Overview
WEL Networks Limited (WEL) collects personal information relating to both consumers and the public as a part of its business activities. WEL is committed to ensuring that the collection, use, correction, disclosure and disposal of personal information complies with the principles of the Privacy Act 2020, (the Act).
Scope and Application
This policy outlines how WEL manages personal information collected from WEL consumers and the public.
WEL collects personal information from several sources, including third parties, which may be stored and used in a range of ways by WEL (refer to Appendix A below). The information includes, but is not limited to:
Consumer Information
Information obtained from mail, websites, email, telephone and other sources required to deliver WEL and our subsidiaries' goods and services to you; administration of your account, including participation in consumer promotions; dealing with queries, network and electricity connections and billing activity, supply, faults and maintenance, vegetation management, contract management, works, credit and debt management and complaints.
Note: Consumer service calls may be monitored and recorded.
WEL Smart Meters
Information, when associated to an individual, about electricity quality parameters and usage to optimise network reliability, to assist in network performance monitoring and to enhance fault resolution, and where appropriate for billing purposes; smart meter data may be shared with third parties as part of standard electricity billing process or as required by the electricity market (refer to Appendix A); research and analysis of trends and demographics to optimise network management and improve services.
CCTV Cameras
Recording of security footage at our sites to monitor site safety for staff and public, to detect and deter criminal behaviour and acts, and to support incident investigations; incidental footage taken from unmanned aerial vehicles during operations on the network to monitor and inspect network assets or other authorised activity.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers
Recording usage and associated activities, payment activity and information; chargers may also be monitored by CCTV for the safety and security of the public and installed equipment, and to detect and deter criminal behaviour and acts.
Disclosure of Consumer Information
Personal information will be kept in secure systems with access restricted to WEL personnel and contractors who require it for their role. However it may be disclosed without your consent (as permitted under the Act) for the following reasons:
- To prevent a serious and imminent threat to public health or public safety.
- For the conduct of proceedings before any court or tribunal (being proceedings that have been commenced or are reasonably in contemplation) or for enforcement of the law.
Any requests for bulk downloads of consumer information should be directed to the WEL Privacy Officer. Requests for bulk information will only be considered if a net benefit can be demonstrated to the consumers who will have provided the core data. All supplied bulk downloads will be anonymised and aggregated, unless otherwise agreed by WEL.
Policy Principles
Use and management of personal information will be in accordance with the following principles:
- All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that personal information collected and retained by WEL is accurate, complete, secure and protected from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
- Personal information will only be used for the purposes for which it is collected. This includes information provided to WEL by third parties.
- At times, personal information will be shared with, or from, third parties (refer to Appendix A). We will only disclose personal information to:
- WEL subsidiary companies to use for the same purposes as us.
- Service providers who undertake services on behalf of WEL.
- Electricity market participants to allow for the proper function of the market registry, pricing, reconciliation and billing processes.
- Credit reference agencies and debt collection agencies (as outlined in the terms and conditions of application for credit and debt).
- CCTV cameras will be installed in alignment with the Privacy Commissioner’s publication: Privacy and CCTV; A guide to the Privacy Act for businesses, agencies and organisations.
- CCTV cameras at WEL sites will operate for 24 hours per day and data will only be stored on a dedicated self-overwriting disk. This usually means that no more than about 40 days of video data is stored.
- You may request access to the personal information WEL holds about you by contacting the WEL Networks Privacy Officer by email privacy@wel.co.nz or by mail to The Privacy Officer, WEL Networks Ltd, PO Box 925, Hamilton, 3240. Include details of your name, address and the information that you require. You may request that the information WEL holds is corrected if the information is found to be incomplete or incorrect. WEL will have to satisfy itself of your identity and there may be a charge for these services prior to information being released.
- You have the right to appeal to the WEL Networks Privacy Officer or the Privacy Commissioner if you suspect your rights have been infringed in the collection, use, disclosure or management of your personal information.
- WEL will take all reasonable steps to securely destroy personal information once it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it has been collected.
- Breaches of privacy and unintentional release of personal information will be assessed using the Privacy Commission’s process called “NotifyUs”. This allows assessment of the significance of the breach and whether the breach has caused anyone significant harm, and thus be notified to the Commission.
- Unauthorised use or release by WEL personnel or contractors of our consumers’ personal information is prohibited under WEL’s policies.
Cookies and Internet Analytics
The WEL website and consumer portal use non-persistent and persistent cookies to manage and improve the customer experience when the sites are visited. By enabling cookies visitors are able enjoy all features of these sites.
The WEL website and consumer portal also use services such as Google Analytics to analyse use and provide trends and statistics to WEL. Google uses cookies to collect standard web log information and visitor behaviour information (in an anonymised form). WEL does not control Google use of this data including how those cookies are issued, or the data stored.
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