Skip to content

If you collect information about people you may get requests to correct that information. Knowing your responsibilities and having a system for managing corrections will improve data quality and ensure your legal responsibilities are fulfilled.

The Privacy act 2020

The Privacy Act 2020 applies to almost every person, business or organisation in New Zealand. It controls how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, stored, and accessed.

The Privacy Act 2020 - Office of the Privacy Commissioner

Under the Act people have a right to ask that information about themselves be corrected. If your organisation doesn’t want to correct the information, it doesn’t usually have to. But people can ask for their views about what the correct information is to be noted. People usually have a right to ask for access to personal information that identifies them.

Organisations can refuse to give access to information, if that would:

  • endanger a person’s safety
  • prevent detection and investigation of criminal offences
  • involve an unwarranted breach of someone else’s privacy.

Guidance

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has guidance on privacy principles.

Your privacy responsibilities - Guidance for organisations from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner

Contact us

If you have any questions or feedback, email datalead@stats.govt.nz.

Content last reviewed: 11 August 2021

Top