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 collected while visiting our site/app. Please be assured that in the event that any personal information is sourced we only use this as grouped information so do not try to identify individual visitors.

 

What we don’t collect:

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

 

Why we use your information:

• operate, administer and improve our website/app.

• communicate with you for any purpose relating to the website in connection with the Terms.
• analyse non-identifiable web traffic/app data to improve our services.

• enforce our rights under the Terms.

 

Deleting the NZBS Donor App and your app account:

If you wish to delete the New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) Donor App and your app account, you can do this yourself from your mobile device.

Please note that deleting the app and your app account is not the same as deleting the records we hold. Removing the app from your device stops you accessing your account through the app, but it does not delete the personal and donation information stored on our systems. We are legally required to keep and maintain a record of all donations under the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996 and the Public Records Act 2005. More information about how long we keep your information is set out in the "Donor and Patient Information" section below.

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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:

When you register as a donor or donate blood, we collect information including your:

• name
• address
• contact details
• date of birth
• National Health Index (NHI) number
• blood type.

We collect this information through:

• our website
• the NZBS Donor App
• paper forms
• donation appointments.

Your personal information is used by NZBS to:

• assess your eligibility to give blood
• communicate with you about your blood donation
• market or publicise blood donor recruitment and promote NZBS (including through social media channels). We will seek your specific advice before using your information for these purposes.
• 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. 

This information may include your:

• name
• address
• date of birth
• ethnicity
• gender
• NHI number
• 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.

We will ensure that, whether your personal information is collected from you or from someone else, you are told why it is being collected and how it will be handled and protected. We will also explain the rights and choices you have in relation to that information.

 Why we use your information:

• 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:

New Zealand Blood Service holds the personal information you give us. Sometimes we store personal information in systems or certified security facilities that are not owned by NZBS or are not held on our premises.  Any personal information stored away from NZBS premises is done 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.

We store some of the personal information we collect and generate in countries other than New Zealand. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information remains protected to a standard comparable to the Privacy Act 2020.

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.

We are required by law to provide some information to Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) to enable them to plan and commission health services to New Zealanders.

We may also share patient information with others involved in your care, when requested by them, such as your General Practitioner or your hospital treatment team.

Keeping and deleting your information:
We are sometimes asked to delete all of the personal information we hold about a person. We are not always able to do this. As a blood service, we are legally required to keep and maintain a record of all donations and certain health information for a minimum period under the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996. Some of our records are also public records under the Public Records Act 2005, which means we cannot delete them on request and can only dispose of them in line with approved retention periods and authorities.

This is consistent with the Privacy Act 2020, which allows us to keep personal information where another law requires it. While these records are retained, they remain protected: we keep them secure and use them only for proper, lawful purposes.

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 tried 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 shared 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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