Parliament will consider a change to the Privacy Act, which should mean New Zealanders will be better placed to understand what is happening with their personal information, says Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster.

The Privacy Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament this week.

The amendment will increase transparency about the collection and use of personal information.

"This is fundamental to protecting the privacy rights of individuals by informing them about how their personal information is used," says the Commissioner.

The amendment means agencies will need to inform people why they’re collecting personal information and who will be holding it. People already have rights to request access to their information and ask for correction if it’s not accurate.

"We support the amendment for the Privacy Act to have a broader transparency requirement so that agencies need to think about how to inform people they’re collecting their information, regardless of its source, and what their privacy rights are.

"This amendment is also about keeping up with international best practice. Australia already has it."

The new requirement won’t apply in some situations where it would not be practical or appropriate to let the person know about the indirect collection. For example, when the personal information is needed in an emergency.

The public will be able to have their say on this amendment by making submissions to the Justice Select Committee in 2024.

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