About us

The Privacy Commissioner's Office works to develop and promote a culture in which personal information is protected and respected.

The Privacy Commissioner administers the Privacy Act 1993. The Privacy Act applies to almost every person, business or organisation in New Zealand. The Act sets out 12 privacy principles that guide how personal information can be collected, used, stored and disclosed. To find out more about privacy and what it involves, see About Privacy.

The Office is an independent Crown Entity and was set up in 1993. The first Privacy Commissioner was Bruce Slane, who held office until 2003. The second Privacy Commissioner was Marie Shroff. who held office for two five-year terms. The current Privacy Commissioner is John Edwards who took up office on 17 February 2014. To find out more about the staff and structure of the Office, see Who We Are.

The Privacy Commissioner's Office has a wide range of functions. Some of these include investigating complaints about breaches of privacy, running education programmes, and examining proposed legislation and how it may affect individual privacy. To find out more about the work of the Office, see What We Do.

To find out about job vacancies within the Office, see Vacancies.

If you have questions about privacy or want to contact us, contact our enquiries staff at enquiries@privacy.org.nz or see Contact Us.

To order any of our publications email us at orders@privacy.org.nz .

To find other organisations involved with privacy or personal information handling practices, see Privacy network links.