Privacy Policy

Purpose

We know that how we collect, use, disclose and protect your information is important to you, and we value your trust. That’s why protecting your information and being clear about what we do with it is a vital part of our relationship with you.

The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform our clients and any users of our website how we comply with the requirements of the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 (“the Privacy Act”) and the General Data Protection Regulation for residents of the European Union, in managing personal information.

Consent to Privacy Policy

Please note that when you are contacting us through our website you are agreeing to this Privacy Policy so if you do not agree, please do not use our website but feel free to call us on (09) 222 0320.

Collection of Personal Information

Personal Information is defined in the Privacy Act as information about an identifiable individual (a natural person as opposed to a company or other legal entity) and which is in a form which enables that person to be identified.

The types of personal information we collect will vary depending on the nature of your dealings with us. At all times we try to only collect the personal information that we require for what we are doing. Where reasonable and practicable, we will collect your personal information directly from you and inform you that this is being done and we mainly collect personal information about you when you give it to us, for example:

• Over the telephone or by video call e.g. when you contact our financial advisers;
• Via our website;
• When you write to us; or
• When you participate in a marketing campaign or promotion (or a similar event) administered by us or our representatives.

Generally, the types of personal information we collect and hold includes your name, email address, postal address, physical address, date of birth, telephone number, details relating to your use of any product and/or service offered by us, and details of your enquiry notified to us and any other preferences you tell us about.

We may also collect personal information about you from third parties where this is necessary to assess, arrange or administer your finance application or where permitted or required by law.

These third parties may include:

• publicly available sources;
• your accountant or other professional advisers;
• lenders or funders;
• credit reporting agencies;
• your employer or previous employer;
• your solicitor;
• government agencies; and
• other organisations involved in assessing or administering your application.

Where we collect your personal information from a third party, we will notify you as soon as reasonably practicable of:

• the fact that we have collected your personal information;
• the source from which the information was collected;
• the purpose for which the information was collected;
• the intended recipients of the information;
• our identity and contact details and
• your rights to request access to and correction of your personal information.

Unless an exception under the Privacy Act 2020 applies.

Our Indirect Collection Source Schedule provides further detail on the common third parties we collect from or share information with, the types of information involved, the purpose of collection, and the intended recipients. You can view the current schedule here or request a copy from info@financenz.co.nz.

If you are visiting us through our website, then we collect information about your use of the website. Our website uses cookies to help facilitate your ongoing access to and use of the website. Cookies are small pieces of information stored on your hard drive or in memory. They can record information about your visit to the site, allowing it to remember you the next time you visit and provide a more meaningful experience.

One of the reasons for using cookies is to offer you increased security. The cookies we send to your computer cannot read your hard drive, obtain any information from your browser or command your computer to perform any action. They are designed so that they cannot be sent to another site or be retrieved by any non-Finance New Zealand website.

When you interact with us via our website, the information collected from the use of cookies may include:

• The date and time of visits;
• Website page (or pages) viewed;
• The website from which you accessed the internet and our website;
• How you navigate through the website and interact with pages (including any fields completed in forms and applications completed (where applicable);
• Information about your location;
• Information about the device used to visit our website; and
• IP address (or addresses), and the type of web browser used.

We will not ask you to supply personal information publicly over any social media platform that we use. Sometimes we may invite you to send your details to us via private messaging, for example, to answer a question. You may also be invited to share your personal information through secure channels to participate in other activities, such as competitions, where you have authorised us to do so.

Purpose of Collection and Use of Personal Information

Any personal information you provide to us or that we collect may be used to:

• assess your eligibility for finance products and services;
• verify information provided by you or obtained from third parties;
• arrange and administer financial products and services;
• communicate with lenders, funders and service providers;
• comply with our legal, regulatory and contractual obligations;
• assist with fraud prevention, anti-money laundering and other lawful purposes; and
• provide information about our products and services where appropriate.

We may also be required to maintain and disclose personal information to regulatory and similar bodies. See “Disclosure of Your Personal Information” below. These bodies may have a legal right to such information.

Storage and Protection of Your Personal Information

We may electronically record and store personal information which we collect from you. When we do so we will take all reasonable steps to keep it secure, prevent unauthorised disclosure and to keep it accurate and up to date.

However, we do not promise that your personal information cannot be accessed by an unauthorised person (e.g. a hacker) or that unauthorised disclosures will not occur. If we provide you with any passwords or other security devices it is important that you keep these confidential and do not allow them to be used by any other person. You should notify us immediately if the security of these devices is breached to prevent the unauthorised disclosure of your personal information.

Some information we hold about you will be stored in paper files.

We use a range of physical and electronic security measures to protect the security of the personal information we hold, including that:

• Access to information systems is controlled through identity and access management;
• Employees are bound by internal information security policies and are required to keep information secure;
• Employees are required to complete training about information security and privacy; and
• We regularly monitor and review our compliance with internal policies and industry best practice.

We take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information when it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted by law, regulation or similar obligation to retain it for longer.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We may disclose your personal information to others outside the Company where:

• We are required or authorised by law or where we have a public duty to do so;
• You have authorised us to disclose it, or your authorisation may be reasonably inferred from the circumstances; or
• We are otherwise permitted to disclose the information under the Privacy Act 2020.

Your personal information may be used by us for the purpose of providing advice and services to you and may also be disclosed to agencies such as:

• Any outsourced service provider who assists with the services we are required to carry out, such as auditors and external compliance reviewers;
• Our external dispute resolution service; and
• The Regulator.

Disclosure of Your Personal Information to Third Parties

Through our website you may be able to link to other websites which are not under our control. We are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those third-party websites, and the sites are not covered by this Privacy Policy. Third party websites should have their own privacy and security policies, and we encourage you to read them.

In addition, we have no knowledge of (or control over) the nature, content, and availability of those websites. We do not sponsor, recommend, or endorse anything contained on these linked websites. We do not accept any liability of any description for any loss suffered by you by relying on anything contained or not contained on these linked websites.

We may disclose your personal information where necessary to provide our services, where you have authorised us to do so, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Your personal information may be disclosed to:

• lenders and funders;
• credit reporting agencies (including Centrix and Equifax where applicable);
• government or regulatory authorities;
• fraud prevention and anti-money laundering agencies;
• auditors and compliance providers;
• professional advisers; and
• service providers assisting Finance New Zealand Limited in delivering our services.

We do not sell your personal information.

Credit Reporting Agencies

Finance New Zealand Limited may provide your personal information to credit reporting agencies, including Centrix and Equifax where applicable, for the purposes of assessing your application or verifying information relevant to your finance application.

Those organisations collect, use and disclose personal information in accordance with their own privacy statements and applicable law. You have rights to request access to and correction of information they hold about you.

Further information can be found in the relevant privacy statements available on the Centrix and Equifax websites.

Right to Access, Correct and Delete Personal Information

You have the right to request access to, correct and, in some circumstances, delete your personal information. You can do so by contacting us at:

PO Box 65164
Mairangi Bay
Auckland 0754

Or via email at info@financenz.co.nz

When you contact us with such a request, we will take steps to update or delete your personal information, provide you with access to your personal information and/or otherwise address your query within a reasonable period after we receive your request. To protect the security of your personal information, you may be required to provide identification before we update or provide you with access to your personal information.

We are only able to delete your data to the extent that it is not required to be held by us to satisfy any legal, regulatory or similar requirement(s).

There is no fee for requesting that your personal information is corrected or deleted or for us to make corrections or deletions. In processing your request for access to your personal information, a reasonable cost may be charged. This charge covers such things as locating the information and supplying it to you.

There are some circumstances in which we are not required to give you access to your personal information. If we refuse to give you access to or to correct or delete your personal information, we will let you know our reasons except where it would be unreasonable to do so.

If we refuse your request to correct or delete your personal information, you also have the right to request that a statement be associated with your personal information noting that you disagree with its accuracy.

If we refuse your request to access, correct or delete your personal information, we will also provide you with information on how you can complain about the refusal.

What Happens if You Do Not Provide Us Your Information

If you do not provide information we have requested, you may be unable to obtain or access our services for which the information is required. Please ask us if you are unsure what information is important and how this might affect you.

Changes to this Policy

We review this Privacy Policy periodically to keep it current and may update it at any time on our website. You may also obtain a copy of the latest version by calling us on (09) 222 0320.

Privacy Policy Queries and Concerns

If you are concerned about how your personal information is being handled, or if you have a complaint about a breach of the New Zealand Privacy Principles by us, please contact us at:

Finance New Zealand Limited
PO Box 65164
Mairangi Bay
Auckland 0754

Or via email at info@financenz.co.nz

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of its receipt. We will let you know if we need any further information from you to investigate your complaint.

We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible. We strive to resolve complaints within five working days, but some complaints take longer to resolve. If your complaint is taking longer, we will let you know what is happening and a date by which you can reasonably expect a response.

If you are not satisfied with our response to any privacy-related concern, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner
PO Box 10 094
Wellington 6140
Freephone: 0800 803 909
Phone: 04 474 7590
Website: www.privacy.org.nz