This site is owned and operated by Ōpōtiki District Council using software licensed from Social Pinpoint. For details on how Ōpōtiki District Council collects and protects your personal information, refer to their Privacy Policy and Privacy Statement below. For details of how Social Pinpoint may access personal information, please refer to Social Pinpoint’s Privacy Policy.
Ōpōtiki District Council Privacy Policy
Your Privacy is important to Ōpōtiki District Council. The Privacy Statement covers our collection, holding, use and disclosure of your personal information, as well as our obligations and your rights as set out in the Privacy Act 2020. For more details please refer to our Privacy Statement below.
For more information, please refer to the Privacy Commissioner's guide to the Privacy Act 1993 and its amendments, or call the Privacy Commissioner's privacy hotline: 0800 803 909.
Users who wish to request access to, or request correction of personal information, may contact info@odc.govt.nz
Privacy Statement
Your privacy is important to Ōpōtiki District Council. This Privacy Statement covers our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as well as our obligations and your rights as set out in the Privacy Act 2020.
In this privacy statement, the Council is referred to as “we”, “our” or “us”. We may change this Privacy statement from time to time. The most current version will be available online.
Certain services and facilities we provide, or submissions, applications or requests you make to us, may be subject to additional terms and conditions and privacy statements. Therefore, we recommend that you carefully read the terms and conditions and any specific privacy statements that apply at the time you sign‐up to use our services, facilities or make a submission, application or request to us.
What type of personal information do we collect?
The personal information we collect means identifiable information about you. This may include your name, date of birth, address or area you live in, email address, telephone numbers, age, gender, household arrangement, prior criminal convictions, and pictures and video footage of you. It may also include information on your use of our services or facilities.
We may also collect any other personal information provided by you in connection with, or specifically related to your communications with us or your use of our services or facilities.
When do we collect your personal information?
We may collect your personal information when you, or someone acting on your behalf, provides information to us directly. For example, when you:
- Register with, or use, any of our products, services or facilities, or interact with our platforms
- Complete and submit forms that we provide (for example, applications for consents, licenses, approvals, permits, funding or other authorisations)
- Contact us enquiring about information or requesting information or services
- Provide us with feedback
- Prepare and submit a written submission
- Subscribe to any of our newsletter or update services
- Conduct transactions through our website (or any of our other platforms)
- Participate in a promotion or competition carried out by us or by a third party with official affiliation or support from us
- Participate in market research or surveys carried out by us or by a third party on our behalf
- Follow or post comments in response to our social media or other facilities such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube
- Apply for employment with us
- Provide us with services.
We may also collect information indirectly through your use of our platforms and the services and functionality offered through them (for example through browser cookies).
Why do we collect your personal information?
We only collect your personal information when it is necessary for a specific purpose connected with the services we provide. The purpose for collecting and using your information varies according to the services you are using. In general, we collect your personal information fairly with your consent, for example in the performance of a contract with you, or to comply with laws and regulations.
What information do we collect when you visit our websites?
When you visit one of our websites, we may use technology solutions such as “cookies” to provide you with better access to tailored information and services on the websites and to better serve you when you return to them. A cookie is a small data file that a website or app sends to your device, which may be stored for later retrieval by the website or app. If you want to disable cookies, you may do so by changing the settings on your browser. However, if you do so, you may not be able to use all the functions on our websites.
We use Google Analytics to further understand how some of our services may be improved. Google Analytics relies on the use of cookies.
We use non‐personalised statistics to monitor site traffic, to analyse trends, to gather demographic information about those who use our services, to improve our services and to improve user experience. These anonymised and/or amalgamated statistics do not include personal information.
Call Recording
As part of our commitment to providing the best possible service to our customers we may monitor and record phone calls for the following purposes:
- For quality control and staff training to help us improve our service and to ensure that the information we provide is consistent and accurate
- To ensure that we have an accurate record of your call
- For other purposes related to the purpose of your call
Recordings will be securely stored. Any personal information you provide as part of the call will be managed in accordance with this privacy statement.
CCTV
Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) capturing both sounds and footage, is used in particular areas to monitor public and traffic movements, secure Council facilities such as the library and i‐Site, monitor public places in order to help reduce crime and anti‐social behaviour, and to promote community safety.
Signage indicates where CCTV equipment is operating. CCTV footage will only be viewed by authorised people in accordance with the purpose noted above or to regularly check the system is operational. No attempt will be made to identify individuals from CCTV footage except in cases of reported or suspected incidents requiring investigation, or in relation to any legal proceedings.
Body‐worn and Vehicle Dash Cameras
Cameras may be worn by our any of our officers (for example: animal control) as a deterrent to anti‐ social behaviour towards them and to provide a clear record of events if an altercation occurs.
Vehicles may contain dash cameras. Our staff may operate the cameras continuously whilst they are on duty in public places. Footage from cameras may be used as part of any reported or suspected investigations, or in relation to any legal proceedings.
Drones
We may use drones to support project work. This includes conducting condition assessments of our buildings, land and infrastructure assets, undertaking surveys of our property and capturing other property work under development. If we fly over private property for the purpose of survey works, we do so only with the relevant landowner’s consent. We do not use any footage of privately owned properties without this consent.
Our use of drones is conducted in accordance with Civil Aviation Authority’s rules and guidance.
Live streaming of Council Meetings and photo / video footage at council events
In the interests of supporting a transparent and accessible decision‐making process, public meetings of Council may be broadcast live online and then made available on our website.
Most of the filming at meetings of Council will cover elected members as they speak and debate at the meeting, and of staff presenting on reports and answering questions. However, the filming may also include shots of the public in the background and of anyone speaking at the meeting (such as in the public forum or at hearings on submissions). The footage will be publicly available and can be accessed from our website.
Other types of public meetings and events organised by council may be livestreamed, but you will be notified of this by signage at the entrance to the venue and/or by other communication prior to the meeting/event.
We may also take photos or video footage at events that we manage for internal or external publications. Signage on display or other communication at an event will let you know if photography or filming will be taking place. If you do not want to be included in any photos or video footage, please talk to one of our staff members present at the event.
How we use your information
The personal information that we collect from you, or someone acting on your behalf, may be used for any of the following purposes:
- To provide you with services or facilities, including those you have requested
- To positively confirm your identity. This is to avoid inappropriate release or use of your information
- To respond to correspondence or to provide you with information that you have requested
- To process your application for any consent, licence, registration, approval, permit or other authorisation for which you have applied
- To process your application to use or to register for any of our services or facilities, including our online services
- To process payments received by or made by council
- To respond to your requests, enquiries or feedback, or for customer care related activities
- To comply with relevant laws and regulations
- To carry out activities connected with the running of our business or operations such as personnel training or testing and maintenance of computer and other systems
- For any specific purpose which we notify you of at the time your personal information is collected
- To carry out surveys to improve our business processes and operations, based upon your feedback
- For general administrative and business purposes.
Sharing your information
We may share your personal information with:
- Any person or organisation we use to provide goods, works, services or facilities to you on our behalf, where your personal information is necessary for the provision of those goods, works, services or facilities
- Our agents, suppliers, contractors, service providers (including website hosting providers) and any other third parties to the extent this is necessary to make our services and facilities available to you, or in connection with any of the purposes set out in this statement. We will only provide such third parties the relevant information required for the provision of the services and facilities, and the third parties are prohibited from using such personal information for any other purpose.
- Our Council Controlled Organisations, in order to assist with the functions and services that they provide
- A third party if we are required to do so under legislation, or in the course of legal proceedings or other investigations. This may include:
- Governmental organisations such as Inland Revenue or Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment; or
- A debt collector agency to recover overdue materials or charges
- Any person we may notify you of at the time we collect your information, and any person to whom you authorise us to disclose your personal information
- Any person, if that information is publicly available. For example, information held on property files or our Rating Information Database, or livestream footage of meetings of Council and its committees and subcommittees
- Elected members and the public when you make a submission or petition to the Council. Submissions may be made available in full (including the submitter’s name and demographic information) on our website or at our main office.
What if you do not want to provide the personal information requested?
If you do not provide us with all of the personal information about you that we request, we may not be able to adequately respond to your correspondence, process any applications you have submitted, provide the services or facilities you have requested, process payments or otherwise progress any requests or enquiries you have submitted.
In some circumstances, failure to provide information when requested may be unlawful, and/or result in legal consequences. These circumstances and the potential consequences will be explained to you when your personal information is collected.
Keeping your information secure and accurate
We are committed to protecting your personal information and take all reasonable steps to ensure it is:
- Protected against loss, damage, misuse and unauthorised access;
- Accurate, up to date, complete, relevant and not misleading
How long we hold personal information
We may retain all personal information that we collect (on both our active systems and our archive systems), for as long as administratively necessary, in accordance with the Council’s Records Retention and Disposal Policy and relevant legislation.
The Public Records Act 2005 requires us to retain “protected records” indefinitely. In some circumstances, your personal information may be included within a protected record, including submissions you make in relation to bylaws, annual or long‐term plans, and district planning instruments.
What are your rights?
You have the right to know what information we hold about you, to request a copy and to request that we correct your information if inaccurate. Your rights of access to and correction of any personal information we hold about you are subject to the procedures set out in the Privacy Act.
- Accessing your information or obtaining a copy of your information: You may request confirmation of whether or not we hold any personal information about you, and you may request access to your personal information that we hold by emailing info@odc.govt.nz . If you request to access your information, we take steps to confirm your identity. Once we have verified your identity, we will provide you with such confirmation and access unless one of the grounds to do so under the Privacy Act applies. Requests for information held about you by Ōpōtiki District Council must be made as an official request for information. Applications are available on our website www.odc.govt.nz
- Updating and correcting your information: You may request that the personal information we hold about you be corrected by contacting us at info@odc.govt.nz . If we agree that your personal information is to be corrected, we will provide you with an amended record of your personal information, if requested.
We will endeavour to respond to your request as quickly as possible and no later than 20 working days after you make your request.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
We reserve the right to amend this privacy statement from time to time by posting an updated privacy statement here on this website. We will collect, use, hold and disclose your personal information in accordance with our most recently updated version of the privacy statement.
Who can you contact for further information?
You can contact us at anytime to ask about our Privacy Statement and privacy practices, to let us know that you are concerned about anything or make a complaint about the way we’ve handled your personal information.
If you have any questions or complaints about the handling of your personal information, please contact:
Ōpōtiki Council Privacy Officer Email: privacy@odc.govt.nz
Postal Address: PO Box 44, Ōpōtiki 3122
If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your complaint, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at www.privacy.org.nz .
