Privacy Statement

1. This privacy statement outlines the way EECA collects, stores and uses personal information. 

2. Personal information means information about an identifiable living individual and includes details such as their name and contact details. 

3. We also collect information about organisations and entities.   

4. This statement has been developed to comply with the Privacy Act 2020(external link) and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000(external link). These Acts set out how we can collect, use, disclose, store and provide access to personal information. 

5. We also take care to apply the Information Gathering and Public Trust Model Standards(external link) published by the Public  Service Commission. 

Coverage

6. This statement applies to all information gathered by us, our contractors or any third parties engaged by us. 

7. This statement tells you:

    • What personal information we collect. 
    • When we collect personal information. 
    • Your obligation to provide information. 
    • Limits on the use and disclosure of personal information. 
    • How we keep your personal information secure. 
    • How we ensure that personal information is accurate. 
    • How long we will keep your personal information. 
    • You can browse our websites (including social media channels) without providing personal information. 
    • Your rights in relation to the personal information we hold. 
    • Accountability and responsibility. 
    • How you can contact us if you have queries or concerns about our privacy statement.

8. EECA websites, including social media channels, may contain links to third party websites that are not under our control.  EECA does not endorse and is not responsible in any way for any information, content or material that is available on third-party websites, or the privacy practices of any such third party and its website. 

The personal information we collect about you 

9. EECA collects personal information for lawful purposes connected with our functions and services.

When we collect your personal information 

10. We collect information about you when you communicate with us, visit our offices, submit applications for our services, register for an account through one of our online tools or any other online platform, service, application or messaging service that we provide, or you subscribe to. This may include: 

    • Your full name. 
    • Your ethnicity and/or demographic. 
    • Community Services Card status. 
    • Email address. 
    • Full address or region. 
    • Phone numbers. 
    • Financial details (required to process grants). 
    • Electricity installation control point numbers (ICP). 
    • Data you send to us or is sent to us on your behalf (for example, electricity usage data). 
    • Documents you upload or send to us. 
    • Photographs of your premises. 
    • Images you upload or send to us.

11. If you are an employee or job applicant, we may also need to collect additional personal information from you with your consent. This may include: 

    • Educational qualifications. 
    • Your work history, including details of any referees. 
    • Banking, tax and superannuation details. 
    • Details of emergency contact(s) you wish for us to hold. 

12. If you are a contractor, business partner or service provider, you may supply us with personal information about you, your employees, business partners or sub-contractors. 

13. You must not provide us with personal information about another person unless you have clear consent from that person to do so, have explained to them how their information will be used and shared and how they can access it. You should also provide them with details about how they can view this privacy statement.

No obligation to provide information

14. You can browse our websites, digital platforms and social media channels without the need to disclose personal information to us.  However, you may choose to disclose personal information when posting, commenting, engaging or otherwise communicating with us through these websites, digital platforms and social media channels.  Such information may be publicly accessible.  Please do not post or otherwise transmit personal information of a sensitive nature. 

15. You have the right to not consent to the collection of your personal information.  However, if you do not provide us with the personal information requested, we may not be able to fulfil the purpose for which we collect the information, including providing our services. 

How we use and disclose your personal information 

16. EECA collects personal information for the purposes of: 

    • Providing you with services that we offer. 
    • Verifying the installation of EECA-funded measures and equipment. 
    • Improving our digital platforms, public engagement material and strategies and to provide you with a better experience when you use our digital platforms and when we provide you with our services. 
    • Giving you a personalised user experience. 
    • Conducting research and other statistical data analysis associated with our functions. 
    • Compliance with the law. 

17. We may use the personal information we collect from you for the purpose we collected it for, any other use you authorise or where otherwise authorised by law. 

18. We may need to disclose your information to: 

    • Our business and service providers (such as IT providers or Warmer Kiwi Homes affiliated providers). 
    • Trusts and other third-party grant funding organisations who may co-fund Warmer Kiwi Homes initiatives. 
    • Other government bodies for regulatory purposes, policy making or as authorised by law. 
    • Our professional advisers (such as insurers or lawyers). 
    • Quality inspectors and auditors.

19. If you have had a grant from Warmer Kiwi Homes, we may need to disclose the addresses of houses that have received measures and/or equipment installed through the programme:

    • To other government agencies (such as the Ministry of Social Development) to ensure that those agencies are able to provide information about the programme to those who need it. 
    • On www.data.govt.nz which will enable relevant service providers and councils to send information relating to the Warmer Kiwi Homes programmes (and other relevant services) to those addresses. 

How we keep your personal information secure

20. We respect your privacy and keep your information confidential unless we are lawfully required or allowed to disclose it.  

21. We will use reasonable security safeguards to protect information from loss, unauthorised access, use or disclosure. 

How we ensure personal information is accurate

22. We take reasonable efforts to ensure that the personal information we collect, use or disclose is accurate. Whenever you provide information, our records will be updated. 

23. You have the right to ask that we correct any errors or omissions in your personal information.

How long we keep your personal information 

24. EECA will keep your personal information for as long as necessary to achieve the purpose for which we collected it. If your personal information becomes part of EECA’s public records, we’ll keep the information in accordance with our record retention statement.

Browsing websites (including social media) without providing personal information

25. You can access and browse our websites and applications without disclosing personal information. 

26 We do not: 

    • Automatically record personal information. 
    • Link information that is recorded automatically with personal information about specific individuals. 

We automatically record non-personal information 

27. If you visit our website or access any of our online applications, we may record some non-personal information such as: 

    • IP address. 
    • Demographic. 
    • City the site was accessed from. 
    • Search terms. 
    • Pages accessed and links clicked. 
    • Date and times of visits. 
    • The immediate previous site visited. 
    • Operating system (e.g. Windows, Mac, Apple phone or Android). 
    • Web browser used. 
    • Screen resolution of the device used. 

28. We do not try to identify users or their browsing activities unless they choose to give us personal information. 

29. We use third party tools, like Google Analytics, Hotjar, Pendo and Heap to capture and track website and online application activity.  This allows us to analyse how users interact with the site and applications through mouse movement, heatmaps and session replay.  We do this to improve services on the site and to market our services to you. 

30. We may use cookies and other software to collect non-personal information. 

Your rights

31. You have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you.  You can request your information from us under the Privacy Act 2020.  You can also request other information held by us under the Official Information Act 1982. 

32. Please email privacy@eeca.govt.nz to request a copy of your personal information.  We may ask for proof of identity. 

33. We’ll respond to a request for personal information within 20 working days after receipt.  We’ll write and let you know if we need more time to respond.  If we refuse a request, we’ll write to you stating the reasons why and further steps you can take. 

34. If you are an employee, or former employee, you may request information relating to wages and time records as well as holiday and leave records, in accordance with the Employment Relations Act 2000 and Holidays Act 2003 respectively.  Such requests should be sent to PeopleAndCapabilityTeam@eeca.govt.nz.  We may ask for proof of identity. 

35. If you consider that some of the information we hold about you is incorrect, you can ask us to change it.  We’ll assess your request and will either change the relevant information or explain why we think the information should not be changed.  We’ll make a note of your request on our records. 

Accountability and responsibility

36. All staff and managers of EECA, including contractors, suppliers and partners, are responsible for handling personal information with care, respect and within the bounds of the law. 

37. The Privacy Officer is responsible for supporting management and staff to understand and deliver good privacy practice and how to comply with the Privacy Act 2020. 

38. Under the Privacy Act, the Privacy Officer must: 

    • Be familiar with the principles in the Privacy Act 2020. 
    • Work to make sure that EECA complies with the Privacy Act 2020. 
    • Deal with complaints about possible privacy breaches. 
    • Deal with requests for access to personal information, or correction of personal information. 
    • Act as the organisation’s liaison with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Privacy statement queries and concerns

39. If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy statement, please contact: 

Privacy Officer 
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority 
Level 8, 44 The Terrace 
Wellington 6011 

privacy@eeca.govt.nz

40. If you are not satisfied with our response to any concerns you raise, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner: 

Office of the Privacy Commissioner  
PO Box 10 094  
The Terrace  
Wellington 6140