The information on this page is more than one year old and no longer current. Please visit our Privacy and COVID-19 page for the most up-to-date information.

One of the key changes in the Privacy Bill is a new privacy principle 12.

This content was specific to a COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. There is no current state of national emergency. Visit our Privacy and COVID-19 page for the most up-to-date information.

The High Court’s decision on the proceedings brought by Rt Hon Winston Peters for breach of privacy is a welcome and useful addition to the case law on the tort of privacy. It also gives some useful guidance on the “no surprises” principle – the guideline under which a chief executive informs their Minister of matters of significance relating to their portfolio. 

A former nurse who waited five years to lodge a privacy complaint with the Privacy Commissioner had her request for judgement rejected by the Human Rights Review Tribunal (HRRT) in March 2020.[1]

It is not a helpful or even correct perception that privacy has been getting in the way of fighting the Covid-19 virus. 

A district health board (DHB) received a request from a social service agency asking the DHB to disclose the names of patients who had tested positive for Covid-19. The DHB contacted us for advice – should it share this information? The DHB was concerned this could be a privacy breach.

The information on this page is more than one year old and may no longer be current. Please visit our Privacy and COVID-19 page for the most up-to-date information.