Privacy & Terms

Privacy Policy

Pacific Lawyers Association · pacificlawassociation.co.nz
Last updated: April 2025

This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what your rights are. We have written it in plain English because we believe you deserve to understand it.

1. Who We Are

Pacific Lawyers Association (PLA) is a New Zealand organisation promoting fellowship, mutual support, and legal education for Pacific lawyers and communities. We operate the website at pacificlawassociation.co.nz.

• Organisation: Pacific Lawyers Association
• Email: info@pacificlawassociation.co.nz
• Website: pacificlawassociation.co.nz
• Privacy contact: privacy@pacificlawassociation.co.nz

2. What Information We Collect

2.1 Information you give us

When you join PLA, contact us, or use our website, you may provide:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Law firm or organisation name
• Year of admission to the bar
• Payment information (processed securely by Stripe — see Section 4)
• Any information you include in messages or enquiry forms

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information:

• Your IP address and approximate location (country/city level only)
• Browser type and device type
• Pages you visit and how long you spend on them
• How you arrived at our site (e.g. from a search engine or social media link)

This information is collected via cookies and similar technologies. See Section 5 for details.

2.3 Information we do not collect

We do not store your credit card number, CVV, or full payment details. All payment processing is handled by Stripe, which is certified to the highest level of payment security (PCI-DSS Level 1). We only receive a confirmation that your payment was successful.

3. Why We Collect Your Information

• Membership management: Processing your application, issuing confirmation, managing renewals
• Payment processing: Charging annual membership fees securely via Stripe
• Communications: Sending you membership updates, event invitations, and newsletters (only if you opt in)
• Member directory: Displaying your profile on the member section of our website (with your consent)
• Website improvement: Understanding how people use our site so we can make it better
• Legal compliance: Meeting our obligations under New Zealand law

4. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services to operate our website. Each has its own privacy policy.

Stripe (payment processing)
All membership payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. Stripe is certified PCI-DSS Level 1 — the gold standard for payment security. Your card details go directly to Stripe and are never stored on our servers. Stripe's privacy policy: stripe.com/privacy

Supabase (database)
Your membership information is stored in a secure database hosted by Supabase. Data is stored in encrypted form. Supabase's privacy policy: supabase.com/privacy

Google Analytics (website analytics) — if applicable
We may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. This uses cookies to collect anonymous usage data. No personally identifiable information is shared with Google. You can opt out at: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Email service provider
If you opt in to receive our newsletter or communications, your email address is stored with our email provider. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send you.

5. Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use the following types:

• Essential (required): Required for the website to function. Includes session management and security tokens. Cannot be disabled.
• Functional (optional): Remembers your preferences (e.g. language, logged-in state). Improves your experience.
• Analytics (optional): Helps us understand how visitors use the site. Anonymous data only. You can opt out.
• Marketing: We do not currently use marketing cookies. We will update this policy if this changes.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect how the website functions.

6. How Long We Keep Your Information

• Active member records: kept for the duration of your membership plus 7 years (for accounting and legal compliance)
• Payment records: kept for 7 years as required by the Companies Act and tax law
• Enquiry form submissions: kept for 2 years then deleted
• Website analytics data: kept for 26 months then automatically deleted
• Unsubscribed email addresses: kept on a suppression list to ensure we do not contact you again

If you request deletion of your data, we will delete everything we are not legally required to retain within 30 days.

7. Your Rights Under the Privacy Act 2020

Under New Zealand's Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you
• Request a copy of your information
• Ask us to correct any information that is wrong
• Ask us to delete your information (subject to legal retention requirements)
• Withdraw your consent to marketing communications at any time
• Make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner if you believe we have breached your privacy

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at: privacy@pacificlawassociation.co.nz. We will respond within 20 working days as required by law.

8. How We Protect Your Information

• All data transmitted to and from our website is encrypted using HTTPS/SSL
• Our database is hosted on Supabase with encryption at rest
• Payment data is handled entirely by Stripe and never touches our servers
• Access to member data is restricted to authorised PLA administrators only
• We review our security practices regularly

No system is completely secure. If we become aware of a data breach that affects you, we will notify you and the Privacy Commissioner as required by law.

9. Children's Privacy

Our website and membership is intended for legal professionals and is not directed at anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify current members by email and update the 'Last updated' date at the top of this page. Your continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact and Complaints

• Email: privacy@pacificlawassociation.co.nz
• Website: pacificlawassociation.co.nz/contact
• Privacy Commissioner: privacy.org.nz · 0800 803 909

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