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Privacy Act 2020

Sharing, accessing, and matching personal information - Authorised information matching programmes

177: Interpretation

You could also call this:

"What special words mean in the Privacy Act 2020"

Illustration for Privacy Act 2020

When you read this part of the law, some words have special meanings. An adverse action is when an agency takes a lawful action that affects your rights or interests. This can include things like cancelling a payment or imposing a penalty.

You might see the term authorised information matching programme, which refers to a programme that is allowed by a specific provision. A discrepancy is a result of this programme that needs further action. An information matching programme compares documents with personal information to produce or verify information.

There are rules for information matching, which are set out in a Schedule 6. An information matching provision is a specific part of a law that allows for information matching. A monetary payment includes things like benefits, lump sums, and special assistance granted by the government, as defined in the Social Security Act 2018 and the Accident Compensation Act 2001.

These definitions are important to understand how the law works. You can find more information about these terms in the relevant laws and schedules, such as Schedule 5 and Schedule 6. These laws and schedules help explain what each term means and how they are used.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS23645.

Topics:
Money and consumer rights > Benefits and financial assistanceRights and equality > PrivacyGovernment and voting > Government departments
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176: Relationship between this subpart and other law relating to information disclosure, or

"How this part relates to other laws about sharing information"

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178: Information matching agreements, or

"Agencies must have a written agreement to share personal information safely"

Part 7Sharing, accessing, and matching personal information
Authorised information matching programmes

177Interpretation

  1. In this subpart and Schedule 6, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    adverse action means any lawful action of an agency that may adversely affect the rights, benefits, privileges, obligations, or interests of any specific individual, including any decision—

    1. to cancel or suspend any monetary payment:
      1. to refuse an application for a monetary payment:
        1. to alter the rate or amount of a monetary payment:
          1. to recover an overpayment of a monetary payment:
            1. to impose a penalty:
              1. to recover a penalty or fine:
                1. to make an assessment of the amount of any tax, levy, or other charge, or of any contribution, that is payable by an individual, or to alter an assessment of that kind:
                  1. to investigate the possible commission of an offence:
                    1. to make a deportation order in relation to the individual, to serve the individual with a deportation liability notice, or to deport the individual from New Zealand

                      authorised information matching programme means an information matching programme that is authorised by an information matching provision

                        discrepancy, in relation to an authorised information matching programme, means a result of that programme that warrants the taking of further action by an agency for the purpose of giving effect to the objective of the programme

                          information matching programme means the comparison (whether manually or by means of any electronic or other device) of any document that contains personal information about 10 or more individuals with 1 or more other documents that contain personal information about 10 or more individuals, for the purpose of producing or verifying information that may be used for the purpose of taking adverse action against an identifiable individual

                            information matching provision means any provision specified in the second column of Schedule 5 as an information matching provision of an enactment specified in the first column of that schedule

                              information matching rules means the rules for the time being set out in Schedule 6

                                monetary payment includes—

                                1. a benefit as defined in Schedule 2 of the Social Security Act 2018:
                                  1. a lump sum payable under section 90 of that Act:
                                    1. any special assistance granted out of a Crown Bank Account from money appropriated by Parliament under section 101 of that Act:
                                      1. any monetary entitlement payable under Part 4, 10, or 11 of the Accident Compensation Act 2001.

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