How we store & process your data onsite and in our systems.
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Introduction
With the passing of the privacy legislation (including subsequent updates), the government introduced legislation to protect personal information about individuals. The Privacy Act 2020 (“the Act”) incorporates the New Zealand’s Privacy Principles (NZPP’s) covered in Part 2 of the Act. These principles apply to private sector organisations who deal with information relating to individuals. This legislation is designed to protect personal information about individuals and sets in place a framework and guidelines about how to deal with this information.
As at 25 May 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) was introduced providing increased transparency for data protection for all businesses transferring data to the Europe Union “EU”. While the GDPR and the NZPP share some similarities, Hireways Limited is providing robust privacy policies and procedures for its staff and clients. This includes ensuring that it conforms to all required NZPP’s including the provision of a clearly expressed and readily available Privacy Policy. This is completed by the provision of this Privacy Policy Manual.
An NZPP privacy policy is a key tool for meeting the NZPP Principle 1requirements.
To assist with this compliance, Hireways Limited ensures that all staff members adhere to these policies and procedures. Any breaches of these policies and procedures must be reported to the relevant staff member’s manager or supervisor immediately so that any appropriate measures can be taken to mitigate any issues surrounding an identified breach.
Every staff member of Hireways Limited who handles personal information is required to have an understanding of the New Zealand Privacy Principles (NZPP’s), the Act and the GDPR, where necessary. Where a more detailed knowledge of Hireways Limited’s rights and responsibilities is required, the Privacy Officer will be able to provide assistance.
All staff are encouraged to discuss privacy issues with the nominated Privacy Officer.
Review
Formal review of this privacy policy shall be undertaken on a 6 monthly basis with the details of this review recorded by the Privacy Officer.
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New Zealand Privacy Principles (NZPP’s)
The Privacy Act 2020 and the Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2004 places obligations and responsibilities on employers and employees to ensure that information collected from individuals is collected, retained and used in line with the NZPP’s. Hireways Limited shall abide by the following NZPP’s at all times:
1/ Purpose of collection of personal information
2/ Source of personal information
3/ Collection of personal information from subject
4/ Manner of collection of personal information
5/ Storage and security of personal information
6/ Access to personal information
7/ Correction of personal information
8/ Accuracy of personal information to be checked before use or disclosure
9/ Agency not to keep personal information for longer than necessary
10/ Limits on use of personal information
11/ Limits on disclosure of personal information
12/ Disclosure of personal information outside of New Zealand
13/ Use of unique identifiers
NZPP No.
NZPP 1 to 4 governs the reason for collection of personal information, where personal information may be collected from, and how it is collected.
NZPP 5 governs how personal information should be stored.
NZPP 6 governs that individuals have access to the personal information held about them.
NZPP 7 governs that if an individual requests changes to their personal information held about them then it should be done unless there are grounds not to do so.
NZPP 8 – 11 govern how personal information is used or disclosed.
NZPP 12 governs how personal information is used or disclosed outside of New Zealand
NZPP 13 governs that an individual’s bank number, IRD number, drivers licence number, passport number etc cannot be used to identify an individual between agencies, unless authorisation is granted to Hireways Limited to enable them to complete their performance of any Services to be provided.
Further information regarding the NZPP’s can be obtained from the office of the Privacy Commissioner at http://www.privacy.org.nz. A full copy of the Privacy Principles is attached at Appendix B.
In the event of any potential data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individuals whose personal information is involved in the breach, Hireways Limited’s Privacy Policy Manual provides a data breach preparation and response to any potential breaches to ensure compliance under the Act.
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General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)
Upon the implementation of the GDPR on 25 May 2018, Hireways Limited has updated the way they use and collect personal data from residents. This involves, identifying Hireways Limited’s data protection officer (“Privacy Officer”), how clients can contact the Privacy Officer and identifying the process of transferring client’s personal information. Further, the implementation of cookies notices on Hireways Limited’s website has been activated to ensure Hireways Limited’s clients have adequate protection in providing consent to Hireways Limited for accessing their personal data.
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Types Of Personal Information That Is Collected, Used, Processed & Held
Hireways Limited collects personal information for a variety of reasons. This personal information may be collected in the normal course of business and will relate to Goods and/or Services that are provided by Hireways Limited to clients. This information collected will be done so in the course of business where the client is a customer of Hireways Limited or when the client acts as a guarantor for another person or company that is a client of Hireways Limited. Hireways Limited will not collect information that is irrelevant or sensitive in nature unless this is required in the normal course of business.
The personal information that is collected may include, but will not be limited to the following;
1/ Full names
2/ Address
3/ Date of birth
4/ Credit references (if applicable)
5/ Publicly available information which relate to the client’s activities in New Zealand
6/ Any information recorded in the New Zealand Insolvency Trustee Service Register
7/ Driver’s license details
8/ Medical insurance details (if applicable)
9/ Electronic contact details including email, and any social media platform
10/ Next of kin and other contact information (if applicable)
The client acknowledges that provided the correct Privacy Act disclosures have been made Hireways Limited may conduct a credit report on the client for the purposes of evaluating their credit worthiness.
Hireways Limited ensures that all personal information is held in a secure manner. To the best of Hireways Limited’s knowledge (as proven by an external security Audit) all computers or servers have the required security protections in place to safeguard and protect any personal information that is held by Hireways Limited.
We use cookies on our websites. Cookies are small files which are stored on your computer. They are designed to hold a modest amount of data (including some personal information) specific to the client website they are logged on to. This information can be accessed by either our web server or client’s computer. In so far as those cookies are strictly necessary for the provision of Hireways Limited’s Services, we will ask you the client to consent to our use of cookies when you first visit our website.
In the event that you utilise our website for the purpose of purchases/orders, Hireways Limited agrees to display a reference to our use of cookies and /or similar tracking technologies, such as pixels and web beacons (if applicable), and requests consent for Hireways Limited collecting your personal information which may include:
(a) IP addresses, browser information, email client type and other similar details;
(b) Tracking website usage and traffic; and
(c) Reports are available to Hireways Limited when Hireways Limited sends an email to the client, so Hireways Limited may collect and review that information
If you consent to Hireways Limited’s use of cookies on our website and later wish to withdraw your consent, you may manage and control Hireways Limited’s privacy controls through your browser, including removing cookies by deleting them from your browser history when you leave the website.
Our phone system records all phone calls (incoming and outgoing). These recordings are stored on a locally hosted server and backed up to a data warehouse in New Zealand. Phone calls are stored for a period of 12 months. These recorded phone calls are used for:
- Internal Staff Training
- Dispute resolution
- Order clarification
CCTV cameras are in use in all areas at all of our sites. These are there for Health and Safety, Incident Management and Security and dispute resolution. Security footage is stored on an internal Server for between 60 and 90 days. These cameras may capture faces and vehicle details including registration. Footage may be presented to Government agencies upon request.
Hireways Limited also regularly conducts internal risk management reviews to ensure that our infrastructure (to the best of our knowledge) is secure and any identifiable risks have been mitigated as much as they can be in the normal course of business.
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Procedures And Responding To Potential Breaches Of Privacy
In accordance with the Act Hireways Limited is aware of its responsibilities to notify its clients in the event of a potential data breach that may cause serious harm to clients. Further, in the event the client is located in the EU, Hireways Limited acknowledges that any potential data breaches will be safeguarded by the provisions of the GDPR.
Hireways Limited will collect and process personal information in the normal course of business. This personal information may be collected and processed (but is not limited) by any of the following methods:
1/ Credit applications forms
2/ Work authorisation forms, quote forms or any other business documentation
3/ Publicly available databases that hold information
4/ Websites that detail information such as Sensis, Facebook, Google etc
5/ By verbally discussing and recording information as part of normal business practices
Where relevant to data processing as per the GDPR, and in particular where Hireways Limited uses new technologies, and takes into account the nature, scope, context and purposes of processing and considers that the data processing is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, the Privacy Officer shall, prior to the processing of personal information, carry out an assessment of impact of the envisaged processing operations by way of a protection impact assessment. The data protection assessment will be required in instances where there is:
(a) systematic and extensive evaluation of personal aspects relating to natural persons which is based on automated processing, including profiling, and on which decisions are based that produce legal effects concerning the natural person or similarly significantly affect the natural person;
(b) processing on a large scale of special categories of data referred to in Article 9(1) of the GDPR, or of personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences referred to in Article 10 of the GDPR; or
(c) systematic monitoring of a publicly accessible area on a large scale.
The assessment shall be carried out in accordance with Article 35 (7) of the GDPR and carry out reviews of such data protection impact assessments when there is any change of the risk associated with the processing of personal information.
As a client of Hireways Limitedand agreeing to Hireways Limited’s Terms and Conditions (these can be found on our website) of Trade, which includes Hireways Limited’s privacy policy, you hereby agree and consent to the provisions of this Privacy Policy Manual, including but not limited to the collection, processing, use and disclosure of your personal information. In the event that you withdraw your agreement and consent to any of the above use, processing collection and disclosure, then Hireways Limitedwarrants that any request by you to withdraw your consent or agreement shall be deemed as confirmation by you to cease any and/or all collection use, processing and disclosure of your personal information. You may make a Request to withdraw your consent at anytime by written contact to the following contact details:
The Privacy Officer
Hireways Limited
5 Kelvin Grove Road
Palmerston North
privacy@hireways.co.nz
(06) 354 4651
Hireways Limited will ensure that any Information that is to be obtained from you is done so verbally or by using Hireways Limited’s prescribed forms which:
Authorise Hireways Limited:
1/ To collect personal information; and
2/ Inform the individual what personal information is being collected; and
3/ Inform the individual why (the purpose) the personal information is being collected; and
4/ Inform the individual why and when personal information will be disclosed to third parties.
It is the responsibility of Hireways Limited to ensure that any personal information obtained is as accurate and up to date as possible and information is only collected by lawful means in accordance with the Act and where relevant, in accordance with the GDPR.
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Purposes For Which Information Is Collected, Held, Used And Disclosed
Disclosure To Third Parties
Hireways Limited will not pass on your personal information to third parties without first obtaining your consent or where required under legislative statute.
In accordance with the Act, including the GDPR (where relevant), personal information can only be used by Hireways Limited for the following purposes:
1/ Access a credit reporter’s database for the following purposes:
a) To assess your application for a credit account; or
b) To assess your ongoing credit facility; or
c) To notify a credit reporter of a default by you; or
d) To update your details listed on a credit reporter’s database; or
2/ Check trade references noted on the prescribed form for the following purposes:
a) To assess your application for a credit account; or
b) To assess your ongoing credit facility; or
c) To notify a default.
3/ Marketing products and Services provided by Hireways Limited; and
4/ Health and Safety/ Incident investigation
5/ Obtaining information from Vehicle register to recover property or find where our equipment could be located
6/ Any other day to day business purposes such as complying with IRD requirements, managing accounting returns or legal matters.
Relationship With Credit Reporter - In the event that notification of a default has been reported to a Credit Reporter and your credit file has been updated (including any changes to the balance outstanding or contact details), then the Credit Reporter shall be notified as soon as practical of any such changes.
Hireways Limited will only gather information for its particular purpose (primary purpose). In accordance with the Act, including the GDPR (where relevant). Hireways Limited will not disclose this information for any other purpose unless this has been agreed to by both parties.
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How An Individual May Access Personal Information Held, And How They May Seek Correction Of Such Information
You shall have the right to request from Hireways Limited a copy of all the information about you that is retained by Hireways Limited. You also have the right to request (by telephone and/or by e-mail) that Hireways Limited correct any information that is incorrect, outdated or inaccurate.
Any requests to receive your personal information or to correct personal information should be directed to the following contact details. Note confirmation in writing may be required
The Privacy Officer
Hireways Limited
5 Kelvin Grove Road
Palmerston North
privacy@hireways.co.nz
(06) 354 4651
Hireways Limitedwill destroy personal information upon your request (written request only) or when the personal information is no longer required. The exception to this is if the personal information is required in order for Hireways Limited to fulfil their performance of Services or is required to be maintained and/or stored in accordance with the law.
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How An Individual May Complain About A Breach Of The NZPP, And How The Complaint Will Be Dealt With
You can make a complaint to Hireways Limited’s internal dispute resolution team (‘IDR’) regarding an interference with and/or misuse of your personal information by contacting Hireways Limited via telephone or e-mail.
Any complaints should be directed to the following contact details in the first instance:
The Privacy Officer
Hireways Limited
5 Kelvin Grove Road
Palmerston North
privacy@hireways.co.nz
(06) 354 4651
In your communication you should detail to Hireways Limited the nature of your complaint and how you would like Hireways Limited to rectify your complaint.
We will respond to that complaint within 7 days of receipt and will take all reasonable steps to make a decision as to the complaint within 30 days of receipt of the complaint.
We will disclose information in relation to the complaint to any relevant credit provider and or Credit Reporting Body that holds the personal information relating to the subject of the complaint.
In the event that you are not satisfied with the resolution provided, then you can make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner at http://www.privacy.org.nz.
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Will Personal Information Be Disclosed To Overseas Recipients
Hireways Limited does not disclose information about the client to third party overseas recipients unless the client has provided its consent. Hireways Limited will notify you if circumstances change regarding overseas disclosure and will comply with the Act and the GDPR in all respects.
Unless otherwise agreed, Hireways Limited agrees not to disclose any personal information about the client for the purpose of direct marketing. You have the right to request (in writing) that Hireways Limited does not disclose any personal information about you for the purpose of direct marketing.
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Availability Of This Privacy Policy Manual
This Privacy Policy manual is available to all clients of Hireways Limited. It will be made available (where applicable) on Hireways Limited’s website.
This manual will also be available upon request at Hireways Limited’s business premises and is available to be sent to you if required.
If you require a copy of this Privacy Policy please make a request utilising the following contact information in the first instance:
The Privacy Officer
Hireways Limited
5 Kelvin Grove Road
Palmerston North
privacy@hireways.co.nz
(06) 354 4651
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Privacy Officer (Responsibilities)
Hireways Limited has appointed an internal Privacy Officer to manage its privacy matters. The name of this officer is available by making contact with Hireways Limited. The privacy officer’s duties include (but are not limited to) the following:
The Privacy Officer needs to be familiar with the NZPP’s. Educational material is available from the office of the Privacy Commissioner which explains what Hireways Limited needs to know in order to comply with the Privacy Act.
If a person complains to the Privacy Commissioner that Hireways Limited has breached their privacy, the Privacy Commissioner may contact the Privacy Officer to discuss the complaint, and to see whether there is any means of settling the matter. The Privacy Officer shall provide whatever assistance is necessary. The Privacy Officer may be asked to provide background information or identify the staff members who can do so.
Complaints
In the event that a complaint about privacy issues is received the Privacy Officer will:
1/ Take ownership of the complaint and ensure that it is dealt with in a timely manner.
2/ Acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 48 hours and advise the complainant of their rights.
3/ Fully investigate the complaint.
4/ Respond, with findings, to the complainant within 30 days of receipt.
5/ Keep a record of all complaints received for ongoing review of policies and procedures.
In the event that a complaint about privacy issues is received via a credit reporter the Privacy Officer will:
1/ Take ownership of the complaint and ensure that it is dealt with in a timely manner.
2/ Acknowledge receipt of the complaint to the credit reporter within 24 hours (see attached Appendix A).
3/ Fully investigate the complaint.
4/ Respond, with findings, to the credit reporter within 7 days of receipt.
5/ Keep a record of all complaints received for ongoing review of policies and procedures.
Other
The Privacy Officer shall ensure that Hireways Limited’s documentation complies with the Privacy Act and Credit Reporting Privacy Code at all times.
APPENDIX A - SUMMARY OF RIGHTS
(Rules 6 and 7 and clause 8)
A Summary Of Your Rights Under The Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2004
The Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2004 is issued under the Privacy Act 2020. It promotes fairness, accuracy, and privacy in the practice of credit reporting. Credit reporters gather and sell information about you such as a failure to pay your bills or if you have been made bankrupt.
You can find the complete text of the Code here.
Privacy Act at:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/0031/latest/LMS23223.html
The Code, together with the Act, gives you specific rights, many of which are summarised below.
Limited information can be reported about you.
A credit reporter can only collect certain classes of information, set out in the Code, for its credit reporting database. A credit reporter will generally report information for no longer than 5 – 7 years: the actual retention periods are required to be displayed on each credit reporter’s website.
Only certain people can access your file for certain purposes.
The Code limits the people who can gain access to your credit information. These will usually be credit providers who are considering your application for credit, but in some strictly defined situations the information may be available to prospective landlords, employers or insurers, to debt collectors, to those involved in court proceedings and to certain public sector agencies.
Your consent is required in most situations.
Most credit checks can only take place with your authorisation. This applies to access by credit providers, prospective landlords and prospective employers. Your authorisation may not be required for access by certain public sector agencies, those involved in court proceedings and debt collectors. The credit reporter is required to log each access that is made to your information and will normally disclose this information to you on request.
You can find out what is held about you.
You are entitled to request a copy of the credit information held about you by a credit reporter. You can ask for just the information contained in your credit report or for all the information held about you (which may include additional information, such as a more complete list of those who have accessed your report). If you want the information quickly (within 5 working days) you may be required to pay a reasonable charge, but otherwise no charge may be made. A credit reporter must take precautions to
check the identity of anyone making a personal access request. This may involve asking you for certain identification details, although these cannot be added to the credit reporter’s database without your authorisation.
You can dispute inaccurate information with the credit reporter.
Credit reporters must take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the information they hold and must act promptly to correct any errors they become aware of. If you tell a credit reporter that your report contains an inaccuracy, the credit reporter must take steps to correct it. This will usually involve checking the information you provide with the source, such as a creditor who submitted a default. While the checking process is under way, the credit reporter must flag your credit report to show that the item has been disputed. The credit reporter must, as soon as reasonably practicable, decide whether to make the correction you have requested or to confirm the accuracy of the information. If the credit reporter needs longer than 20 working days to make a decision it must notify you of the extension and the reasons for it. If the requested correction is not made you must be told the reason and you may ask to have a statement of the correction sought but not made, attached to the relevant information. This statement will be included with future reports. If a correction is made or a correction statement is added, the credit reporter must inform anyone who has recently received your credit report of the change. They must tell you what they have done and provide you with a copy of the amended report. A credit report describes your credit history, not simply your current debts. Information about a bankruptcy that has been discharged or a default that has subsequently been paid in full can continue to be reported, provided it is updated to reflect the later developments, as it remains an accurate statement of those historical events.
You have the right to make a complaint.
Each credit reporter must maintain an internal complaints procedure and have a designated person to facilitate the fair, simple, speedy and efficient resolution of complaints. If you believe a credit reporter has breached the Code you should first approach them directly. If your complaint is not resolved you may complain to the Privacy Commissioner who has statutory powers to investigate the matter. Some cases that cannot be settled can be taken to the Human Rights Review Tribunal for final determination. Other civil law remedies may also be available including defamation and negligence.
Contact addresses.
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The Privacy Officer Hireways Limited 5 Kelvin Grove Road Palmerston North Privacy@hireways.co.nz (06) 354 4651 |
Office of the Privacy Commissioner PO Box 10094, The Terrace WELLINGTON 6143 Fax (04) 474 7595 |
Warning: This is only a generalised summary. In the event of a discrepancy between this summary and a provision of the code or Act, the code or Act prevails.
APPENDIX B - INFORMATION PRIVACY PRINCIPLES
NOTE
In some cases agencies are authorised or required by other legislation to collect, use, retain, or make available, personal information, and in most cases where an agency collects, uses, retains or makes available personal information in accordance with such legislation this will not amount to a breach of the Privacy Act. (IPP’s10 & 11 of the Privacy Act 2020).
PRINCIPLE 1
Purpose of collection of personal information
(1) Personal information must not be collected by an agency unless—
(a) the information is collected for a lawful purpose connected with a function or an activity of the agency; and
(b) the collection of the information is necessary for that purpose.
(2) If the lawful purpose for which personal information about an individual is collected does not require the collection of an individuals’ identifying information, the agency may not require the individual’s identifying information.
PRINCIPLE 2
Source of personal information
(1) If an agency collects personal information, the information must be collected from the individual concerned.
(2) It is not necessary for an agency to comply with subclause (1) if the agency believes, on reasonable grounds, —
(a) that non-compliance would not prejudice the interests of the individual concerned; or
(b) that compliance would prejudice the purposes of the collection; or
(c) that the individual concerned authorises collection of the information from someone else; or
(d) that the information is publicly available information; or
(e) that non-compliance is necessary—
(i) to avoid prejudice to the maintenance of the law by any public sector agency, including prejudice to the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of offences; or
(ii) for the enforcement of a law that imposes a pecuniary penalty; or
(iii) for the protection of public revenue; or
(iv) for the conduct of proceedings before any court or tribunal (being proceedings that have been commenced or are reasonably in contemplation); or
(v) to prevent or lessen a serious threat to the life or health of the individual concerned or any other individual; or
(f) that compliance is not reasonably practicable in the circumstances of the particular case; or
(g) that the information—
(i) will not be used in a form in which the individual concerned is identified; or
(ii) will be used for statistical or research purposes and will not be published in a form that could reasonably be expected to identify the individual concerned.
PRINCIPLE 3
Collection of information from subject
(1) If an agency collects personal information from the individual concerned, the agency must take any steps that are, in the circumstances, reasonable to ensure that the individual concerned is aware of—
(a) the fact that the information is being collected; and
(b) the purpose for which the information is being collected; and
(c) the intended recipients of the information; and
(d) the name and address of—
(i) the agency that is collecting the information; and
(ii) the agency that will hold the information; and
(e) if the collection of the information is authorised or required by or under law, —
(i) the particular law by or under which the collection of the information is authorised or required; and
(ii) whether the supply of the information by that individual is voluntary or mandatory; and
(f) the consequences (if any) for that individual if all or any part of the requested information is not provided; and
(g) the rights of access to, and correction of, information provided by the IPPs.
(2) The steps referred to in subclause (1) must be taken before the information is collected or, if that is not practicable, as soon as practicable after the information is collected.
(3) An agency is not required to take the steps referred to in subclause (1) in relation to the collection of information from an individual if the agency has taken those steps on a recent previous occasion in relation to the collection, from that individual, of the same information or information of the same kind.
(4) It is not necessary for an agency to comply with subclause (1) if the agency believes, on reasonable grounds, —
(a) that non-compliance would not prejudice the interests of the individual concerned; or
(b) that non-compliance is necessary—
(i) to avoid prejudice to the maintenance of the law by any public sector agency, including prejudice to the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of offences; or
(ii) for the enforcement of a law that imposes a pecuniary penalty; or
(iii) for the protection of public revenue; or
(iv) for the conduct of proceedings before any court or tribunal (being proceedings that have been commenced or are reasonably in contemplation); or
(c) that compliance would prejudice the purposes of the collection; or
(d) that compliance is not reasonably practicable in the circumstances of the particular case; or
(e) that the information—
(i) will not be used in a form in which the individual concerned is identified; or
(ii) will be used for statistical or research purposes and will not be published in a form that could reasonably be expected to identify the individual concerned.
PRINCIPLE 4
Manner of collection of personal information
An agency may collect personal information only—
(a) by a lawful means; and
(b) by a means that, in the circumstances of the case (particularly in circumstances where personal information is being collected from children or young persons), —
(i) is fair; and
(ii) does not intrude to an unreasonable extent upon the personal affairs of the individual concerned.
PRINCIPLE 5
Storage and security of personal information
An agency that holds personal information must ensure—
(a) that the information is protected, by such security safeguards as are reasonable in the circumstances to take, against—
(i) loss; and
(ii) access, use, modification, or disclosure that is not authorised by the agency; and
(iii) other misuse; and
(b) that, if it is necessary for the information to be given to a person in connection with the provision of a service to the agency, everything reasonably within the power of the agency is done to prevent unauthorised use or unauthorised disclosure of the information.
PRINCIPLE 6
Access to personal information
(1) An individual is entitled to receive from an agency upon request—
(a) confirmation of whether the agency holds any personal information about them; and
(b) access to their personal information.
(2) If an individual concerned is given access to personal information, the individual must be advised that, under IPP 7, the individual may request the correction of that information.
(3) This IPP is subject to the provisions of Part 4.
PRINCIPLE 7
Correction of personal information
(1) An individual whose personal information is held by an agency is entitled to request the agency to correct the information.
(2) An agency that holds personal information must, on request or on its own initiative, take such steps (if any) that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that, having regard to the purposes for which the information may lawfully be used, the information is accurate, up to date, complete, and not misleading.
(3) When requesting the correction of personal information, or at any later time, an individual is entitled to—
(a) provide the agency with a statement of the correction sought to the information (a statement of correction); and
(b) request the agency to attach the statement of correction to the information if the agency does not make the correction sought.
(4) If an agency that holds personal information is not willing to correct the information as requested and has been provided with a statement of correction, the agency must take such steps (if any) that are reasonable in the circumstances to ensure that the statement of correction is attached to the information in a manner that ensures that it will always be read with the information.
(5) If an agency corrects personal information or attaches a statement of correction to personal information, that agency must, so far as is reasonably practicable, inform every other person to whom the agency has disclosed the information.
(6) Subclauses (1) to (4) are subject to the provisions of Part 4.
PRINCIPLE 8
Accuracy, etc., of personal information to be checked before use
An agency that holds information must not use or disclose that information without taking any steps that are, in the circumstances, reasonable to ensure that the information is accurate, up to date, complete, relevant, and not misleading.
PRINCIPLE 9
Agency not to keep personal information for longer than necessary
An agency that holds personal information must not keep that information for longer than is required for the purposes for which the information may lawfully be used.
PRINCIPLE 10
Limits on use of personal information
(1) An agency that holds personal information that was obtained in connection with one purpose may not use the information for any other purpose unless the agency believes, on reasonable grounds, —
(a) that the purpose for which the information is to be used is directly related to the purpose in connection with which the information was obtained; or
(b) that the information—
(i) is to be used in a form in which the individual concerned is not identified; or
(ii) is to be used for statistical or research purposes and will not be published in a form that could reasonably be expected to identify the individual concerned; or
(c) that the use of the information for that other purpose is authorised by the individual concerned; or
(d) that the source of the information is a publicly available publication and that, in the circumstances of the case, it would not be unfair or unreasonable to use the information; or
(e) that the use of the information for that other purpose is necessary—
(i) to avoid prejudice to the maintenance of the law by any public sector agency, including prejudice to the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of offences; or
(ii) for the enforcement of a law that imposes a pecuniary penalty; or
(iii) for the protection of public revenue; or
(iv) for the conduct of proceedings before any court or tribunal (being proceedings that have been commenced or are reasonably in contemplation); or
(f) that the use of the information for that other purpose is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to—
(i) public health or public safety; or
(ii) the life or health of the individual concerned or another individual.
(2) In addition to the uses authorised by subclause (1), an intelligence and security agency that holds personal information that was obtained in connection with one purpose may use the information for any other purpose (a secondary purpose) if the agency believes on reasonable grounds that the use of the information for the secondary purpose is necessary to enable the agency to perform any of its functions.
PRINCIPLE 11
Limits on disclosure of personal information
(1) An agency that holds personal information must not disclose the information to any other agency or to any person unless the agency believes, on reasonable grounds, —
(a) that the disclosure of the information is one of the purposes in connection with which the information was obtained or is directly related to the purposes in connection with which the information was obtained; or
(b) that the disclosure is to the individual concerned; or
(c) that the disclosure is authorised by the individual concerned; or
(d) that the source of the information is a publicly available publication and that, in the circumstances of the case, it would not be unfair or unreasonable to disclose the information; or
(e) that the disclosure of the information is necessary—
(i) to avoid prejudice to the maintenance of the law by any public sector agency, including prejudice to the prevention, detection, investigation, prosecution, and punishment of offences; or
(ii) for the enforcement of a law that imposes a pecuniary penalty; or
(iii) for the protection of public revenue; or
(iv) for the conduct of proceedings before any court or tribunal (being proceedings that have been commenced or are reasonably in contemplation); or
(f) that the disclosure of the information is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to—
(i) public health or public safety; or
(ii) the life or health of the individual concerned or another individual; or
(g) that the disclosure of the information is necessary to enable an intelligence and security agency to perform any of its functions; or
(h) that the information—
(i) is to be used in a form in which the individual concerned is not identified; or
(ii) is to be used for statistical or research purposes and will not be published in a form that could reasonably be expected to identify the individual concerned; or
(i) that the disclosure of the information is necessary to facilitate the sale or other disposition of a business as a going concern.
(2) This IPP is subject to IPP 12.
PRINCIPLE 12
Disclosure of personal information outside New Zealand
(1) An agency (A) may disclose personal information to a foreign person or entity (B) in reliance on IPP 11(1)(a), (c), (e), (f), (h), or (i) only if—
(a) the individual concerned authorises the disclosure to B after being expressly informed by A that B may not be required to protect the information in a way that, overall, provides comparable safeguards to those in this Act; or
(b) B is carrying on business in New Zealand and, in relation to the information, A believes on reasonable grounds that B is subject to this Act; or
(c) A believes on reasonable grounds that B is subject to privacy laws that, overall, provide comparable safeguards to those in this Act; or
(d) A believes on reasonable grounds that B is a participant in a prescribed binding scheme; or
(e) A believes on reasonable grounds that B is subject to privacy laws of a prescribed country; or
(f) A otherwise believes on reasonable grounds that B is required to protect the information in a way that, overall, provides comparable safeguards to those in this Act (for example, pursuant to an agreement entered into between A and B).
(2) However, subclause (1) does not apply if the personal information is to be disclosed to B in reliance on IPP 11(1)(e) or (f) and it is not reasonably practicable in the circumstances for A to comply with the requirements of subclause (1).
(3) In this IPP,—
prescribed binding scheme means a binding scheme specified in regulations made under section 213
prescribed country means a country specified in regulations made under section 214.
INFORMATION PRIVACY PRINCIPLE 13
Unique identifiers
(1)An agency (A) may assign a unique identifier to an individual for use in its operations only if that identifier is necessary to enable A to carry out 1 or more of its functions efficiently.
(2) A may not assign to an individual a unique identifier that, to A’s knowledge, is the same unique identifier as has been assigned to that individual by another agency (B), unless—
(a) A and B are associated persons within the meaning of subpart YB of the Income Tax Act 2007; or
(b) the unique identifier is to be used by A for statistical or research purposes and no other purpose.
(3) To avoid doubt, A does not assign a unique identifier to an individual under subclause (1) by simply recording a unique identifier assigned to the individual by B for the sole purpose of communicating with B about the individual.
(4) A must take any steps that are, in the circumstances, reasonable to ensure that—
(a) a unique identifier is assigned only to an individual whose identity is clearly established; and
(b) the risk of misuse of a unique identifier by any person is minimised (for example, by showing truncated account numbers on receipts or in correspondence).
(5) An agency may not require an individual to disclose any unique identifier assigned to that individual unless the disclosure is for one of the purposes in connection with which that unique identifier was assigned or is for a purpose that is directly related to one of those purposes.
