What we collect:

• Personal information voluntarily provided by you such as your name and contact details through our online forms or email requests.
• Some information (e.g. site/app browsing patterns) is automatically retrieved while visiting our site/app. Please be assured that in the event that any personal information is sourced we only use this information in aggregate form so that no effort is made to identify individual visitors.

What we don’t collect:

• We do not collect identifiable information about you if you only browse our website and mobile app.
• We do not collect personal information unless you choose to give it to us.

NZBS uses the information to:

• operate, administer and improve the site/app.
• communicate with you for any purpose relating to the site in connection with the Terms.
• analyse non-identifiable web traffic/app data to improve our services.
• Adhere to all rights and responsibilities as referred in the Terms.

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This website stores cookies on your computer.

• A ‘cookie’ is a record-keeping token that allows NZBS to collect and store information about how you interact with our website
• The data is collected and stored on our internal servers only and is only accessed by authorised staff.
• We recommend that users enable cookies on their browsers in order to improve and customise their browsing experience when they interact with other media from us, including ads on social media and landing pages, but the decision remains in the hands of the individual.
• The management of cookies will be different depending on each user’s PC (please refer to your browser help menu for further information). Turning off cookies will not affect your ability to use this site.

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What we collect:

Blood Donor Information:

NZBS collects your personal information such as your name, address, contact details, date of birth, NHI and blood type, when you register to donate blood and when you donate. We collect this information via forms on our website, on our Donor App, or on hard copy forms. Your personal information is used by NZBS to:

• assess your eligibility to give blood;
• communicate with you about your blood donation;
• communicate with you to market or publicise blood donor recruitment and promote NZBS
• use it for the purpose for which you supplied it or, in exceptional situations, for other reasons permitted under the Privacy Act 2020.

Other Patient Information:

We collect your personal and health information when you receive any treatment or service provided by us, including a donation or blood test. The information we collect will include your name, address, date of birth, ethnicity, gender, NHI and sometimes health information.

If your doctor requests a blood test from a NZBS laboratory or another blood bank laboratory in New Zealand, your personal details will be provided to the laboratory and entered into a national database.

NZBS uses this information to:

• contact you;
• provide a treatment or service to you;
• maintain a history of your test results;
• provide test reports to your doctor
• maintain a record of your blood transfusions.

Security of personal information:

Personal information provided by you will be held by New Zealand Blood Service. Sometimes we store personal information in systems or security facilities that are not owned by NZBS or are not held on our premises.

We store some of the personal information we collect and generate electronically on Microsoft Azure cloud servers located in Australia and we use Microsoft Office 365 for our email and other office productivity applications. We also use external agents to create promotional material on our social media sites, but we will always seek clear consent directly from individuals before we do so.

While this means that some of the personal information we hold may be transferred to, or accessed from, countries other than New Zealand it is done so in accordance with NZ Government directives. These require us to conduct security and privacy assessments on the external service providers to ensure that your privacy rights are always maintained.

Sharing your personal information:

We generally do not share your personal information with others unless this is necessary for the purpose for which you gave us the information. Occasionally the law may require us to disclose it (for instance to investigate a criminal offence), or there may be safety reasons for disclosing it.

For patients, we may also share patient information with others involved in your care, when requested by them, such as your GP or your hospital treatment team.

CCTV security cameras

NZBS has security cameras installed at some of its facilities, which are capable of recording images 24 hours a day. Security camera operation is being carried out in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020. Where possible NZBS has endeavoured to use cameras that are triggered by movement and avoid intrusive camera locations.

We use security cameras to:

• detect and potentially deter unlawful activity in and around our facilities.
• monitor the presence of people in an area, e.g. a donor waiting area.
• allow our staff to verify contractors seeking access out of normal hours e.g. Courier drivers

Where cameras are being used for the purposes of safety and security, images may be recorded and stored securely for a maximum of three months unless required for further investigation.

Identifiable images are not disclosed without the subject’s consent unless required for Police investigations or another purpose covered by an exemption in the Privacy Act.

Individuals may request copies of footage containing images of themselves. In some circumstances, the request may not be granted, e.g. if it compromises the privacy of another individual.

We also record some phone calls for quality and verification purposes:

• Calls to and from our call centre.
• Calls to and from our specialist nursing team that manages medical queries and
  assesses bone donors.

Your rights and choices:

We are happy to provide you with access to any personal information that we hold about you. If it is wrong, please ask us to correct it. If you have any concerns about the privacy of your personal information, or to ask for access or correction, please contact the New Zealand Blood Service Privacy Officer using the details here.

Mail:
The Privacy Officer
New Zealand Blood Service
Private Bag 92071
Victoria Street West
Auckland 1142

Email: privacy.officer@nzblood.co.nz

For more information click here to visit the website of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

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