Privacy Policy

Privacy policy last updated: 8 August 2024

For more information on the privacy laws in New Zealand and contact details for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, visit the Privacy Commissioner's website.

Privacy (external link) —  Privacy Commisioner

We may update this privacy statement from time to time. The current version posted here will apply.

This website may contain links to third-party websites or applications. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites or applications.

Please refer to the end of this statement for definitions of terms used. 

Personal information

We collect personal information from you when you provide it to us. For example, when you:

• order or purchase any Standards New Zealand material or request a service
• seek credit terms from us
• express interest in becoming a Standards Development Committee member or apply to become a member of a Standards Development Committee (domestic or international)
• contact us for help, to ask a question, subscribe to our newsletter
• email or otherwise contact us, or the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) service centre, in relation to any Standards New Zealand material or service or the website.

The MBIE service centre has standards on how they manage personal information.

Privacy(external link) — Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

How we use personal information

We may use your personal information to:

• fulfil your order/ purchase of Standards New Zealand material or to provide you with services
• contact you about any order, or service
• support your application or function as a member of a Standards Development Committee
• assess the balance of representation on Standards Development Committees
• report on composition of Standards Development Committees
• send you a newsletter or updates about us
• do anything otherwise required or permitted by law, including performing our functions under the Standards and Accreditation Act 2015.

How we store personal information

Our website has security measures in place to prevent the loss, misuse and alteration of information under our control. To maintain the cyber security of our systems and information, our systems are subject to ongoing monitoring (including activity logging), analysis and auditing.

We may use information about your use of our website and other IT systems to prevent unauthorised access or attacks on these systems or to resolve such events. We may use this information even if you are not involved in such activity.

We may use services from one or more third party suppliers to monitor or maintain the cyber security of our systems and information. These third-party suppliers will have access to monitoring and logging information as well as information processed on our website and other IT systems.

Disclosure 

We will disclose information when you authorise us to share it or as otherwise allowable by law. Where you have authorised us to disclose your personal information to a third-party, their use and maintenance of your personal information is outside our control and we accept no responsibility or liability for such third-party use to the extent permitted by law.

Except as described in this privacy statement, we will not disclose or use your personal information unless required or permitted by law. Examples of this permitted disclosure include:

• to support the New Zealand Standards Approval Board to fulfil its statutory functions
• to the extent necessary for third parties to provide services to us in connection with the Standards New Zealand material, any service or the website or to operate our business
• when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud or respond to a government request
• as required or permitted by the Privacy Act 2020, Public Finance Act 1989 or other law.  For instance, we may be required to disclose information under the Official Information Act 1982 or to a Parliamentary Select Committee or Parliament in response to a parliamentary question.

The information that we may be required to disclose may contain personal information and may be disclosed without prior notice to you. 

We retain personal information for a minimum of 7 years. We store public records, which can include personal information, in accordance with the Public Records Act 2005.

Your personal information remains yours

You have the right to:

• find out from us whether we hold personal information about you
• access that information
• if applicable, request corrections of that information.

If we have a good reason for refusing a request for correction, you are entitled to request that a statement be attached to the information of the correction that was sought but not made.

You may request access to your personal information that is held by us, request access to it or request a correction, by emailing enquiries@standards.govt.nz.

Email communication

From time-to-time we may send you emails that relate to Standards New Zealand material or services you have purchased or subscribed to. You may opt out of receiving those emails and other promotions at any time by following the opt-out instructions provided in the relevant communication.

Collection of non-personal information

We may also automatically collect, or use third-party service providers to collect, certain information in relation to your use of any online service or the website (automatic information). This information may be aggregated to provide data related to how our website performs, and does not identify you or your individual browsing behaviour. To collect this information we use Google Analytics. You can read Google’s privacy statement, or opt-out, at the Google Privacy Centre.

Automatic Information includes browsing characteristics and technical characteristics, for example:

• Browsing characteristics
  • search terms
  • pages viewed
  • date, time and duration.
• Technical characteristics
  • screen resolution
  • language settings
  • operating system
  • the type of web browser.

Cookies 

Cookies are small files that are sent by a website and stored on your computer's hard drive. Any service or the website may use cookies to collect information about you and your use of the service and/or website. You may disable cookies through your web browser, but doing so may mean that you cannot use the service or the website or that the functionality of the service or the website is reduced.

We may use automatic information to:

• manage, monitor, improve and develop any Standards New Zealand material, service and the website
• improve functionality, improve security and measure the performance of the Website
• prepare and use data about access to, and use of, Standards New Zealand material or service.

Definitions

Personal information

Personal information is any information which tells us something about a specific individual. The information does not need to name the individual, as long as they are identifiable in other ways, like through their home address.

Standards New Zealand

Standards New Zealand is a business unit within MBIE. We are also New Zealand’s internationally recognised and statutorily independent national standards body. We manage the development and publication of national and regional standards and standards-related products and services. We adopt and modify for adoption international standards for the New Zealand market. We also publish and sell New Zealand, joint Australian/New Zealand and international standards.

Standards New Zealand material

Standards New Zealand material is:

• any individual or set of standards, handbooks, technical reports, specifications, manuals or other items published or made available by Standards New Zealand, including items provided on behalf of other local or international agencies; and
• collateral or content provided through, or as a result of, any service.

Service 

Service means any service provided to you by Standards New Zealand.

Standards Development Committee

Standards Development Committee includes International Standards Committees administered by the International Organization for Standardization or the International Electrotechnical Committee and any associated national mirror committee, joint Australian and New Zealand Standards Development Committees administered by Standards Australia or Standards New Zealand, and New Zealand Standards Development Committees administrated by Standards New Zealand. 

Website

Website refers to all pages connected to the Standards New Zealand website.