New Zealand Human Rights Foundation

1. Introduction

The Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand (referred to as "the Foundation", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals whose personal information we collect, use, hold, and disclose.

This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and demonstrates our commitment to protecting your privacy rights.

The Foundation is an independent non-governmental organisation established in December 2001 as a registered charity (CC22917). We promote and defend human rights in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad through research-based education and advocacy.

2. What is Personal Information

Personal information is any information about an identifiable individual. This includes but is not limited to:

Your name, address, email address, and phone number
Donation and payment information
Demographic information you choose to provide
Information about your interactions with our website and communications
Any other information that identifies you or could reasonably identify you

3. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information that is necessary for our functions as a human rights advocacy organisation. The types of personal information we collect include:

3.1 Contact Information

When you subscribe to our newsletter, become a member, make a donation, or otherwise engage with us, we may collect your name, postal address, email address, phone number, and similar contact details.

3.2 Donation and Financial Information

When you make a donation, we collect information necessary to process your gift, including payment details. Payment card information is processed through secure third-party payment processors and is not stored on our systems.

3.3 Demographic Information

We may collect voluntary demographic information to help us understand our supporters and tailor our communications, such as your occupation, interests in human rights issues, and preferences for engagement.

3.4 Website Usage Information

When you visit our website, we may collect technical information including your IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and time spent on our site through cookies and similar technologies.

3.5 Communications and Correspondence

We collect information you provide when you contact us, attend our events, participate in surveys, or engage with our campaigns and advocacy work.

4. How We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information directly from you whenever possible. This includes:

When you fill out forms on our website or in person
When you subscribe to our newsletter or communications
When you make a donation or become a member
When you contact us by email, phone, or post
When you attend our events or participate in our activities
Through cookies and analytics tools when you use our website

In some circumstances, we may collect information about you from third parties, such as publicly available sources, but we will inform you when we do so unless it is impracticable or would prejudice the purpose of collection.

5. Why We Collect and Use Personal Information

We collect and use your personal information only for lawful purposes related to our functions as a human rights advocacy organisation. These purposes include:

Processing donations and maintaining donor records for tax and accounting purposes
Managing memberships and volunteer relationships
Communicating with you about our work, events, campaigns, and opportunities to support human rights
Providing you with information, resources, and services you have requested
Conducting research and advocacy work to promote and defend human rights
Improving our website, services, and programs
Meeting our legal and regulatory obligations
Responding to inquiries and providing support

We do not use your personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, unless you authorise us to do so or the use is directly related to the original purpose of collection.

6. How We Store and Protect Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

Storing electronic data on secure servers with restricted access
Using encryption for sensitive data transmission
Implementing access controls and authentication procedures
Securing physical records in locked facilities with limited access
Training staff and volunteers on privacy and security obligations
Regularly reviewing and updating our security practices

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law. When personal information is no longer needed, we securely destroy or permanently de-identify it.

7. Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:

7.1 Service Providers

We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us with functions such as website hosting, payment processing, email communications, data storage, and IT support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.

7.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose personal information when required or authorised by law, such as in response to a court order, subpoena, or other legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Foundation, our supporters, or others.

7.3 With Your Consent

We may share your information with other parties when you have given us your explicit consent to do so.

7.4 Partner Organisations

We may occasionally work with other human rights organisations and advocacy groups on joint projects. If your information will be shared for such purposes, we will inform you in advance and obtain your consent where required.

8. Overseas Disclosure of Personal Information

Some of our service providers, such as cloud storage and email communication platforms, may store or process data on servers located overseas. Before disclosing your personal information outside New Zealand, we take reasonable steps to ensure that:

The overseas recipient is subject to privacy protections comparable to those in New Zealand, or
The recipient has agreed to protect your information in accordance with New Zealand privacy standards, or
You have authorised the disclosure after being informed that the information may not be protected to New Zealand standards

Countries where your personal information may be processed or stored include the United States, the European Union, and Australia, where some of our service providers operate.

9. Your Privacy Rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have several important rights regarding your personal information:

9.1 Right of Access

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. We will provide you with this information within 20 working days of receiving your request, unless an extension is necessary.

9.2 Right of Correction

You have the right to request correction of any personal information we hold about you that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant, or misleading. We will take reasonable steps to correct the information or, if we do not agree to make the correction, we will attach a statement noting your requested correction.

9.3 Right to Opt Out of Direct Marketing

You have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes. You can unsubscribe from our email communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send you, or by contacting our Privacy Officer.

9.4 Right to Complain

If you believe we have interfered with your privacy, you have the right to complain to us and, if you are not satisfied with our response, to the Privacy Commissioner.

10. Cookies and Website Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and understand how visitors use our site. Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help us:

Remember your preferences and settings
Understand which pages and content are most popular
Improve website functionality and performance
Analyse website traffic and user behaviour

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website. We use analytics services such as Google Analytics, which may place cookies on your device. For more information about how Google uses data, please visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.

11. Privacy Breaches

We take privacy breaches seriously and have procedures in place to respond to them. If a privacy breach occurs that is likely to cause serious harm to affected individuals, we will:

Notify affected individuals as soon as practicable
Notify the Privacy Commissioner
Take steps to contain and remedy the breach
Conduct an investigation to prevent similar breaches in the future

12. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are intended for a general audience and not specifically directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16 without parental consent. If you are a parent or guardian and believe we have collected information about your child, please contact our Privacy Officer.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a new effective date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

14. Privacy Officer and Contact Information

The Foundation has appointed a Privacy Officer who is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Privacy Act 2020. If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about how we handle your personal information, or if you wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer
Aotearoa New Zealand Human Rights Foundation
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://humanrightsfoundation.org.nz

We will respond to your inquiry or request within 20 working days.

15. Complaints to the Privacy Commissioner

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern or complaint, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner
PO Box 10094, Wellington 6143
Phone: 0800 803 909
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.privacy.org.nz

16. Our Commitment

The Human Rights Foundation of Aotearoa New Zealand is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and respect. We recognise that privacy is a fundamental human right, and we hold ourselves to the highest standards in safeguarding the information you entrust to us.