Privacy Policy
How NZ Translations collects, uses, and protects your personal information, under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020. This page covers privacy only — for service terms, payment and cancellation, see our Terms & Conditions.
Who We Are
NZ Translations ("we", "us", "our") is a certified translation service operating in New Zealand. We provide certified translations, notarised translations, and apostille coordination for individuals, businesses, legal professionals, and immigration advisers.
Business name: NZ Translations Ltd
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Email: info@nztranslations.co.nz
Phone: +64 9 375 0405
Website: www.nztranslations.co.nz
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and what rights you have under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
What Information We Collect
Information you provide directly
When you contact us, request a quote, or place an order, we may collect:
- Your full name and contact details (email address, phone number)
- Documents you submit for translation — which may contain personal information including dates of birth, addresses, family details, immigration status, health information, and legal records
- Payment information — processed securely through third-party payment providers; we do not store card details
- Correspondence — emails and form submissions you send to us
- Order details — document types, language pairs, turnaround requirements, and submission authorities
Information collected automatically
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:
- IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system
- Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
- Cookie data (see Section 9)
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To provide our services — processing your order, assigning the appropriate translator, delivering completed translations, and issuing invoices
- To communicate with you — responding to enquiries, providing quotes, sending order confirmations and delivery notifications
- To improve our services — understanding how clients use our website and services, and identifying areas for improvement
- To comply with legal obligations — maintaining business records as required by New Zealand law, including the Companies Act 1993 and the Tax Administration Act 1994
- To protect our legitimate interests — preventing fraud, resolving disputes, and enforcing our terms
We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making, profiling, or direct marketing unless you have expressly consented to receive marketing communications from us.
How the Privacy Act 2020 Applies
New Zealand's Privacy Act 2020 works through thirteen Information Privacy Principles, not the "lawful basis" framework used by the EU's GDPR. Those principles govern how we collect, store, use, disclose, and give access to personal information. In practice, that means:
- We collect personal information only where it is necessary for a lawful purpose connected with our translation service (Principle 1)
- We collect it directly from you wherever we can, and tell you why we are collecting it and what we will do with it (Principles 2 and 3)
- We store it securely and take reasonable steps to protect it against loss, misuse, and unauthorised disclosure (Principle 5)
- We give you access to the information we hold about you, and correct it if it is wrong (Principles 6 and 7)
- We use and disclose it only for the purpose we collected it for, unless an exception in the Act applies (Principles 10 and 11)
The Privacy Act 2020 does not require your consent as a general basis for collecting or using personal information. Where we do rely on your consent — for example, to send you marketing communications — you can withdraw it at any time.
Document Confidentiality
Documents submitted to us for translation — including birth certificates, passports, police certificates, medical records, legal documents, and academic records — may contain highly sensitive personal information. We treat all submitted documents with strict confidentiality.
- Documents are accessed only by the assigned translator and a single quality reviewer
- Documents are transmitted and stored using encrypted channels (SSL/TLS)
- Documents are permanently deleted from our systems after your completed translation has been delivered, unless you ask us to retain them for a future order
- We do not share, sell, licence, or otherwise disclose your documents or their contents to any third party, other than the assigned translator operating under a confidentiality agreement
- Formal Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are available on request for corporate clients, law firms, and any client handling particularly sensitive documents
How Long We Keep Your Data
- Documents submitted for translation: Permanently deleted after delivery of the completed translation
- Order records and correspondence: Retained for 7 years to meet NZ tax and business record obligations under the Tax Administration Act 1994
- Payment records: Retained for 7 years as required by Inland Revenue
- Marketing consent records: Retained until you withdraw consent, plus 1 year
- Website analytics data: Retained for up to 26 months in aggregate, anonymised form
When data is no longer required, it is permanently deleted or anonymised in a manner that prevents reconstruction.
Who We Share Information With
We do not sell your personal information. We share information only in the following limited circumstances:
- Assigned translators — who operate under confidentiality obligations and receive only the document and order details necessary to complete your translation
- Payment processors — your payment details are processed by secure third-party payment providers. We receive only confirmation of payment, not card details
- IT service providers — providers of email, cloud storage, and website hosting infrastructure, who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements
- Legal and regulatory authorities — where we are required to disclose information by law, court order, or a regulatory authority with lawful authority to require disclosure
We do not share your personal information with Immigration New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs, NZQA, or any other government authority unless you have specifically asked us to, or we are required to by law.
Your Rights Under NZ Privacy Law
Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you (Principle 6)
- Correct personal information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date — or ask us to attach a statement of correction if we do not agree it is wrong (Principle 7)
- Complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at privacy.org.nz if you believe we have breached the Privacy Act 2020
The Privacy Act 2020 does not create a general right to erasure, to object to processing, or to data portability in the way the EU's GDPR does. We offer the following anyway, as a matter of practice rather than because the Act requires it:
- Deletion — we will delete personal information we hold about you on request, except where we are legally required to retain it (see Section 6)
- Withdrawal of consent — where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@nztranslations.co.nz. We will respond within 20 working days, as the Privacy Act 2020 requires. We do not charge for access or correction requests.
Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — to improve your experience and understand how our website is used. We use:
- Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies — used to collect aggregate, anonymised data about how visitors use our website. We use this to improve our content and services. You may opt out via your browser settings.
We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or behavioural profiling technologies on our website.
Third-Party Services
Our website links to third-party websites, including Immigration New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs, NZQA, and NZTA. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these websites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before submitting personal information to them.
We use Google Analytics to collect anonymised website usage data. Google Analytics data is processed under Google's privacy policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. That date reflects the last time the policy text itself was reviewed and changed. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or services after a change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact & Complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:
- Email: info@nztranslations.co.nz
- Post: NZ Translations Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner:
- Website: privacy.org.nz
- Phone: 0800 803 909
- Email: enquiries@privacy.org.nz