‍Privacy Policy

We understand how important it is to protect your personal information. This document sets out our privacy commitment in respect of personal information we hold about you and what we do with that information.

It is important to us that you are confident that any personal information we hold about you will be treated in a way which ensures protection of your personal information.

Our commitment in respect of personal information is to abide by the Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 2020 (or any successor legislation) (the Privacy Act) and all other applicable laws. This Privacy Policy applies in addition to, and does not limit, our rights and obligations under the Privacy Act and other applicable laws.

References in this Privacy Policy to “we", “us” and “our” means Vaama Financial Advisor Limited acting through a Financial Adviser.  

By providing us with personal information, engaging us to provide you with services, or by using our website, you consent to the collection, use, storage, and disclosure of personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We may change our Privacy Policy from time to time by publishing an updated version on this page to reflect changes in the law and our business needs, provided the changes do not disadvantage you. By continuing to engage us or use our website, you will be deemed to have accepted the updated Privacy Policy.  

When we refer to personal information, we mean information that identifies, or is capable of identifying, you. This includes, for example:  

• Your name, date of birth, address, and contact details  
• Account details and occupation
• Financial situation or goals (if you engage us to recommend mortgage and insurance products that we are permitted to advise on, referred to as Products).  

We collect your personal information for the purposes of our and relevant third parties’ services and relationship with you. This includes:  

• Responding to your requests or inquiries.
• Providing services to you (e.g., to enable us to recommend Products to you).
• Sending communications and direct marketing about products and services we think may be of interest to you via mail, telephone, or electronic means (including email and SMS/MMS).
• Conducting market research.
• Any other purpose authorised by you or the Privacy Act.

Direct Marketing Opt-Out: If you do not wish to receive marketing information, you may ‘opt out’ at any time by notifying us.

We may also collect personal information (including credit information and health information) on behalf of the lenders, insurers, and other providers of Products that you choose to apply for (Product Providers). Product Providers will have their own Privacy Policies that apply to the information we collect on their behalf.

Generally, we will collect your personal information directly from you. For example, through your use of our website, the forms you submit, the “contact us” functionality, and during conversations between you and us.  

We may also collect your personal information from:  

• NZ Financial Services Group Limited (NZFSG) and its related bodies corporate.
• Credit reporting agencies.
• Banks (e.g., through the use of illion Bank Statements) and employers, with your authorisation.
• Product Providers (e.g., during the term of any loan or insurance we have arranged on your behalf, to answer your queries or assist with financial arrangements as your circumstances change). If applicable, Product Providers may periodically disclose your loan balance or premium to us in connection with ongoing commission payments.
• Any other person authorised by you or the Privacy Act.

If we collect your personal information from someone other than you, we will take reasonable steps to notify you of the collection and the required statutory matters as soon as reasonably practicable, unless an exception under the Privacy Act applies.

Providing Information About Third Parties

If you provide any personal information about anyone else to us, you confirm that you have collected that personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and that the individual concerned has:

1. Authorised the disclosure to us and the collection, use, and disclosure of their personal information by us in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
2. Been informed of their right to access and request correction of their personal information.

We will generally rely on you to ensure the information we hold about you is accurate. If any of your details change, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting us.

We may disclose your personal information to the following parties if we consider it necessary to do so for the purposes described in Section 6:  

• NZFSG and its related bodies corporate: We share personal information with NZ Financial Services Group Limited (NZFSG) as a member of their financial services group. This includes your identity, contact details, and sensitive financial data. This sharing enables us to provide our services and allows NZFSG to meet its monitoring, oversight, and assurance obligations under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 and the Privacy Act.  

Notice: This sharing is a condition of our service. If you do not agree, we cannot provide services to you because NZFSG’s oversight is a requirement of our membership. You can view their full Privacy Policy at www.nzfsg.co.nz/privacy-policy.

• Product Providers and Intermediaries: Lenders, insurers, prospective third parties, mortgage insurers, guarantors, trustees, or assignees in relation to your finance or insurance requirements.
• Referral Partners: Partners who can assist you with complementary services.
• Service Providers: Contractors, auditors (such as NZFSG to ensure regulatory compliance), and external service providers.
• Business Transfers: Investors or entities that hold an interest in our business, or to whom we may sell or transfer our rights, obligations, or business assets.
• Legal & Regulatory Authorities: Anyone we are legally required or authorised to share your information with, including regulators and government agencies.
• Verification Entities: Your employer, referees, credit reporting agencies, and identity verification agencies.
• Authorized Persons: Any other person or entity authorised by you or the Privacy Act.

Credit reporting agencies may hold your credit information (including default information) on their systems and use it to provide credit reporting services to their customers.

Before disclosing personal information to any external organisation, we take reasonable steps to ensure they maintain a commitment to protecting your privacy that is at least equal to ours.

We may use cloud storage to store the personal information we hold about you. The cloud storage and IT servers may be located outside New Zealand.

We may also disclose personal information to NZFSG, its related bodies corporate, and third-party suppliers or service providers located overseas for some of the purposes listed in this policy.

Cookies and IP Addresses

When you access our website, we may send a “cookie” (a small summary file containing a unique ID number) to your computer. This enables us to recognise your computer each time you visit and helps us measure traffic patterns, transaction trends, and analyze user movements to improve our service.

Our cookies may record information such as:

• Internet Protocol (IP) address
• Device and browser type
• Operating system
• Pages visited, time spent, and search terms used
• Links clicked and other usage statistics

While cookies do not inherently collect personal information, if you submit your name and email address through our site, we will link that personal information with the cookie data previously collected. If you do not wish to receive cookies, you can adjust your browser settings to reject them.

Security

Because the internet is inherently insecure, we cannot provide an absolute guarantee regarding the security of information you transmit to us online, nor can we guarantee that information will not be intercepted during transmission. Accordingly, any online transmission of personal information is conducted at your own risk.

Links and Third-Party Advertisements

Our website may contain links to external sites or advertisements hosted by third parties. We make no representations or warranties regarding the privacy practices of third-party websites or ad providers. They are independently responsible for informing you of their own privacy practices.

Our online advertising network partners may use tracking techniques (like web beacons) to collect non-personally identifiable information about your activities to provide targeted, interest-based advertising.

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You are not required to provide personal information to us. However, choosing not to do so may affect our ability to provide services to you, and may impact your ability to obtain finance or insurance from Product Providers.

Where lawful and practicable, we will offer you the opportunity to interact with us anonymously—for instance, if you are making general inquiries about interest rates or promotional offers. However, we cannot contact you or formalize services without your personal information.

You may access and request the correction of any personal information we hold about you at any time by contacting us directly. We reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee for the costs associated with retrieving and supplying this information to you.

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact us.