This engagement site is owned and operated by Kāpiti Coast District Council, using software supplied by Social Pinpoint, part of Open Point.
This privacy statement explains how Kāpiti Coast District Council collects, uses, stores, protects, and shares personal information collected through this site. It applies to information you provide when you register, complete surveys or forms, make submissions, post comments, use mapping or ideas tools, or otherwise take part in engagement activities on this site.
Open Point provides the software used to operate this site and may access personal information where needed to host, maintain, support, secure, or improve the platform. For more information about how Open Point may handle personal information as the platform provider, please refer to Open Point’s Privacy Policy.
This statement should also be read alongside Kāpiti Coast District Council’s general Privacy Statement.
We collect and use personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.
What personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on how you use this site and which engagement activities you choose to take part in. It may include:
- your name
- your email address
- your username or profile details
- your contact details, if you choose to provide them
- demographic information you choose to provide, such as age range, gender, suburb, postcode, community of interest, or other relevant information
- your responses to surveys, polls, forms, mapping activities, discussion forums, submissions, comments, questions, ideas, votes, or other engagement activities
- any documents, images, or other content you upload
- information about how you use the site, such as pages visited, links clicked, documents downloaded, browser and device information, IP address, cookies, and similar technologies.
You may be able to view some public information on this site without registering. Some engagement activities may require you to register or provide certain details so we can verify participation, manage the engagement process, or contact you about your feedback.
Why we collect this information
We collect personal information through this site to:
- enable you to take part in Council engagement, consultation, and decision-making processes
- receive, analyse, and understand community views, feedback, priorities, and concerns
- prepare reports, summaries, and recommendations for Council staff, elected members, committees, hearings panels, or other decision-makers
- administer consultations, surveys, submissions, events, projects, and other engagement activities
- respond to your enquiries, comments, questions, or requests
- contact you about the engagement activity you participated in
- inform you of consultation outcomes, where appropriate
- tell you about related engagement opportunities, Council projects, events, services, or facilities that may be of interest to you
- improve this site, our engagement methods, and Council services
- meet our legal, public records, audit, transparency, and accountability obligations.
We will not use your personal information for unrelated purposes unless you have authorised us to do so, or unless we are required or permitted by law.
Public comments, submissions, and reporting
Some information you provide through this site may be visible to other site users or the public, depending on the type of engagement activity. For example, comments on public discussion boards, interactive maps, ideas tools, or forums may be displayed publicly.
Formal submissions and feedback may be provided to elected members, Council committees, hearings panels, or other decision-makers. They may also be included in public reports, meeting papers, consultation summaries, or other Council records.
For online consultation forms, submissions may be provided in their entirety to elected members and made available to the public at Council offices and on Council’s website. This may include your name. Contact details will generally not be published for standard online consultation forms.
For submissions on bylaws, annual plans, district or regional plans, or draft or proposed policies, submissions may be made available in full, including the submitter’s name and contact details, unless you ask for your details to be withheld.
If you want your personal details withheld from public release, please tell us when you make your submission or feedback. We will consider your request in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, and any other relevant legal requirements.
Please do not include personal information about yourself or others in public comments unless you are comfortable with that information being seen by others.
Who may access your information
Your information may be accessed by:
- authorised Council staff
- elected members, where relevant to their governance role and responsibilities
- contractors or consultants working for Council on the relevant project, consultation, or engagement activity
- Open Point, as the platform provider, where access is needed to host, maintain, support, secure, moderate, or improve the platform
- other service providers who help Council operate this site, communicate with participants, analyse engagement information, or provide related services
- other people or organisations where you have authorised disclosure, where information is publicly available, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
We may also disclose information where necessary to respond to inappropriate, harmful, unlawful, or unsafe content, or to protect the security and integrity of the site.
Storage, security, and overseas processing
Information collected through this site is stored electronically. Council and its service providers take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, damage, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure.
Because this site is provided using cloud-based technology, your information may be stored, processed, transferred to, or accessed by service providers in New Zealand or overseas. Where this occurs, Council expects its providers to apply appropriate privacy and security safeguards.
Cookies, analytics, and platform tools
This site may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the platform, remember your preferences, understand how people use the site, monitor performance, improve services, support security, and prevent spam or misuse.
This may include analytics, mapping, authentication, email notification, security, moderation, error monitoring, or similar platform tools provided by Social Pinpoint/Open Point or its service providers.
You can usually change your browser settings to refuse or delete cookies. Some parts of the site may not work properly if cookies are disabled.
How long we keep information
Council keeps information collected through this site for as long as it is needed for the purposes it was collected, including consultation, decision-making, reporting, legal, accountability, audit, and public records purposes.
Council retains personal information in accordance with its information retention and disposal policies and relevant legislation, including the Public Records Act 2005. Some information, including some submissions, may form part of Council records that must be retained.
What happens if you do not provide information
You do not have to take part in engagement activities on this site. However, if you choose not to provide information requested for a particular activity, we may not be able to accept your submission, respond to your enquiry, contact you about your feedback, verify participation, or include your feedback in the relevant process.
Accessing or correcting your information
You have the right to ask whether Council holds personal information about you, and to request access to or correction of that information.
To request access to or correction of your personal information, or to raise a privacy concern, please contact:
Kāpiti Coast District Council
Private Bag 60601
Paraparaumu 5254
New Zealand
Email: legal@kapiticoast.govt.nz
Phone: 04 296 4700
Toll free: 0800 486 486
We may need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information. In some cases, we may refuse access or correction where the Privacy Act 2020 allows us to do so. If this happens, we will explain why.
Questions or complaints
If you have a question or concern about how Council has handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can respond or investigate.
You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for more information about privacy rights in New Zealand.
