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PRIVACY POLICY

Your privacy is important to us

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1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy The Silent Hum Charitable Trust (“we”, “us”) is dedicated to protecting the privacy of our community. We value the trust of our donors, supporters, volunteers, and the people we serve. This policy outlines how we collect, manage, and use personal information in compliance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

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2. The Information We Collect We only collect information that is necessary for our work. This may include:

  • For Donors and Supporters: Your name, contact details, donation history, and payment information. Credit card details are processed directly by our secure third-party payment provider and are not stored by us.

  • For Volunteers: Your name, contact details, emergency contact person, skills, and any information needed for safety checks, such as police vetting.

  • For Beneficiaries / Service Users: Your name, contact details, and any sensitive information related to your personal circumstances that is necessary for us to provide you with support. We handle this information with the highest level of confidentiality.

  • For Website Visitors: We may collect your IP address and browser type, as well as any personal information you voluntarily provide through online forms.
     

3. How and Why We Use Your Information We collect your information directly from you whenever possible. We use this information for purposes directly connected to our charitable mission, including:

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  • To process donations and issue tax receipts.

  • To communicate with you about our work, including newsletters and updates.

  • To manage our relationship with volunteers.

  • To deliver our charitable services safely and effectively.

  • To comply with our legal obligations.
     

4. Sharing and Disclosure The Silent Hum Charitable Trust will not rent, sell, or exchange your personal information with other organisations. We will only disclose your information in limited circumstances, such as:
 

  • To trusted third-party service providers who help us operate (e.g., payment processors or database managers). They are contractually bound to protect your information.

  • When you have given us your express consent.

  • When we are required to by law or a court order.

  • If we believe it is necessary to prevent a serious threat to health or safety.
     

Some of our service providers may be based overseas. We take reasonable steps to ensure they are subject to privacy laws comparable to those in New Zealand.

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5. Data Security and Retention We take our responsibility to protect your information seriously. We use reasonable safeguards like password-protected systems, data encryption, and secure physical storage to protect your data from misuse or unauthorised access. We only keep your information for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law (for example, financial records must be kept for at least seven years).
 

6. Your Rights: Access and Correction You have the right to:

  • Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

  • Request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or out of date.

  • To exercise these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer.
     

7. Website Privacy
 

  • Cookies: Our website may use "cookies" to improve your user experience. These files do not collect personally identifiable information. You can manage cookies through your browser settings.

  • Analytics: We use services like Google Analytics to collect anonymous data about website traffic to help us improve our site.

  • Third-Party Links: Our website may link to external sites. This policy does not apply to those sites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.
     

8. Contact Us For any questions about this policy or to exercise your privacy rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to make a complaint to the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner (www.privacy.org.nz)

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