Please note - this article is under review.
Section 54 was a provision in the 1993 Privacy Act, which was replaced in December 2020 by the Privacy Act 2020. Section 30 of the 2020 Act is the equivalent provision. This provision allows is for an agency (the one that holds the information) to apply for authorisation to disclose information in very specific circumstances and where there is a significant public interest in doing so. 

Following the tragic events of Christchurch in March 2019, gun reform is a legislative priority. The Government recently introduced the Arms Legislation Bill to impose tighter controls on the use and possession of firearms.

Reviewed for relevance April 2025.

Investigating complaints is an important function of our office and a considerable part of our workload. When we receive a complaint, we make an initial assessment about what steps we will take next. In some circumstances, we will investigate. In other instances, our office may decline to investigate.

One of the most persistent problems of privacy and data protection in the digital age moving the responsibility from consumers needing to read terms and conditions for services they’re using to those services clearly explaining the choices and consequences that consumers have. We all know the problem, and it has been presented in several very striking ways.  We’ve seen researchers print out and measure the length of the privacy policies and terms and conditions of popular services. 

A man complained to us last year after staff took a copy of his driver’s licence as he checked in to a hotel. The complainant was surprised that staff copied his licence and they couldn’t tell him why they needed the copy or how long they would keep it for.

Reviewed for relevance April 2025.

We’ve all seen the ads for genetic ancestry testing - as a way for people to trace their genealogy beyond traditional family trees and historical detail. And thanks to shows like CSI, the public might think of DNA as an investigative tool for the Police; a silver bullet that can solve any high-profile case in just minutes. But DNA can be used for much more than law enforcement activities or tracing ancestry.