Privacy Policy
Last updated: February 26, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains how the New Zealand Poetry Society Te Rōpū Toikupu o Aotearoa (“NZPS”, “we”, “us”, “our”) collects, uses, and protects personal information when you use our website poetrysociety.org.nz and related services (the “Site”).
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 (New Zealand) and other applicable laws.
By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of your information in accordance with this Policy.
1. Who We Are and How to Contact Us
New Zealand Poetry Society Te Rōpū Toikupu o Aotearoa
PO Box 5283
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
Email (general enquiries): info@poetrysociety.org.nz
We are a registered charity in New Zealand (Charities Register number CC20250).
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us using the details above.
2. What Information We Collect
We collect personal information that you choose to provide, as well as some information collected automatically when you use the Site.
2.1 Information you provide directly
Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:
- Membership information:
– Name, postal address, email address, phone number
– Membership type and status (e.g., Basic, Student, Joint, Schools/Libraries)
– Payment and billing details (processed via third-party providers) - Shop and order information:
– Name, delivery address and contact details
– Items purchased (e.g., anthology orders, membership purchases)
– Transaction references and payment confirmation - Competition entries and submissions:
– Name, contact details, and age category (e.g., adult or junior)
– Poems, haiku and related submissions, including information submitted via online forms or platforms for our competitions and anthology - Submissions to publications and Haiku NewZ:
– Name, contact details, biographical notes, and creative work submitted for ‘a fine line’, anthologies or Haiku NewZ. - Newsletter subscriptions and event communications:
– Name and email address when you sign up to receive news, updates, or competition information. - General communications:
– Information you include when you email us, contact us via the Site, or respond to surveys or requests for feedback.
2.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit the Site, we may automatically collect:
- IP address and approximate location
• Device and browser type
• Pages viewed, time and date of visits, and referring URLs
• Information gathered through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 5)
This information is typically aggregated and used for analytics and to improve the Site.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- To manage memberships:
– Creating and maintaining member records
– Providing membership benefits (e.g., access to publications, discounts on competitions, member communications) - To run competitions and publications:
– Processing entries, communicating with entrants, assigning judging codes
– Contacting winners and shortlisted entrants
– Publishing names, poems, and haiku in our anthology and on our Site, in line with competition and submission rules - To process orders and payments:
– Fulfilling shop orders and pre-orders
– Sending receipts and order confirmations
– Managing delivery and addressing issues (e.g., missing or damaged items) - To communicate with you:
– Responding to enquiries
– Sending newsletters, updates, event information, and competition announcements (where you have subscribed or reasonably expect such communications) - To operate and improve our Site and services:
– Monitoring site performance, troubleshooting, and improving content and navigation
– Understanding how visitors use the Site (via analytics and aggregated data) - To meet our legal and governance obligations:
– Keeping records required by New Zealand law
– Cooperating with regulators, auditors, and the Charities Register where necessary
We only use personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, or for related purposes that you would reasonably expect, unless we have your consent or are required or permitted by law to use it otherwise.
4. Legal Basis for Processing (if you are outside New Zealand)
Our Site is based in New Zealand and primarily governed by New Zealand law. If privacy laws in your country require a legal basis (such as under the EU or UK GDPR), we generally rely on:
- Contract – to provide membership, process competition entries, or fulfil orders
• Legitimate interests – to operate and improve our Site, run our charity, and promote poetry in ways that are proportionate and expected
• Consent – for certain email marketing communications or where you explicitly agree to a particular use
• Legal obligations – where we need to keep records or share information due to legal requirements
5. Cookies and Analytics
We may use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Help the Site function properly (e.g., remembering your cart in the shop)
• Improve your experience (e.g., remembering preferences)
• Understand how visitors use the Site (analytics, such as page views and navigation paths)
Cookies do not usually identify you personally, but they may identify your browser or device.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings (e.g., to block or delete them). If you disable certain cookies, some features of the Site may not work correctly.
We may use third-party analytics tools to help us understand overall usage patterns in an aggregated way. These providers may process data outside New Zealand in accordance with their own privacy policies.
6. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share personal information with:
- Service providers and partners:
– Payment processors (for membership fees, shop purchases, and competition entries)
– Website hosting, IT support, email newsletter, and analytics providers
– Submission or competition platforms (where used for managing entries) - Editors, judges, and volunteers:
– Where necessary for judging competitions, editing publications, selecting anthology content, or administering events. - Postal and delivery services:
– To deliver printed anthologies, shop orders. - Regulators and authorities:
– Where required by law, or to protect our legal rights, prevent fraud, or respond to legal processes.
Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we require them to handle it securely and only for the purposes we specify.
Some service providers may be located outside New Zealand. Where information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that your information is subject to appropriate protections consistent with New Zealand privacy law.
7. How We Store and Protect Your Information
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps may include:
- Password protection and access controls for systems and databases
• Limiting access to personal information to people who need it for their role
• Using reputable third-party providers for hosting, payments, and email services
However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security of your information, and you provide it at your own risk.
8. How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably required for the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law. For example:
- Membership and transaction records may be kept for several years for accounting, audit, and charity governance purposes.
• Competition and publication records (including names and published poems) may be retained in anthologies, archives, and historical records.
• Email subscription information is kept until you unsubscribe or we no longer need to send the relevant communications.
When information is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymise it.
9. Your Rights
Under New Zealand privacy law, you generally have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date
If you would like to access or correct your information, please contact us at info@poetrysociety.org.nz with enough detail to identify you and the information you’re concerned about.
We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request and, in rare cases, may withhold information where the law permits us to do so.
If you are in a jurisdiction that provides additional rights (such as deletion/erasure or portability), you can also ask us about these. We will consider such requests in light of our legal obligations and the nature of the information (for example, the need to keep historical records of published works).
You also have the right to unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email or by contacting us.
If you are not satisfied with how we handle your information, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (New Zealand) for guidance or to make a complaint.
10. Children and Young People
We run junior poetry and haiku competitions and may receive personal information (such as names, ages, schools, and contact details) about entrants who are under 18.
Where reasonably practicable:
• We expect entries and purchases for juniors to be made by, or with the consent of, a parent, guardian, or teacher.
• We use this information only to administer competitions, communicate about results, and (where applicable) publish winning or selected poems in our anthology or on our Site in accordance with competition rules.
If you are a parent or guardian and have concerns about a young person’s information, please contact us.
11. Links to Other Websites
The Site may contain links to external websites and resources (for example, partner organisations, publishers, or other poetry-related sites).
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party sites. If you follow a link to another website, that site will have its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review it before providing any personal information.
12. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our practices, or the Site.
When we do, we will post the updated Policy on this page with a new “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically.
Your continued use of the Site after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated Policy.
13. How to Contact Us
If you have any questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact us at:
Email: info@poetrysociety.org.nz
Post: NZ Poetry Society, PO Box 5283, Wellington 6140, New Zealand