New Zealand Pain Society Privacy Policy
The New Zealand Pain Society (NZPS) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Statement explains what personal information NZPS collects, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights regarding your information.
NZPS handles personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and applicable privacy requirements.
1. What information we collect
Depending on your interactions with NZPS, we may collect information such as:
- Your name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Postal or business address
- Membership category and membership status
- Membership commencement and renewal information
- Payment and invoicing information
- Event and webinar registrations
- Information you provide when contacting NZPS
- Information required to administer NZPS activities, committees, SIGs, LEAP, and events.
We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant NZPS purpose.
2. Why we collect your information
NZPS may collect and use personal information to:
- Administer and maintain NZPS membership
- Process membership applications, renewals and payments
- Communicate with members
- Provide access to member resources and services
- Administer conferences, webinars, meetings and other events
- Manage Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and committees
- Provide newsletters, publications and other NZPS communications
- Maintain appropriate financial, governance and administrative records
- Respond to enquiries and requests
- Meet legal or regulatory obligations
Where we collect personal information directly from you, we will aim to explain the purpose for collecting it and how it will be used. This transparency is required by the Privacy Act 2020.
3. What happens if you do not provide information
Some information is necessary for NZPS to provide particular services.
For example, we may not be able to process a membership application, maintain your membership, provide access to member resources or register you for an event if the information required for that purpose is not provided.
Where information is optional, we will make this clear where reasonably practicable.
4. Who may access your information
Access to personal information is limited to people and organisations who reasonably need it for an authorised NZPS purpose.
This may include:
- Authorised NZPS Council members
- The NZPS Secretary and other authorised contractors
- SIG Chairs
- People assisting NZPS with membership or event administration
- Relevant service providers used by NZPS for administration, finance, communications, events or technology
NZPS does not generally make members' personal information available to other members unless there is an appropriate purpose for doing so and the disclosure is permitted.
In particular, NZPS will take reasonable steps to avoid unnecessarily exposing members' email addresses or other personal details through group email communications or online member resources.
5. Online systems and service providers
NZPS uses a range of online systems to administer the Society. These may include:
- Google Workspace, Google Drive and Google Groups
- The NZPS Google Member Hub
- Membership and accounting systems
- Event registration and webinar platforms
- The NZPS website
- Email and communication systems
Information provided to these services may be stored or processed by the relevant service provider, including outside New Zealand.
NZPS takes reasonable steps to select and use services appropriately and to protect personal information held within those systems.
6. Website and online forms
When you submit information through an NZPS website form, membership form, event registration or other online form, NZPS will use the information for the purpose explained at the point of collection and for related NZPS administrative purposes.
Where appropriate, forms will contain a brief Privacy Statement so that people can understand how their information will be handled before submitting it, and where possible a link to the NZPS full Privacy Statement.
7. Information received from other sources
In some circumstances NZPS may receive personal information from someone other than the person the information is about.
Where this occurs, NZPS will take reasonable steps to meet its obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, including the requirements relating to indirect collection of personal information.
The Privacy Act's new Information Privacy Principle 3A came into force on 1 May 2026 and requires organisations to provide information to people when their personal information is collected indirectly, subject to specified exceptions.
8. Sharing information
NZPS will only share personal information where there is an appropriate purpose and the disclosure is permitted by law, authorised by the individual, reasonably necessary for the purpose for which the information was collected, or otherwise permitted or required by law.
NZPS will not sell members' personal information.
9. Keeping information secure
NZPS takes reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, use, disclosure, alteration or destruction.
These measures may include:
- Restricting access according to people's NZPS roles
- Using appropriate account security measures
- Using multi-factor authentication where available
- Reviewing access when roles change
- Limiting information sharing
- Securely storing electronic and physical records.
10. How long we keep information
NZPS will retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, for legitimate governance and administrative purposes, or where retention is required by law.
When information is no longer required, NZPS will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or dispose of it.
11. Your rights
You have rights under the Privacy Act 2020, including the right to:
- Request access to personal information NZPS holds about you
- Request correction of personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete
- Ask questions about how NZPS handles your information.
Requests should be made to the NZPS Privacy Officer/Secretary using the contact details below.
12. Privacy concerns and complaints
If you have a question or concern about how NZPS has handled your personal information, please contact NZPS in the first instance.
We will consider and respond to privacy concerns in accordance with our Privacy & Information Management Policy and applicable privacy requirements.
You also have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you have concerns about the handling of your personal information.
13. Contact NZPS
For privacy questions, requests for access or correction, or privacy concerns, please contact:
NZ Pain Society Secretary / Privacy Officer
Email: secretary@nzps.org.nz
Post: The New Zealand Pain Society
PO Box 1286
Christchurch 8140
14. Changes to this Privacy Statement
NZPS may update this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect changes to legislation, NZPS systems or how NZPS collects and uses personal information.
The current version will be made available through the NZPS website.
New Zealand Pain Society Incorporated
