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International
Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities (APPA)
European Union
Council of Europe
Memorandum of Understanding between the Office of the Australian Privacy Commissioner and the Office of the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner
New Zealand’s privacy laws are just one part of a world-wide picture of privacy protection.
Privacy is protected as a human right at the highest international level. The United Nations has adopted provisions or instruments that protect privacy. For example:
- Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
Those UN instruments are set at a very general level. A number of international bodies have developed more detailed guidelines for information privacy protection. Examples from two organisations that New Zealand is a member of are:
The OECD Guidelines on Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data (1980) and, more recently The APEC Privacy Framework (2005). New Zealand has filed an Individual Action Plan (IAP). IAPs from other APEC economies are available there for comparison and further information.
New Zealand has published its enforcement jurisdiction and policies as a Participant in the APEC Cooperation Arrangement for Cross-Border Privacy Enforcement (CPEA). See the Summary Statement of Privacy Enforcement Authority enforcement practices, policies and activities.
There are also several international meetings of privacy regulators, such as the annual International Conference of Data Protection Commissioners, the International Working Group on Data Protection in Telecommunications (IWGDPT), APEC's Cross-Border Privacy Enforcement Arrangement (CPEA), the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN), and the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities Forum (APPA). The Privacy Commissioner and her staff contribute to these meetings.