Privacy Policy
Introduction
The Accounts Department Limited (in this document referred to as ‘TAD’, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’) is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information we collect from you and handling your personal information in a responsible manner. The Privacy Act 1993 (Privacy Act) governs the way in which we must manage your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and disclose your personal information, how you can access and seek correction of the information we hold about you and how we otherwise manage your personal information. This Privacy Policy also explains how you can make a complaint about a breach of the Privacy Act or Information Privacy Principles.
This Privacy Policy should be read in conjunction with the TAD website Terms and Conditions, the TAD Terms of Engagement, and any other terms and conditions displayed on the website or relating to any of our services. We do not make any representations about third-party websites that may be linked to the website.
Your Choices
You have a choice regarding your use of TAD’s website. In general, you are not required to provide personal information when you visit our website. However, if you apply to receive information about our services, events and industry updates or wish to apply for a job, we may require you to provide certain personal information. You do have the right to remain anonymous or use a pseudonym, but this may restrict the provision of our services.
Types of Information Collected
We collect and hold personal information about you, that is information that can identify you and is necessary and relevant to providing you with the professional services that you are seeking. The kinds of information we typically collect include your name, address, date of birth, gender, job titles and any other information that may be relevant to the provision of accounting services, such as bank account details, credit card details, shareholdings, details of investments and tax file numbers. It may occasionally be necessary to collect sensitive information about you, for example, your professional memberships, criminal record, or health information. Except as otherwise permitted by law, we only collect, use, and disclose sensitive information about you if you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of the information and if the information is reasonably necessary for the performance of our functions and activities.
How We Collect Personal Information
Wherever practicable, we will only collect information from you personally, for example when we deal with you in person or over the phone, when you send us details via correspondence or when you subscribe electronically to our publications. Sometimes it may be necessary to collect your personal information from a third-party. An example of this could be when we collect personal information about you from your authorised or personal representative or from a publicly available record. We may also collect information about you from your use of our websites or through any registration process on our website. If you provide us with someone else’s personal information, you should only do so when you have their permission. You should also take reasonable steps to inform that person of the matters set out in this Privacy Policy. There may, however, be some instances where personal information about you will be collected indirectly because it is unreasonable or impractical to collect personal information directly from you. We will usually notify you about these instances in advance, or where that is not possible, as soon as reasonably practicable after the information has been collected.
Purpose & Disclosure
The personal information we collect and hold about you, depends on your interaction with us. Generally, we collect, use, and hold your personal information for several purposes, including:
to provide professional services to you or someone else you know.
to process transactions.
to provide accounting services and solutions through technology.
to provide you with information and marketing material about other services that we offer that may be of interest to you.
to respond to requests.
to maintain contact with you.
to provide you with information relevant to your type of business or other area of expertise or interest.
to keep you informed of our services and industry developments.
to provide you with the opportunity to meet other people and attend seminars, conferences, or other events in your type of business, or other area of expertise or interest.
to facilitate our internal business operations, including the fulfilment of any legal or regulatory requirements.
for administrative purposes.
for recruitment purposes.
to analyse our services and client needs with a view to improving those services.
for engagement of service providers, contractors or suppliers relating to the operation of our business; and
for other purposes related to the performance of our business functions and activities as Accountants and Tax Agents
Generally, personal information submitted through the website is used and disclosed for:
the purpose for which it is submitted (primary purpose).
any secondary purpose related to the provision of our services.
purposes where it can be reasonably inferred from the circumstances that you consent to your personal information being used (implied consent). For example, if you provide us with your personal information to subscribe to our newsletters, your consent will be implied for us to use and disclose your information to inform you of products and services that we believe may interest you. However, your implied consent for us to do this can be withdrawn at any time by telling us; and
any purpose disclosed in this revised Privacy Policy, the Terms, on the website or at the time of collection.
If you do not want to receive marketing material from us, you can contact us as detailed at the end of this Privacy Policy (see ‘How to contact us’). You will also have the option to ‘unsubscribe’ to any electronically generated communication.
Failure to Provide Information
If the personal information you provide to us is incomplete or inaccurate, we may be unable to provide you, or someone else you know, with the services you, or they, are seeking.
Anti-Money Laundering & Countering Financing of Terrorism Act & Amendments 2017
Following the Phase 2 sector legislation that came into effect on 1 October 2018, we may be required to undertake client due diligence to comply with our obligations under the revised Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act & Amendments 2017. You can find out more about the Act here (link: https://www.dia.govt.nz/AML-CFT-Information-for-Businesses#IDE)
Under Phase 2 of “the Act”, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) will supervise designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs) – including lawyers, conveyancers, accountants, real estate agents, and trust and company service providers – who carry out, in the ordinary course of business, activities defined in the Act.
The information we may require (if any) will depend on the type of work we’re delivering and your type of entity. If required, we will need this information before we perform any work.
The next time we receive instructions from you, or if there is a material change in your work, we will let you know if we need to carry out due diligence and, if so, what information we need. This may include:
Forms of identification (for example, your passport or driver’s licence)
Proof of your address (for example a recent utility bill or rates invoice)
Your occupation and where you do business
Whether you reside in a high-risk jurisdiction
Whether you are a politically exposed person (PEP)
We may need further information depending on your specific services. For example, for trusts, we may require information about trustees and beneficiaries. For companies, we may need information about directors and shareholders. We may also need to verify the source of funds for certain transactions.
Security
We store your personal information in different ways, including in paper and electronic format. The security of your personal information is important to us. We take reasonable measures to ensure that your personal information is stored safely to protect it from misuse, loss, interference, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include electronic and physical security measures, such as:
securing our premises.
placing passwords and varying access levels on databases to limit access and protect electronic information.
the use of firewalls, encryption, passwords, and digital certificates.
providing locked cabinets and rooms for the storage of physical records; and
requiring our staff to undertake privacy and data protection training.
Our Website
If you access our website, we may collect additional information about you in the form of your IP address or domain name. Our website uses ‘Cookies’. Cookies are small text files placed on your computer when you first visit the site and are used on some parts of our website. Most browsers now recognise when a cookie is offered and permit you to refuse or accept it. We sometimes use cookies to analyse statistical data such as the date and time that you accessed the site and the internet address of the site that linked you to our site. We do not and are not able to use cookies to gain personal information.
Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of linked websites and any linked websites are not subject to our privacy policies and procedures. These third-party websites are not under our control, and we do not accept any responsibility for the conduct or operation of third-party websites. Before disclosing information on any other website, you should examine the terms and conditions and privacy policy of that website.
Access and Correction
You can request access to your personal information we hold about you by making a request to us in writing. We will endeavour to respond to your request within a reasonable period. We may charge you a reasonable fee for processing your request (but not for making a request for access).
If we decline a request for access to personal information, we will provide you with a written notice that sets out the reasons for the refusal (unless it would be unreasonable to provide those reasons) and the mechanisms available to you to make a complaint. If, upon receiving access to your personal information, or at any other time, you believe the personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date, please notify us immediately in writing. We take reasonable steps to correct the information so that it is accurate, complete, and up to date. For this purpose, our staff may ask you to confirm that your contact details are correct when you attend an appointment or interact with us at any other time.
Complaints and Feedback
If you have a complaint about a breach of the Privacy Act that applies to us, we ask that you contact us in writing using the details set out below (see ‘How to contact us’). Upon receipt of a written complaint, we will take all reasonable steps to investigate the complaint and respond to you in accordance with our complaints handling procedures. If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may complain directly to the Privacy Commissioner.
How to Contact Us
If you would like to contact us for any reason relating to your personal information, if you have a query in relation to our Privacy Collection Statement or Revised Privacy Policy, or you would like to make a complain about TAD’s handling of your personal information, please contact us as follows:
Privacy & Compliance
ATTN: The Director
The Accounts Department Limited
PO Box 179
Silverdale 0944
T : 09 426 6874
E : admin@theaccountsdepartment.co.nz
More Information
For more information about privacy in general, you can visit the Privacy Commissioner’s website at www.privacy.org.nz