Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

FHINZ ("we", "us", "our") operates the website at fhinz.co.nz, an independent comparison and information service about online gambling for New Zealand readers. We are the agency responsible for the personal information collected through this site. You can reach our privacy contact at [email protected].

2. What personal information we collect

We aim to collect only what we need (IPP 1). Depending on how you use the site, that may include:

• Information you give us directly — for example your name, email address and message when you use our contact form or email us, including any details you choose to share when reporting an operator.
• Technical and usage information collected automatically — such as your IP address, approximate location, device and browser type, pages viewed, referring site, and how you interact with our pages. This is gathered through cookies and analytics (see our cookie policy).
• Affiliate click data — when you click an operator link, tracking parameters and cookies may record that the click came from FHINZ, so the operator can attribute a referral to us.

We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18, and this site is not directed at minors. We do not collect gambling account details, deposits or winnings — those are held by the operators, not by us.

3. How and why we use your information (lawful basis)

We collect and use personal information for lawful purposes connected with running FHINZ (IPPs 1–4), including to:

• respond to your enquiries, corrections and operator reports;
• operate, secure, maintain and improve the website;
• understand how our content performs through aggregated analytics;
• attribute affiliate referrals so we are paid correctly;
• comply with our legal obligations and protect our legal rights.

We collect personal information directly from you where practicable (IPP 2) and tell you why at the point of collection (IPP 3). We use it only for the purposes above or a directly related purpose, unless you consent otherwise or the law permits it (IPP 10).

4. Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, to remember your preferences, to measure traffic through analytics tools, and to support affiliate tracking. Analytics data is used in aggregate to understand overall usage. You can control cookies through your browser and our consent controls — full detail is in our cookie policy.

5. Disclosure of your information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it only where necessary and consistent with IPP 11, including with:

• trusted service providers who host our site, deliver email or provide analytics on our behalf, under confidentiality obligations;
• affiliate partners, but only in the form of anonymised or aggregated click/referral data — not your contact details;
• authorities where we are required to by law, or to protect our rights, safety or property.

6. Sending information overseas

Some of our service providers (for example analytics or email hosting) may store or process data on servers outside New Zealand. Where we transfer personal information overseas we take reasonable steps to ensure it is protected by comparable safeguards, consistent with IPP 12 of the Privacy Act 2020.

7. Keeping your information secure

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access, disclosure or modification (IPP 5), including HTTPS encryption and access controls. No online service can be completely secure, but we work to protect the limited information we hold.

8. Data retention

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law (IPP 9). Contact-form and email correspondence is retained while we handle your enquiry and for a reasonable period afterwards for record-keeping, then deleted. Aggregated analytics data is retained in line with our analytics provider's settings.

9. Your rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you (IPP 6);
• Request correction of information that is wrong, out of date, incomplete or misleading (IPP 7);
• Ask how we handle your information and object to certain uses;
• Withdraw consent to non-essential cookies at any time via your browser or our cookie controls.

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will respond as soon as reasonably practicable, and within the timeframe required by the Privacy Act. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. Data quality

We take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold is accurate, up to date and complete before we use it (IPP 8). Please let us know if your details change.

11. Complaints and the Privacy Commissioner

If you have a privacy concern, please contact us first at [email protected] so we can try to resolve it. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (Te Mana Mātāpono Matatapu) in New Zealand — visit privacy.org.nz or call 0800 803 909.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes take effect when posted here, and the "last updated" date will show the latest revision. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact us

For any privacy question or request, email [email protected] or use our contact page. See also our cookie policy and terms and conditions.