Privacy Statement – Whenuapai School

Our commitment to privacy

At Whenuapai School, our values guide everything we do. We are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment where the personal information entrusted to us by our community (students, whānau, staff, alumni, and visitors) is treated with care, respect, and in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 (including the Information Privacy Principles).

We collect, use, and store personal information to support learning, wellbeing, safety, and the effective operation of our school. We recognise that maintaining trust and confidence is essential to our community, and we take this responsibility seriously.

What is this privacy statement?

This privacy statement explains:

What personal information Whenuapai School collects
Why we collect it and how we use it
How we collect it (including indirect collection)
Who we may share it with
How individuals can access or correct their information

In summary:

We only collect personal information necessary for lawful school purposes and as required by legislation (including the Education and Training Act and Privacy Act 2020).
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.
We use personal information only for legitimate school-related purposes.
We share information only when necessary, including where there are concerns for safety or wellbeing.
Individuals have the right to access and request correction of their personal information.
Parents and guardians may generally request information about their children, with the student’s best interests as the guiding principle.
This statement may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation or school practice.

Consent

Where consent is required to collect, use, or share personal information, this is usually sought from a parent or legal guardian on behalf of the student.

However, in some circumstances consent may be sought directly from a student, particularly where the student is older, or where the information is sensitive and the student has a reasonable expectation of privacy.

What personal information we collect

Whenuapai School may collect personal information in the following ways:

Directly from individuals (e.g. enrolment forms, consent forms, medical forms)
From third parties (e.g. previous schools, health professionals, specialists, government agencies)
Through normal school operations (e.g. classroom learning, attendance records, wellbeing support, digital platforms)

The information we may collect includes:

Personal details (name, address, contact details, date of birth, gender, ethnicity)
Academic records and learning progress
Health and medical information
Behavioural and wellbeing information, including relevant family circumstances
Attendance and enrolment records
Emergency contact and whānau information
Images, audio, video, and other media from school activities
CCTV footage for safety and security purposes (excluding private areas such as toilets and changing rooms)
Information generated through use of school IT systems and digital platforms

Indirect collection of personal information (IPP3A)

In some cases, Whenuapai School collects personal information about individuals from sources other than the individual themselves (for example, other schools, government agencies, health providers, or whānau).

Where we do this, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the individual (or their parent/guardian where appropriate) is informed as required by the Privacy Act 2020 (Information Privacy Principle 3A).

This notification will include:

That the information has been collected
The purpose of the collection
The intended recipients or types of recipients of the information
Whenuapai School’s contact details
Any legal authority for the collection (if applicable)
The individual’s rights to access and request correction of their information

We will provide this notification as soon as reasonably practicable after the information is collected, unless an exception under the Privacy Act applies (for example, where notification would pose a serious risk to safety or wellbeing, or where another lawful exception applies).

How we use personal information

Whenuapai School uses personal information to:

Deliver high-quality teaching and learning programmes
Support student wellbeing, safety, and pastoral care
Communicate with parents, guardians, and whānau
Manage school operations and administration
Ensure the safety of students, staff, volunteers, contractors, and visitors
Meet legal and regulatory obligations, including Ministry of Education requirements
Plan and run school activities, events, and trips
Conduct appropriate school communications and community engagement

Sensitive information (such as health or wellbeing information) is only used for the purpose of supporting student safety and wellbeing unless otherwise required or permitted by law.

When we share personal information

We only share personal information when necessary and always with care, ensuring only the minimum information required is disclosed.

Supporting education

We may share information with:

Parents, guardians, and whānau
Staff and authorised volunteers
Other schools (including for transitions or exchanges)
The Ministry of Education
Approved external education or wellbeing providers

Supporting safety and wellbeing

We may share information where necessary to protect safety or wellbeing.

This may include sharing with:

Parents, guardians, or whānau
Health services or professionals
Police
Oranga Tamariki
Other relevant government agencies

School promotion and communication

We may use student work, achievements, images, or video to celebrate success and promote the school.

This may appear in:

School newsletters and publications
The school website
Approved social media channels
Promotional materials and reports

Families may opt out of promotional use of identifiable material where appropriate.

Storage and protection of personal information

Whenuapai School stores personal information securely in both digital and physical formats.

We may use trusted third-party service providers, including cloud-based systems, some of which may store data overseas.

We retain information only for as long as it is required for lawful school purposes and in accordance with Ministry of Education guidelines. Information is then securely deleted or de-identified.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, or disclosure, including restricting access to authorised personnel only.

Accessing and correcting information

Individuals have the right to request access to, or correction of, their personal information.

Requests can be made to the school office:

Email: office@whenuapai.school.nz
Phone: 09 416 8779

We will respond within 20 working days where possible. In some circumstances, access may be refused where permitted under the Privacy Act.

Parents and guardians may generally request information about their children, but we will always consider the student’s best interests when responding.

If a correction is not made, individuals may request that a statement of correction be attached to the record.

Concerns or complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled, please contact us using the details above.

We will investigate and respond as soon as practicable.

If concerns cannot be resolved, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner: https://www.privacy.org.nz

Updates to this statement

Whenuapai School may update this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, guidance, or school practice. The most current version will always be available through the school.