Introduction
In March 2022, then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a national COVID-19 Response Recognition Award (referred to as the award) to recognise people who contributed to New Zealand’s COVID-19 response.
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand is tasked with co-ordinating the award across the New Zealand health workforce.
This privacy statement explains how we collect, use, store and share your personal information for the purposes of co-ordinating the award across the health workforce.
We may update this privacy statement from time to time. Please check this privacy statement regularly for modifications and updates. This privacy statement was last updated on 26 January 2023.
What personal information we collect
We may collect the following personal information from you:
- Your full name
- Email and postal addresses
- The name of the organisation you worked for as part of the COVID-19 response
- The workforce your organisation was part of during the COVID-19 response
- The dates you started and ceased working in the COVID-19 response for the organisation
- Whether you are currently living in New Zealand
You have a choice whether to provide us with this personal information. If you choose not to give it to us, you may not be able to submit your registration for an award and we may not be able to assess your eligibility and provide you with an award.
This information is held by Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand.
How we will use your personal information
We may use the personal information for the following purposes:
- Identify nominees for the award
- Verify an individual’s eligibility for the Award
- Communicate with you about the award (including to confirm whether or not you are eligible for the award)
- Distribute the Award to eligible individuals
We will not use your personal information for any other purpose, unless required or allowed by law.
Sharing your personal information
We may share your information with the organisation you worked for during the COVID-19 response to verify your eligibility for the award.
If you are eligible for an award, we may share your full name, postal address, and email address with a third-party supplier for the purpose of creating personalised certificates and distributing the award to you.
How long we hold your information
We only keep your personal information for as long as required for the purposes outlined above and in accordance with the law.
Storing your information securely
We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is protected against loss, unauthorised access, use, modification, disclosure, or other misuse.
Only authorised Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and Ministry of Health staff will have access to the personal information.
Access and Correction to Personal Information
You have the right to access any information we hold about you and ask us to correct it if you think it is wrong.
To access any personal information held by us, or if you wish to correct your information, please email C19RecognitionAwards@health.govt.nz .
When making a request to access or change your information, please include:
- your name
- contact address (email or postal)
- contact phone number
- details of the information you want or want to correct - this needs to be as clear and specific as you can make it. We may ask you for more details.
Please note that before we can provide you with your information or make any changes we need to be satisfied about your identity. To do so, we may need to ask you further questions or to view identification which establishes your identity.
Privacy queries or concerns
If you have any queries or concerns about how your personal information has been managed, please contact us to see if we can resolve the problem. You can-
- your name
- Email us at hnzprivacy@health.govt.nz
- Write to us at Privacy Officer - Te Whatu Ora, PO Box 793, Wellington 6140, New Zealand
You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. For more information see the Office of the Privacy Commissioner website
