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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Privacy Act 2020

Preliminary provisions - Interpretation and related matters

9: Meaning of overseas agency

You could also call this:

“Definition of an overseas agency and who isn't considered one”

In this law, an overseas agency refers to a person, company, or organisation from another country. However, there are some groups that are not considered overseas agencies. These include:

You might be part of a New Zealand agency, which is not an overseas agency. The government of another country is also not an overseas agency. If an organisation is doing official work for a foreign government, it’s not an overseas agency for that work. News organisations are not overseas agencies when they are doing news-related activities.

This definition helps to clarify what the law means when it talks about overseas agencies in other parts of the Privacy Act 2020.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS272746.

Topics:
Rights and equality > Privacy
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8: Meaning of New Zealand agency, or

“Defining who counts as a New Zealand agency under privacy law”

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10: Personal information held by agency if held by officer, employee, or member of agency, or

“Agency responsibility for personal information held by its workers or members”

Part 1 Preliminary provisions
Interpretation and related matters

9Meaning of overseas agency

  1. In this Act, overseas agency means an overseas person, body corporate, or unincorporated body that is not—

  2. a New Zealand agency; or
    1. the Government of an overseas country; or
      1. an overseas government entity to the extent that the entity is performing any public function on behalf of the overseas Government; or
        1. a news entity, to the extent that it is carrying on news activities.