Privacy Policy
1) Our Privacy Commitment
1.1 We are committed to respecting your privacy. We will always collect, store, use, protect and disclose personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws. However, we have also put in place this privacy policy to protect the personal information you submit or we collect.
1.2 We will only use your personal information when it is necessary for us to deliver you a service or perform other necessary charity functions and activities.
1.3 We will not use or disclose your personal information for purposes unrelated to our charity’s activities and the services we provide, unless we first obtain your consent.
2) Our Privacy Obligations
2.1 This privacy policy sets out how we comply with our obligations under the:
Privacy Act 1993 (New Zealand)
We are bound by the requirements of these laws, which regulate how we may collect, store, use and disclose your personal information. These laws also specify how individuals may access and correct information held about them.
2.2 “Personal information” means information or an opinion about an identifiable individual (or an individual who is reasonably identifiable), whether true or not, or recorded in a material form or not. By way of example, this type of information could include your name, contact details, age and address.
2.3 In this policy “we”, “us” and “our” refers to GrandFriends NZ (Surrogate Grandparents New Zealand Charitable Trust). If you have any questions regarding our privacy policy, please email us at info@grandfrends.nz. If you would like us to send you a hard copy of this policy, please contact us and we will do so.
2.4 We may revise this agreement at any time (with immediate effect) by amending this page and will not be required to notify you of any such change. Please do not make any assumption that these same terms of use will apply to your future use of our site. We recommend you regularly visit our site and check whether this agreement has changed. If you do not agree with any part of this agreement (including as altered, modified or updated) you must not continue to use our site. Some of the provisions contained in this agreement may also be superseded by provisions or notices published elsewhere on our site.
2.5 We will also ensure that we comply with applicable laws regarding unsolicited electronic messages by including accurate sender information and a functional unsubscribe facility. If you provide us with your personal information, you consent to receiving information from us to promote and market our services, or the products and services of others.
3) How and Why Do We Collect and Hold Your Personal Information?
3.1 We have structured our website so that, in general, you can visit our site without identifying yourself or revealing any personal information. You do not have to provide personal information to access our website.
3.2 To become a member and access our matchmaking platform, we will need to collect your personal information to provide you with access to these services. In some cases, if you do not provide the required personal information, then:
(a) you may not be able to access some of the areas and facilities of our membership platform; or
(b) we may not be able to provide you with our services or otherwise carry out your instructions.
3.3 If you choose to provide us with personal information when using our platforms or in some other manner, we will only collect, store, use or disclose that information in accordance with this privacy policy and applicable privacy laws.
3.4 Our usual practice is to collect personal information directly from you, for instance when you:
(a) become a GrandFriends member (Family or Grandparent)
(b) visit or use a GrandFriends website, (this may include the address of your Internet service provider, the name of the web page directing you and your clicks and activity on our platforms);
(c) complete any online form on any of our platforms or online payment gateway;
(d) complete an online form on one of our social media channels (for example, Facebook);
(e) complete a survey;
(f) enter a trade promotion or competition;
(g) complete a hard copy form;
(h) provide feedback via phone, e-mail, chat or social media; or
(i) contact us directly by telephone, via mail, e-mail or online.
3.5 Cookies
We may collect aggregated information by using cookies. Cookies are unique identification numbers like tags that are placed on the browser of internet users. The cookies do not in themselves identify users personally, but may link back to a database record about them. We may use cookies to track any aspect of our site or services.
3.6 Google Analytics
We may use services such as Google Analytics, which will issue cookies from their own servers and which will be able to track website visitors throughout relevant websites. We do not control how those cookies are issued, or the data that they store.
3.7 Web Beacons
We may use “web beacons” (electronic images also known as pixel tags or clear gifs) to recognise a cookie on your computer when you view or act upon a web page, an advertisement that we have placed on a third-party web page, or an email or other electronic communication that we have sent.
3.8 LSO
We may also use Local Shared Objects, sometimes referred to as “Flash” cookies. Use of Local Shared Objects can help deter, detect and prevent fraud and can support our Online Services.
3.9 The personal information we collect may include information about people who are employees, directors or principals of yours. We ask you to help us to make sure that these people are aware that our arrangements with you may involve the collection of personal information about them.
3.10 If we receive information about you from a third party and it is not information we need in respect to our business activities, we will destroy or de-identify that information (provided it is lawful to do so). If we receive information in error (e.g. via social media) we will act promptly to remove the content.
4) What Kind of Personal Information Do We Collect and Hold?
4.1 Any personal information that you provide via our websites or directly is collected and managed by or for us.
4.2 If you provide your personal information to a third party via a link from our website, that information is collected and managed by those third parties. You should familiarise yourself with their privacy policy prior to deciding whether you wish to provide them with your information.
4.3 The personal information we may collect includes your:
(a) name;
(b) age and date of birth
(c) residential and postal address;
(d) email address;
(e) contact telephone numbers;
(f) identification details;
(g) testimonials or opinions;
(h) photos of you;
(i) written or verbal contact with us
(j) your credit card or payment details (through our third party payment processor);
(k) information relating to your access to our platforms; and
(l) activities, including but not limited to lifestyle and other interests.
4.4 If you provide us with information about any third party, you must obtain that person’s permission to give us the information and inform them that you have given the information to us.
5) How Do We Use Your Personal Information?
5.1 We use your personal information for a variety of reasons including to:
(a) provide services (and products) to you;
(b) answer your enquiries and deliver member services to you;
(c) contact you in relation to one of our survey or marketing programs;
(d) tell you about other products or services we think may be of interest to you;
(e) enable us to undertake a police vetting or criminal convictions check
(f) maintain and improve member services;
(g) manage your GrandFriends account;
(h) meet our legal obligations;
(i) consider making offers for employment purposes;
(j) manage and resolve any legal, consumer or commercial complaints and issues;
(k) carry out internal functions including training; and
(l) conduct marketing research and analysis.
6) In What Circumstances Might We Disclose Your Personal Information?
6.1 In the course of conducting our business and providing our products and services to you, we may disclose your personal information.
6.2 We only disclose personal information for the purposes for which it was given to us, or for purposes which are directly related to one of our functions or activities.
6.3 We never sell email addresses.
6.4 If we engage third-party agents or contractors, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that they do not breach privacy requirements in relation to the information, before we share your personal information with them.
7) Who Do We Disclose Your Personal Information To?
7.1 We may disclose your personal information to:
(a) another business or entity associated with GrandFriends;
(b) companies that perform services on our behalf such as printers, post suppliers, delivery companies, data entry service providers, trade promotion or gift card administration, account management providers, IT companies that manage and maintain our database and online services, survey companies acting on our behalf and digital marketing agencies (for the purposes of targeting on social media);
(c) professional advisers (such as lawyers or auditors);
(d) payment systems operators and financial institutions;
(e) organisations authorised by us to conduct promotional, research or marketing activities;
(f) upon lawful request from law enforcement agencies or government authorities; and
(g) any persons acting on your behalf including those persons nominated by you, executors, trustees and legal representatives.
(h) New Zealand government authorities where we require Police Vetting or Criminal Conviction Checks.
7.2 In all circumstances where your personal information is disclosed, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that these third parties undertake to protect your privacy.
8) Direct Marketing
8.1 We are committed to compliance with all laws and requirements relating to the use of your personal information. We will only use or disclose your personal information for direct marketing purposes if you have provided your information for that purpose (and you would expect us to use the information for that purpose), or if you have provided consent for your information to be used in this way (for example, through a catalogue, email or direct mail permission).
8.2 When we contact you it may be by mail, telephone, email, SMS/text message or social media message.
8.3 Where we use or disclose your personal information for the purpose of direct marketing, we will:
(a) allow you to request not to receive direct marketing communications (also known as ‘opting-out’ or ‘unsubscribing’); and
(b) comply with your request to ‘opt-out’ of, or ‘unsubscribe’ from, receiving further communications within a reasonable timeframe.
8.4 By subscribing to our website or GrandFriends services or otherwise providing us with your personal information, you consent to receiving emails which promote our services, or the products and services of others, from time to time.
8.5 From time to time, we may contact you with information about services offered by us and our related entities or our business partners, which we think may be of interest to you.
9) Data Quality and Security
9.1 We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your personal information is stored securely and is protected from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. We use secure servers and industry standard data encryption whenever we are receiving or transferring your personal information online. However, we accept no responsibility for any loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure, alteration or destruction of personal information which you submit to us.
9.2 If you request for us to do so, we will note your member record as ‘deleted’, which means it will not be used for any purpose (such as marketing). However your member name and number may still remain in our database as it will be attached to historical records and transactions.
9.3 Ensure you logout when you have finished visiting our platforms especially if you accessed them from a shared computer.
10) Electronic mail
10.1 E-mail and electronic transmission of confidential or privileged documents or advice is a convenient method of delivery. However, internet mail is not secure and any communications or documents transmitted may be interfered with, contain computer viruses or other defects and may not be successfully replicated on other systems. We will not be liable for any copying, recording, reading or interference by others during or after a transmission, for any delay or non-delivery or for any damage caused in connection with a transmission.
10.2 If you have any doubts about the authenticity of any communications or documents purportedly sent by us, please contact us immediately.
11) Your Rights and Controlling Your Personal Information
11.1 Your choice: Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. If you provide personal information to us, you understand we will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. You do not have to provide personal information to us, however, if you do not, it may affect our ability to provide our Services to you and your use of our Services.
11.2 Information from third parties: If we receive personal information about you from a third party, we will protect it as set out in this Privacy Policy. If you are a third party providing personal information about somebody else, you represent and warrant that you have such person’s consent to provide the personal information to us.
11.3 Restrict and unsubscribe: To object to processing for direct marketing/unsubscribe from our email database or opt-out of communications (including marketing communications), please contact us using the details below or opt-out using the opt-out facilities provided in the communication.
11.4 Access and Correction: Subject to certain grounds for refusal set out in the Privacy Act, you may request access to, and the correction of, the personal information that we hold about you. Please contact us using the details below. We will deal with your request in accordance with the Privacy Act.
11.5 Retention: We will not keep your personal information for longer than is required for the purposes for which your personal information may lawfully be used.
11.6 Complaints: If you wish to make a complaint, please contact us using the details below and provide us with full details of the complaint. We will promptly investigate your complaint and respond to you, in writing, setting out the outcome of our investigation and the steps we will take in response to your complaint.
11.7 If you:
(a) have any queries, concerns or complaints about the manner in which your personal information has been collected or handled by us; or
(b) would like to request access to or correction of the personal information we hold about you, please write to:
The Privacy Officer
GrandFriends NZ (Surrogate Grandparents New Zealand Charitable Trust)
Email: info@grandfriends.nz