PRIVACY POLICY

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Aotearoa New Zealand

Accepted: 22 January 2025

INTRODUCTION

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Aotearoa New Zealand (we/us/our) complies with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 (the Act) when dealing with personal information. Personal information is information about an identifiable living individual.  Archives and photographs of people who have died will be dealt with under an Archives Policy to be developed. 

This policy sets out how we will collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information. This policy does not limit or exclude any of your rights under the Act. If you wish to seek further information on the Act, see www.privacy.org.nz.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

We may change this policy by uploading a revised policy onto the website. The change will apply from the date that we upload the revised policy to the Quakers.nz website.

WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT AND RETAIN

We collect personal information by lawful and fair means, and with your knowledge and consent. 

If you attend a Monthly Meeting or Worship Group and you wish us to hold your contact details, or become a Member of the Religious Society of Friends, we will ask for the following information, which is held securely on the Quakers.nz website and on email distribution lists:

  • Contact information (such as name, address, telephone number/s, email address)

  • Personal details such as spouse / partner (optional)

  • The names and dates of birth of your children under 16 (optional)

  • Quaker attendance details such as your Quaker Meeting for Worship

If you register for Yearly Meeting, Summer Gathering, or other Quaker residential events, a seminar or workshop, or other gathering, we may also ask you for information such as accommodation preferences, dietary needs, whether you would need assistance in evacuating and emergency names and contact details. 

We will take reasonable steps to  let you know if pictures are being taken to make a historical record of the event or to publish in the Aotearoa New Zealand Friends Newsletter or on the website. You can request not to be included in any pictures used and also choose not to participate in any group photos.  

If you use the Quakers.nz website, we use cookies to collect information for web analytics. If you log into the restricted area of the Quakers.nz website you will need to provide a password which we encrypt and store securely.   

If you apply for a grant, we will ask for information for the purpose of the grant application. We retain this information for 7 years for accounting and reporting purposes. 

If we need to pay you, or refund or reimburse you, we will ask for your bank name, account name and account number and this information may be retained in banking records.

Providing some information is optional. If you choose not to provide contact information, we'll be unable to communicate by email or phone, and we will not be able to provide access to the Meetings, Members & Attenders book, or the restricted areas of the Quakers.nz website.

We keep your information safe by storing it securely and only allowing certain authorised people to access it. This includes secure physical and electronic archives. We use either New Zealand or Australian Cloud hosting services that meet suitable standards for security and privacy.

PURPOSES FOR WHICH WE USE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may use personal information collected for the following purposes:

  • To inform you about meetings, events and activities
  • To create lists of Members, Attenders and children
  • To allow authorised and logged-in Quakers to search for contact details that have been made visible.  
  • To create our annual Members and Attenders Statistical Return
  • To communicate with you for Quaker business purposes or issues
  • To fulfil requests for accommodation or event registration
  • To maintain a record of Quaker life in Aotearoa New Zealand
  • To provide pastoral care if requested
  • To connect and communicate with members and attenders
  • To communicate with people in an emergency
  • To receive and process grant applications
  • To process payments and provide receipts
  • To analyse web traffic in order to improve the Quakers.nz website

 

SHARING PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH THIRD PARTIES

When you send us a request (e.g. for accommodation or an event), we may occasionally need to pass your contact information to a third-party in order to fulfil your request.  We will take reasonable steps to let you know in advance if we need to pass on your personal information. 

ACCESSING AND CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Subject to certain grounds for refusal set out in the Act, you have the right to access your readily retrievable personal information that we hold and to request a correction to your personal information. 

Before you exercise this right, we will need evidence to confirm that you are the individual to whom the personal information relates.

In respect of a request for correction, if we think the correction is reasonable and we are reasonably able to change the personal information, we will make the correction.  If we do not make the correction, we will take reasonable steps to note on the personal information that you requested the correction.

If you want to exercise either of the above rights, email us at help@support.quakers.nz.   Your email should provide evidence of who you are and set out the details of your request (e.g. the personal information, or the correction, that you are requesting).

ACCESSING INFORMATION FOR FAMILY OR RESEARCH PURPOSES 

If you are  seeking historic images or information for family or research purposes, you can contact help@support.quakers.nz. You will need to provide information to authenticate your request, and this will be assessed before a decision is made as to whether to release the images or information. 

CONTACTING US

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, our privacy practices, or if you would like to request access to, or correction of your personal information, you can contact us at help@support.quakers.nz.

When contacting us, please provide the following information:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Phone number
  • Local Meeting for Worship or Monthly Meeting

If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact our Privacy Officer at privacy@ym.quakers.nz. 

ORGANISATION LIST

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Aotearoa New Zealand includes the following Charitable organisations and subgroups. Monthly Meetings of the Religious Society of Friends also include Recognised Meetings and Worship Groups (Quaker Meetings for Worship).

  • The Religious Society Of Friends (Quakers) Yearly Meeting Of Aotearoa New Zealand
  • Dunedin Monthly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends (Quakers) Yearly Meeting Of Aotearoa, Te Haahi Tuuhauwiri
  • Mid North Island Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends Te Haahi Tuuhauwiri
  • Northern Monthly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends - Quakers
  • Palmerston North Monthly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends, Quakers
  • Quaker Peace and Service Trust
  • Religious Society of Friends Aotearoa New Zealand Trust Board
  • Religious Society of Friends Christchurch Monthly Meeting Trust/Te Haahi Tuuhauwiri O Otautahi Trust
  • Wellington Monthly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends
  • Whanganui Monthly Meeting Of The Religious Society Of Friends

Whanganui Educational Settlement Trust (WEST) and the Settlement has its own Privacy Policy.  See: https://www.quakersettlement.co.nz/contact-us
Names are as legally recorded in the Charities Register.