Ngā Kaupapa muna i te pae tukutuku Website privacy policy

The privacy of your personal information is important to us.

Customer Privacy Policy

Our Customer Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use, protect and share your personal information. This includes data sent to us for business licence applications, such as for food registration or a health and beauty business.

Our policy includes the requirements set out in the Privacy Act 2020 which is supervised by the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner.

Collecting online information

In accordance with the Privacy Act (2020) we may collect, hold and use statistical information about your online visits, as well as your IP address, to help us improve our websites. This information could include details such as:

• your search queries
• pages you view
• time and date of your visit
• browser type.

Our internet service providers may also record your visit and log the information for statistical purposes. We only analyse this information in bulk to understand who is visiting the site. We do not analyse website use by an individual.

Cookies and other tracking technologies

When you visit one of our websites, we may use 'cookies' to provide you with better access to tailored information and services.

Cookies are small files of data that record information about your visit to a website or application. We also use other tracking technologies, similar to cookies, to monitor how you use our websites.

The information provided is grouped together and we do not attempt to identify individual users or their browsing activities.

Some cookies and technology are necessary for our websites to function. These include:

• Essential cookies: Some cookies are necessary to make sure our websites function properly.
• Analytical cookies: These help us study user behaviour, mostly to see if site users can find what they are looking for and can act on it. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and see how they move around our website.
• Facebook cookies: These may be used to collect information about how our advertising is performing. When you are logged into your Facebook account while visiting our website, Facebook may receive your information or activity on our website. You can update your preferences at any time.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an online service to track and report website traffic. Google can use the data it collects to track and monitor the use of our online services. This data is also shared with other Google services (such as its search engine) where it may be used to personalise advertising to match your online profile.

You can choose not to be involved with Google Analytics by installing Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on on your browser. This prevents your online activity data being shared with Google Analytics.

For more information about Google Analytics' privacy practices, visit Google’s privacy policy and terms of use.

Google Tag Manager (GTM)

A website 'tag' is a small item of online code, similar to a cookie, that can be used to measure web traffic and visitor behaviour across sites. Google Tag Manager reads theses JavaScript and HTML tags and pushes the data to our Google Analytics account.

You can find more information about GTM at Google’s privacy policy and terms of use pages.

Google Floodlight

Floodlight is a tracking system for tags that can measure the effectiveness of advertising and marketing campaigns. We use it to track activity on our webpages to see what a user is doing when they visit our site.

Our cookies and tags do not retain personal data and cannot be used for personal identification. You can choose not to receive activity tags for advertising by visiting Google's ad settings page or changing the settings on your browser. For more information visit Google's privacy policy.

Hotjar

Hotjar is an online service that helps us understand our users’ experience. This helps us to improve and maintain our service based on user feedback.

It tells us a variety of information including:

• how much time someone spends on our websites
• what they click on
• what they avoid.

Hotjar uses cookies and other technology to collect data on online behaviour and device details.

This includes:

• a device's IP address
• screen size
• browser information
• location (country only)
• language used to display our website.

Hotjar stores this information in an anonymous user profile and is forbidden to sell any of the data collected on our behalf. If you prefer not to be involved, visit Hotjar's 'Do not track' page and follow the instructions. When Hotjar detects your preference, it will not collect any of your data.

For further details visit Hotjar’s support site.

Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity is an online service that helps us understand our users’ experience and improve and maintain our services and products.

We may use Microsoft Clarity to record how you use and interact with our website through behavioural metrics, heatmaps and session replays.

Website usage data is captured using first and third-party cookies and other tracking technologies.

For more information about how Microsoft collects and uses your data, visit the Microsoft Privacy Statement.

Collection and use of personal information on this website

Personal information already held in public records may be accessible on this website and related websites.

One example of this would be council meetings minutes that record submissions or deputations made by members of the public.

Building consents

We need the information you provide on a building consent application form to process the application under the Building Act 2004.

We collect statistics relating to issued building consents and have a statutory obligation (legal responsibility) to regularly forward these to Statistics New Zealand.

We store the information on a public register. We must supply this information (as previously determined by the Office of the Ombudsmen) to whoever requests it.

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you have the right to see and correct personal information we hold about you.

Resource Management Act submissions

If you make a submission on any Resource Management Act process, your submission will be made public on this website. This includes, but is not limited to:

• resource consents
• changes or cancellations of conditions of resource consents
• transfers of water permits or discharge permits
• plan changes
• notices of requirement to designate land.

Form 13 of the Resource Management (Forms, Fees, and Procedure) Regulations 2003 details the information to be provided in a submission. As well as the content of your submission, you are required to provide your:

• name
• telephone number
• email address 
• postal address - if you do not want to receive notices or documents by email

signature (if applicable). 

Submissions are published in full to inform all participants and the public about the hearing.

Storage and security of personal information

When any online services are provided that involves visitors sending personal financial information to this website and subsidiary websites, a secure transmission method will be used.

All Auckland Council employees and data processors who have access to, and are associated with the processing of, personal data are required to respect the confidentiality of our visitors' personal data.

Meeting webcasts

We film some of our meetings to keep Aucklanders up to date on our activities.

You will know which meetings are being filmed as there will be a sign clearly stating this before you enter into the meeting room.

We will broadcast the footage live online and recordings will be available on our website.

Most of the filming will cover elected members as they speak and debate at the meeting.

The filming may also include shots of the public in the background and anyone speaking at a public forum.

When we film meetings, we may collect, store and publish personal information about people attending the meetings. This is because personal information can include a person’s voice or image.

Webcast protocols

To minimise any unnecessary collection of material, we will follow our protocols for webcasting meetings.

Where we do collect personal information (by filming a person’s face or voice), we will collect, store and publish that personal information in accordance with our privacy policy:

• We film meetings because it is in the public interest to have transparent and accessible decision-making at public meetings.
• The intended recipients of the information are the general public who can access the footage on our website. The footage will be publicly available.
• The name and address of the agency collecting the information, and the agency holding the information is Auckland Council, through its agent Tandem Studios.

Contact us for more information

Contact Auckland Council Privacy Officers if you have any questions or concerns about:

• this privacy policy
• personal data Auckland Council has collected
• filmed footage of Auckland Council meetings.

By email

privacy@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

By post

Auckland Council Privacy Officers
Private Bag 92300
Victoria Street
Auckland 1142