Regulatory spotlight on information sharing (and what this means for you)
Government information sharing has been in the spotlight in Aotearoa NZ recently, following the release of two inquiry reports by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Stats NZ respectively. These inquiries should give organisations pause for thought about the extent of their obligations when sharing...
Responsible AI guidance for NZ’s public service
The public sector started the year with a burst of activity on the AI governance front. In January, the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) unveiled the “Public Service Artificial Intelligence Framework”, a one pager aiming to guide the public sector’s responsible adoption of AI technologies. That...
OPC confirms that it will issue a biometrics code of practice in 2025
On 18 December 2024, the OPC announced its decision to press on with issuing a Biometrics Processing Privacy Code, regulating the use of biometric systems to process biometric information. This follows the release in April 2024 of an exposure draft of the code, on which...
IAPP ANZ Summit round up
In November, Simply Privacy attended the IAPP ANZ Summit in Melbourne. Despite the rubbish weather it was a great opportunity to get up to date with what is happening in the world of privacy on both sides of the Tasman, and also to connect with...
OPC Annual report
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner issued its 2024 Annual Report recently – we read it so you don’t have to, and here are our key takeaways relating to its complaints and enforcement functions: Over 1000 complaints were received – a 15% increase on the...
Aussie privacy law reform – implications for Kiwi businesses
Australia is gearing up for more privacy law reform with the introduction of the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024. But those hoping for a more ambitious set of changes - including a new right of erasure, a "fair and reasonable" test, stronger consent...
High Court rules on abuse survivors’ data access rights
Privacy rarely reaches the courts in New Zealand. While, naturally, the courts are often called to decide on the application of common law privacy rights (otherwise known as the tort of privacy) – such as in the context of media activities – matters relating to...
Get AI Governance Professional certified – with a Kiwi flavour!
AI has taken the world by storm – and it’s fair to say the IAPP’s AI Governance Professional certification (AIGP) is doing the same for the world of AI governance. If you want to join the many people gaining this internationally recognised certification, then you...
OPC Guidance on Applying the IPPS to AI
OPC guidance on applying the Information Privacy Principles to AI The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) has released guidance on how the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs) apply to Artificial Intelligence (AI). This builds on recent guidance setting out the OPC’s expectations around the use of...
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency v MoH – Privacy lessons from the second High Court decision
Following the first court case (you can read our take on it here), and the subsequent failure of the Ministry of Health (MOH) to again release all the requested vaccination data, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) took further judicial review proceedings in the High Court....
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency v MOH – Covid 19, Te Tiriti and cultural perspectives on privacy
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought privacy sharply into focus in many different ways over the past eighteen months. The High Court's recent decision in the judicial review proceedings brought by the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency (WOCA) against the Ministry of Health (MoH) is one such example....