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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Privacy Act 2020

Preliminary provisions - Preliminary matters

3: Purpose of this Act

You could also call this:

“This Act outlines how your privacy is protected and aligns with global standards”

This Act aims to protect your privacy. It does this in two main ways. First, it creates rules to safeguard your right to privacy when it comes to your personal information. This includes your right to see and access your own personal information. However, the Act also recognises that sometimes other rights and interests might need to be considered alongside privacy.

Secondly, the Act puts into practice privacy rules and standards that are recognised around the world. These include guidelines from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and an international agreement called the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. These help make sure New Zealand’s privacy laws match up with what other countries are doing to protect people’s privacy.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS23227.

Topics:
Rights and equality > Privacy
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2: Commencement, or

“When different parts of the Privacy Act 2020 come into effect”

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“Who and what the Privacy Act 2020 covers”

Part 1 Preliminary provisions
Preliminary matters

3Purpose of this Act

  1. The purpose of this Act is to promote and protect individual privacy by—

  2. providing a framework for protecting an individual’s right to privacy of personal information, including the right of an individual to access their personal information, while recognising that other rights and interests may at times also need to be taken into account; and
    1. giving effect to internationally recognised privacy obligations and standards in relation to the privacy of personal information, including the OECD Guidelines and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.