Privacy Policy

Groups Directory - Terms and Conditions of Use of Website

The website at http://groups.org.nz ("Groups Directory") is owned by the New Plymouth District Council, Stratford District Council and South Taranaki District Council (together referred to as the "Councils", "we", "us" or "our"). Any use of this website by you ("you", "your" or "user") is governed by these terms and conditions. By accessing, browsing, posting content to this website or registering on this website, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions of use.

Copyright

This website is owned by the Councils and is subject to copyright. Website visitors may access, view, reproduce, store and use the content of this website provided you only use that content for personal, informational and non-commercial purposes.

Except as stated in the above paragraph, no portion of the content of the website, including text, graphics, photos and the Council logo, may be copied or used without the written permission of the Councils (and the relevant owner, if applicable).

Disclaimer

The information provided on this website is for general information purposes only. Use of information and material contained on this website is at your own risk.

Although the Councils have made reasonable efforts to provide complete and accurate information on this website, we accept no responsibility or liability for the public's subsequent use or misuse of the information provided.

The Councils do not guarantee that:

Website visitors will have uninterrupted or error-free access to, and use of, the website.
The website or any files available for downloading will be error-free or free from viruses, faults or defects
The content of the website is accurate, complete, or suitable for a particular purpose. Website visitors must rely on their own judgment in relation to any matter of that type.

Content and Links

The content of this website may include information, posts or commentary provided by users or other third parties. We are not responsible for the content provided by users or third parties, and we are under no obligation to monitor or remove any third-party content or user comments. Inclusion of information on this website is not an endorsement of any organisation, product or service.

This website may also contain links to third party websites. The Councils are not affiliated with any person whose goods or services are linked to or from the website or any linked site. These websites have not been prepared by us and are not controlled by us. The Councils do not endorse any content, viewpoints, products, or services linked from this website, and shall not be held liable for any losses caused by reliance on the accuracy, reliability or timeliness of such information.

Posting Information on the website

In registering on this website and/or using the features on this website allowing you to post content to the website,) you agree to only use the website to post material and information that properly relate to your particular Group. You will use your best endeavours to post accurate, true and up-to-date information on the website and keep the information and content you post updated. You agree that when posting information on the website you will not:

abuse, threaten, harass, stalk, defame or otherwise violate the legal rights of other users of the website;
publish, post, distribute or disseminate any defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, or unlawful material or information;
upload files that contain information or software protected by intellectual property laws unless owned or controlled by you or used with consent of the owner;
upload files that contain viruses, corrupted files, or any other software or programmes that may cause damage to computers of other users of the website;
do anything which alters the website, or interferes with or affects its working. or
conduct or forward surveys, contests or chain letters.

We, at our sole discretion and without notice, reserve the right to remove any content from the website and to deny any user access to this website or any portion of it.

You agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend us and our affiliates, officers, and employees from any loss, liability, claim, demand, damage, or expenses asserted by any third party due to or arising from or in connection with your conduct on this website, or from any content or messages posted or transmitted by you on or through this website.

Rights to content posted on the website

In addition to posting information to the website, you may be able to provide or contribute other materials (for example, logos and photos) to this website ("User Content"). By uploading User Content to the website, you agree that you are making that User Content available to the general public and any user of the website can use that User Content in any manner free of any obligation to you. You agree to grant us the right to copy, distribute, modify, licence and exploit any User Content in perpetuity by any means and media, without payment or other consideration to you or any other person. By posting or uploading any User Content to this website, you automatically and irrevocably:

waive all moral rights in the User Content that may be available to you in any part of the world and grant us a perpetual, royalty-free worldwide licence to any and all rights in the User Content, including without limitation, all copyright, with the right to sublicence; and
warrant that: (1) you are the owner of the User Content and entitled to enter into these Terms and Conditions; (2) you have obtained all necessary permissions and licences for any third-party materials necessary for us to exploit the rights granted to us in the User Content; and (3) no User Content will be subject to any obligation, of confidence or otherwise, to you or any other person.

IP address

An IP address is a number that's automatically assigned to your computer whenever you're surfing the world wide web. Web servers automatically identify your computer by its IP address. We collect IP addresses for the purposes of system administration, to report aggregate information to our internal customers and to audit the use of our site. When visitors request pages from the Councils, our servers log the visitors' IP addresses. We do not normally link IP addresses to anything personally identifiable, which means that a user's session will be logged, but the user remains anonymous to us.

Warranties and Liability

To the extent permitted by law:

all warranties, representations and guarantees (whether express, implied or statutory) are excluded, including without limit, suitability, fitness for purpose, accuracy or completeness of this website or the content on or accessed through it; and
we will not be liable for any damage, loss or expenses, or indirect losses or consequential damages of any kind, suffered or incurred by you in connection with your access to or use of this website or the content on or accessed through it.

Policy changes

Due to the changing nature of the world wide web, this policy may be changed at any time at the Council’s discretion without notice. You should check and read these terms of use regularly. By continuing to use this website after any such change, you are deemed to have agreed to the amended terms and conditions.

Security of Information

Unfortunately, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as totally secure. Whilst we strive to protect such information, we do not warrant and cannot ensure the security of any information which you transmit to us. Accordingly, any information which you transmit to us is transmitted at your own risk. Nevertheless, once we receive your transmission, we will take reasonable steps to preserve the security of such information.

Jurisdiction and Governing Law

These terms and conditions and any disputes connected with this website will be governed by New Zealand laws and you agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of New Zealand courts.

Privacy statement

The Councils respect and protect the privacy of our website users. This privacy statement governs the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by us and forms part of the Website Terms and Conditions.

Your consent

If you do not want your personal information to be collected, please do not use the website and/or register or submit personal information to us. Please note that if you elect not to provide certain information to us, we may not be able to provide you with the information you require.

What information do we collect?

When you use the website, register to use the website and/or post information, materials or other content to the website, we may request and collect personal information about you (such as your name, e-mail address, mailing address or phone number).

What do we use your information for?

We will only use and disclose your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected (or otherwise as required or authorised by law). This may include using your personal information for the following purposes:

to provide you with the website, other related services and to personalise your experience;
for our administrative purposes and for internal record keeping;
to improve our website;
to undertake customer service activities such as responding to any queries, comments or complaints you may have;
to send periodic emails. The email address you provide may be used to send you information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions;
to comply with relevant laws and regulations; and
for any other specific purpose which we notify you at the time your personal information is collected.

Who do we disclose information to?

For the purposes we have described above, we may disclose your personal information:

to employees at the Councils and the Councils' representatives and agents who will perform the administrative and other tasks outlined above;
where you have consented to the disclosure;
to our professional advisers or as otherwise required for our business purposes;
to our suppliers who assist us in operating our Website, conducting our business, or providing services to you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential; or
as otherwise required or authorised by law.

You acknowledge that any information, materials or User Content you post to the website immediately enters the public domain and we cannot control the use of any information, material or content once it is made public.

How do we protect your information?

We comply with our obligations under the Privacy Act 1993 in relation to the security of your personal information that is held by us. We remind you, however, that if you send information to us, the internet is not a secure environment and we cannot warrant or guarantee the security of information you send to us while it is being transmitted.

We will only keep your information as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected. You may, at any time, sign in to correct the information we hold about you or disable your account.

Contacting Us

All enquiries about or formal requests for information in terms of the, or the Privacy Act 1993 should be in writing to one of the following:

New Plymouth District Council
Private Bag 2025
New Plymouth, 4342

Stratford District Council
PO Box 320
Stratford, 4352

South Taranaki District Council
Private Bag 902
Hawera, 4640

For more detailed information about the Privacy Act you can refer to the Privacy Commissioner's Guide to the Privacy Act 1993.

If you are concerned that the Councils may have breached the Privacy Act or if you are not sure of our obligations, you can contact the Privacy Commissioner. Privacy Hotline: 0800 803 909.

Privacy Commission website