Menu
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is very important to us
This privacy policy informs you of what personal information we may collect about you during your engagement with Empty Homes on this website (the “Site”), by email, or by phone; as well as how we use and safeguard that information.
The Privacy Act 2020 regulates us on how we collect, use, hold, disclose, access, correct, manage and dispose of your personal information.
This policy pertains to all services and programmes provided by Empty Homes.
Privacy Officer
To access, amend, or enquire about your data, please contact our Privacy Officer.
Physical address:
Privacy Officer - Empty Homes
Kakariki House
293 Grey St
Hamilton East
Hamilton 3216
Postal Address:
Privacy Officer - Empty Homes
P O Box 307
Waikato Mail Centre
Hamilton 3240
New Zealand
What we collect
If you submit an enquiry form through the site that requires personal information, we may request your name, organisation name, location, phone and email contact details in order to engage further with you or respond to your enquiries. We may also collect other personal information about you.
By engaging with Empty Homes or the resources on this Site you consent to the collection and use of your personal information in the manner we describe in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these terms, do not use this Site or any of its forms or resources.
Storage and retention
We use third-party providers to store and process our data. We store most of the personal information we collect and generate electronically on Microsoft Azure cloud servers located in Australia, Digital Ocean servers in Singapore and Amazon Web Services servers. We also use Microsoft Office 365 for our email and other office productivity applications. While your information may be stored overseas, we only use providers that have comparable privacy safeguards to New Zealand.
We only retain personal information when there is a legitimate reason to in compliance with the requirements of the Public Records Act 2005. Once there is no longer a legitimate reason to retain the data, the data is deleted.
Security
We take all reasonable steps to ensure any personal information we collect is protected against loss, unauthorised access and disclosure or any other misuse, including meeting the requirements prescribed by the New Zealand Government.
We take reasonable steps to ensure that our technology providers can meet our privacy and security requirements.
What we do with your personal information
We will only use the personal information you provide to us for the purposes of delivering the services you have requested (such as providing a copy of the Empty Homes report) or carrying out our lawful functions. People will only see/use your information for the purposes of providing the services you are accessing.
Non-personal, non-identifiable information may be used for reports which allow the Wise Group to measure collective impact and may be assessed by third-parties, including researchers, government departments and funders to evaluate the effectiveness of how we work.
Here’s what we will and won’t do with your personal information:
- Our system administrator and Empty Homes project personnel can see your personal information.
- Information you provide will be stored and used by us to evaluate and improve Empty Homes.
- We may also use information collected from you as non-identifiable, anonymous data to inform research and reporting that could help inform the development of innovative solutions to increase the housing supply in New Zealand.
- We may also use information collected from you as non-identifiable, aggregated, anonymous data for the purpose of promoting Empty Homes to New Zealanders.
- Your personal information that you supply will be used to follow up with you if you indicate you would like more information about Empty Homes or would like to engage further about your empty home.
We may disclose your personal information to another party in the following circumstances:
- in anonymised form for statistical purposes
- when it is required by law
- to protect the rights of Empty Homes
- through cookies and tracking technologies
- to a partner who may be involved in supporting solutions to bring your empty home back into the housing supply.
Third party advertising and links to websites
This Site contains hyperlinks to third party websites. Some of these links may request or record information from users or use cookies or other methods to collect information from you. We have no control over and are not responsible for the content of such websites, or for the manner in which those websites collect, hold, use, and distribute any personal information you provide. When visiting a third party website from hyperlinks displayed on this website, we encourage you to review the privacy statements of those websites so that you can understand how the personal information you provide will be collected, held, used and distributed.
Automated collection
When you visit, navigate through and interact with this Site, we use automated data collection technology (such as usage monitoring software, IP addresses, cookies, JavaScript and sessions) to collect and store certain information about your visit. These allow us to collect information about how you use the Site. This allows us to track your progress through the Site and enhance your online experience with Empty Homes.
If you disable cookies it may limit your access to some of the website’s content and features. You can choose to refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser and/or deleting them from your hard drive. You do not need to have cookies turned on to use our website, but your experience may be affected.
If you do not provide personal information or provide incomplete information
If you provide incomplete or inaccurate information or do not wish to identify yourself when you submit a request for follow up from with Empty Homes, we’ll be unable to provide you with any services and /or support your request.
Further personal information may be requested from you by an Empty Homes team member for the purposes outlined above. However, this information is not compulsory for you to provide.
Your privacy rights and how to contact us
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you (whether we have collected the information from you directly or from a third-party). You also have the right to ask us to correct your information if you think it is wrong.
We will process your request as soon as possible, and no later than 20 working days after we receive it. We will be as open as we can with you, but please note that your right to request personal information may be limited if it breaches another person’s right to privacy or is subject to overriding national security legislation.
We may occasionally need to withhold personal information, for example where the information requested is legally privileged. However, we will only ever withhold information where necessary.
You may request a correction of personal information that you consider is inaccurate. Where the correction requested is not able to be made or we dispute the accuracy of the correction, we will make a note on your personal information.
If we cannot resolve your concerns, then you have the right to complain to the Privacy Commissioner about our actions. In the first instance, please write to us at:
Physical address:
Kakariki House
293 Grey St
Hamilton East
Hamilton 3216
Postal Address:
P O Box 307
Waikato Mail Centre
Hamilton 3240
New Zealand
marking it for the attention of the Privacy Officer.
Privacy breaches
All staff receive relevant information privacy training to minimise the risk of a privacy breach. Personal information is only used for the purposes we have declared it will be used for. If it is disclosed outside of the purpose, any potential impact on individuals affected is assessed once the incident is discovered. If the impact is likely to cause serious harm our Privacy Officer is notified, so an internal investigation can be carried out and an action plan implemented.
If a breach of privacy occurs, we will advise our Privacy Officer who will assess what actions might sensibly be taken, and the likelihood of harm arising, and the Privacy Officer will notify the Privacy Commissioner and any affected individuals unless an exemption under the Privacy Act 2020 applies.
Complaining about our privacy practices
We want to know if you have concerns about our privacy practices, whether these relate to the way we collect or share information about you or our decision on your access request. This allows us to try and put things right for you and helps us to identify and fix any problems with our systems or processes.
In the first instance, let us know about your concerns and we will try our best to resolve it. This could include escalating your concerns to a senior staff member to ensure we have made the right decision and fully considered your concerns.
Changes to our policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. All changes to this Privacy Policy will be effective immediately upon their posting to the website. We will notify you of material changes to this Privacy Policy by posting the changes of the Site. Information collected before changes are made will be treated in accordance with the previous Privacy Policy. Continued use of the Site and its forms after the effective date of a modified Privacy Policy will indicate your agreement to any modified terms. Each version of our Privacy Policy will be prominently marked with an effective date.
Privacy Policy version - July 2022