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Privacy Act 2020

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

179: Use of results of authorised information matching programme

You could also call this:

"What happens if an agency finds a problem with your information in a matching programme"

Illustration for Privacy Act 2020

If you are part of an authorised information matching programme, an agency can take action against you if they find a discrepancy. The agency can use the information from the programme to take action against you, but they must follow other laws that limit what they can do. They must take this action within 12 months of finding the discrepancy.

If an agency wants to take action against you, they must start the process within 12 months of getting the information that showed the discrepancy. They can get an extension on this time limit from the Commissioner, as stated in section 180. This means they have a bit more time to start the process.

An agency can use the information from the programme in other ways that are allowed by law. This means that the agency is not limited in how they can use the information, as long as it is lawful. You should be aware that the agency can use the information in different ways, depending on what the law allows.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS23647.

Topics:
Government and voting > Government departmentsRights and equality > Privacy
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178: Information matching agreements, or

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

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180: Extension of time limit, or

"Getting more time to deal with lots of personal information"

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

179Use of results of authorised information matching programme

  1. Subject to any other enactment or rule of law that limits or restricts the information that may be taken into account in taking adverse action against an individual, an agency that is involved in an authorised information matching programme may take adverse action against an individual on the basis of any discrepancy produced by that programme.

  2. If an agency decides to take adverse action against an individual on the basis of a discrepancy produced by an authorised information matching programme, the adverse action must be commenced not later than 12 months after the date on which the agency received or derived information from the programme that gave rise to the discrepancy (or any extended time limit granted by the Commissioner under section 180).

  3. Subsection (1) does not limit or restrict the use that may lawfully be made, by an agency, of any information produced by an authorised information matching programme.

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