privacy policy

1. Introduction

We are committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal information when you use our services on https://local.foundation . We comply with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and the 13 Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).

2. What personal information we collect

We collect personal information from you, including:

• name
• contact details (e.g., email address)
• location information (e.g., city, country, IP address)
• computer or network information (e.g., device type, browser)
• usage interactions with the platform
• event participation information
• billing and payment details (processed via Stripe or equivalent)

You may choose to provide additional profile information. This is optional.

3. Why we collect your personal information

We collect and use personal information to:

• create and manage user accounts
• help you connect with other community members
• support event creation, management and attendance
• personalise your experience on the platform
• send relevant platform updates, notifications and onboarding communications
• enable billing and payment for any paid services
• improve the platform using analytics
• comply with legal obligations

We may use your information for marketing communications, only where you have explicitly opted-in, and you may unsubscribe at any time.

4. How we collect your information

We collect personal information directly from you (e.g., sign-up forms, event registrations, profile creation) and automatically through your device when using our platform (e.g., via logs, cookies or minimal analytics). We only collect information in a lawful, fair and non-intrusive manner.

5. How we share your information

We only disclose personal information as permitted under the Privacy Act.

We may share your information with:

• Community organisers and event hosts, but only if you opt-in to sharing your contact details for community-building purposes
• Service providers who support platform hosting, email communications, security and payments
• Payment processors for secure billing transactions (e.g., Stripe)

All third-party providers operate under confidentiality and data-protection obligations consistent with New Zealand law. We do not sell your personal information.

6. International data transfers

Some of our service providers are located outside New Zealand. Personal information may be processed on secure infrastructure located in Europe. Where information is transferred overseas, we take steps to ensure it is subject to comparable safeguards in accordance with the Privacy Act.

7. Storage and security

We take reasonable security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• encryption in transit (HTTPS)
• encrypted and access-controlled storage
• role-based internal access
• user-managed privacy settings
• anonymisation or de-identification for analytics where appropriate

We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purposes outlined or as required by law. It is then securely deleted or anonymised.

8. Cookies and analytics

We only use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for our platform to function as you would reasonably expect. These technologies help with things such as remembering your login session and ensuring the service works securely and smoothly.

We do not use third-party tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or other invasive tracking technologies.

You can manage necessary cookies through your browser settings, but some features may not work properly if they are disabled.

9. Your rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to request access to any personal information we hold about you and to ask for corrections if you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete. To make a request, contact us using the details below. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding. If you have concerns about how we manage personal information, please contact us so we can work with you to resolve the issue. You may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you are not satisfied with our response.

10. Notifiable privacy breaches

If a privacy breach occurs that poses a risk of serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by law.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When updates are made, they will be published on our website with a revised "Effective Date". We encourage you to review the policy periodically.

12. Contact us