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Privacy Statement

Purpose 

This privacy statement relates to the New Zealand Serious Fraud Office’s website: www.sfo.govt.nz(external link) and the Counter Fraud Centre Portal content. The purpose of the statement is to tell you: 

  • that you can browse our website content without providing personal information 
  • how we use cookies 
  • what personal information we collect, use and disclose in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 (for specific services like reporting a fraud or accessing the Counter Fraud Centre Portal) 
  • how you can contact us if you have queries or concerns about our website privacy statement. 

We don't use, share or disclose personal information collected or received through this website except as set out in this statement. 

This statement is provided for your information and does not limit or exclude your rights under the Privacy Act 2020.  

For more information about how the SFO in general collects, stores and uses information, please see our Transparency Statement.

When do we collect personal information?  

The SFO website only collects personal information provided by users voluntarily when you: 

  • fill in an online form such as when you report a fraud or request information  
  • subscribe to a service (such as news releases) 
  • register to gain access to the Counter Fraud Centre Portal
  • correspond with us. 

We only collect personal information where this is necessary to carry out our functions. 

What is your personal information used for? 

We will generally only use personal information provided to us for the purpose you provided it. We may also use personal information provided to us for other reasons permitted under the Privacy Act 2020 (with your consent, for a directly related purpose, or where the law permits or requires it). 

Do we share the information we collect via this website? 

If you choose to provide personal information when providing information to us via the SFO website, it may be viewable by site administrators, certain SFO staff and contractors (including third parties) providing administration or other services relating to the website. You consent to the release of your personal information to us and third parties in connection with the uses contemplated by this privacy policy.  

We will not give your personal information to other Government agencies, private sector organisations or anyone else, unless one of the following applies: 

  • you have consented
  • it is for the purpose of preventing or mitigating cyber threats
  • it is otherwise required or authorised by the Privacy Act 2020 or any other law (for example, for law enforcement purposes, including the detection, investigation and prosecution of offending, or to prevent or lessen a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety)
  • it will be used in a way that will not identify you (for example, statistical or research purposes). 

Counter Fraud Centre Portal 

Access to the portal is limited to those currently working in a New Zealand government department or agency, or a local government council or authority. Accordingly, the personal information we are requesting to register and gain access to this site is necessary for us to verify the requester’s employment with an eligible entity.  

We will use the personal information provided on the registration form to assess the validity of the request to grant access to the portal and to maintain a database of users of the portal.  

We will use your information to collect the following information about your use of the portal (though please note any external reporting on the use of the material in the portal will be anonymised): 

  • the content accessed and downloaded 
  • the search terms used  
  • number of log ins
  • time spent on page 
  • log ins per domain 

This information will be used to conduct internal statistical analysis and meet our reporting requirements. This information will also be used to review and improve the delivery of our services, including conducting experience surveys. 

By registering on our website to gain access to the portal, you will ensure that all usernames and passwords required to access the portal are kept secure and confidential and you will notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your password or any other breach of security. We may, at our sole discretion, suspend or terminate your access to the portal. 

Rights of access and correction 

Your rights under the Privacy Act  

You have the right to: 

  • find out from us whether we hold personal information about you; 
  • access that information; and, if applicable 
  • request corrections of that information. 

If we have a good reason for refusing a request for correction, you are entitled to request that a statement be attached to the information of the correction that was sought but not made. 

If you want to check personal information that we hold, please use the online request form.  

Privacy Commissioner 

If you are not satisfied with our response to any privacy-related concern you may have, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner: 

Office of the Privacy Commissioner 
P O Box 10-094 
Wellington, New Zealand 

Telephone: 0800 803 909 
www.privacy.org.nz(external link) 

Non-Personal Information  

You can browse our website without providing personal information. 

Non personal data collected may include: 

  • your IP address
  • the search terms you used on this site
  • the pages you accessed on this site and the links you clicked on
  • the date and time you visited this site
  • the referring site (if any) from which you clicked to reach this site
  • the device you used to access this site
  • your operating system (e.g., Windows 10, Mac OS X)
  • the type of web browser you used to access this site (e.g., Internet Explorer, Google Chrome)
  • other things like your screen resolution, the release of your installed Flash version and the language setting of your browser. 

Statistical information and cookies 

Browser or ‘web’ cookies are small text files that are sent by a website and stored on your computer's hard drive to collect information about how you browse the website. 

Cookies are used to: 

  • measure how you use the website so it can be updated and improved based on your needs; and 
  • remember the notifications you have seen so that we do not show them to you again. 

Collecting statistical information using cookies via Google Analytics. 

We may use cookies and other interactive techniques such as web beacons to collect data. This information is aggregated, and it does not identify you personally. The data collected identifies how users interact with our website and is only viewable by website administrators, and partners who help manage the website. 

The analytical tools we use are Google Analytics. Here's Google’s privacy statement(external link).

You can manually disable cookies at any time. Check your browser's 'Help' to find out how (disabling cookies will not affect your ability to use this website). 

Use of statistical information   

The statistical information referred to above will be viewable by Site administrators and certain other SFO staff. It may also be shared with other Government agencies. 

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