The Privacy Act 2020 (Act) comes into force on 1 December 2020.  This warrant of fitness is designed to help you assess how well placed your franchise is to comply with the Act, and what changes you and your franchisees might need to make.

The Privacy Act 1993 has governed information privacy in New Zealand for 27 years. On 1 December, it will be replaced with the Privacy Act 2020 (Act).  The Act uses the same principle based approach as its predecessor but includes new obligations for agencies and enforcement powers for the Privacy Commissioner, to provide greater protection for personal information in the digital age. The Act controls how “agencies” collect, use, disclose, store and give access to “personal information”. “Personal information” is information about identifiable, living people.

A recent WorkSafe New Zealand sentencing decision highlights the high cost of mismanaging health and safety when having work done.