This privacy policy explains how rugbyunion.nz collects, uses and protects personal information when you visit the website. We follow New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020 and its information privacy principles. rugbyunion.nz is an information site about rugby union – we run no betting service and handle no customer accounts or payments.
In short: we collect as little information about you as we can. We use no advertising networks, no behavioural tracking, no newsletter and no analytics tools such as Google Analytics. The only information we handle is what you choose to send us by email, plus a small amount of technical data needed for the website to run safely.
Last updated: October 2026.
Who is responsible for your information
rugbyunion.nz is represented by the website’s owner, who is the agency responsible for the personal information described in this policy.
If you have questions about how your information is handled, you are welcome to reach us through our contact page.
What personal information we collect
We collect two kinds of personal information.
Information you give us by email
When you send us an email, we handle:
- your email address
- your name, if you provide it
- the content of your message
- any other details you choose to include
Technical information collected automatically
When you visit the website, some technical information is recorded automatically by our hosting provider Hetzner and the security service Cloudflare:
- IP address – used to deliver the content and protect against misuse
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Referring page (the page you came from)
- Time of the visit
- Pages visited on the website
This information is gathered through server logs and necessary cookies. It is used only to keep the website running and to guard against technical attacks – not to build a profile of you as a visitor.
We do not collect sensitive personal information, and we collect information only for purposes connected with running the website.
Cookies
We use only necessary cookies. These cookies are strictly required for the website to work and to be delivered securely. Because we use nothing beyond necessary cookies, no cookie banner is shown on the website – that is a deliberate choice.
The necessary cookies we use come solely from:
- Cloudflare – security and delivery services, for example telling people apart from bots
- LiteSpeed Cache – cache cookies for faster page loading
- WordPress – core cookies that let the website function properly
We do not use:
- Google Analytics or other analytics tools
- advertising cookies or behavioural tracking
- social media plugins that track visitors
- marketing trackers
- third-party cookies beyond the technical services named above
You can delete existing cookies and block future ones at any time in your browser settings. Bear in mind that this may affect how the website works. You will find more detail in our cookie policy.
Why we collect and use your information
Under the Privacy Act 2020, personal information may be collected only for a lawful purpose connected with what an agency does, and only where the collection is necessary for that purpose. We use information for the following purposes:
- Replying to messages you send us – so that we can answer your question, correct an error or act on your feedback.
- Operating and delivering the website – so that pages load correctly on your device.
- Security and protection against misuse – handled through Cloudflare, to stop attacks and automated abuse.
- Understanding search performance – through Google Search Console, which shows us aggregated search data only and tells us nothing about individual visitors.
- Meeting legal obligations – where the law requires us to keep or disclose information.
We do not use your information for any purpose other than the one it was collected for, unless the Privacy Act 2020 allows it or you have agreed.
How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected for:
- Email enquiries: up to 3 years after the most recent contact, after which they are deleted, unless the law requires us to keep them longer
- Server logs at Hetzner: normally deleted automatically after 14–30 days
- Cloudflare security logs: normally kept for around 30 days
- Necessary cookies: from session cookies, which disappear when you close your browser, to up to one year for Cloudflare’s security cookies
We delete or anonymise information as soon as it is no longer needed.
Who we share information with
We never sell personal information, and we do not use it for advertising or marketing. A small number of third-party service providers handle information for us so that the website can operate:
- Hetzner Online GmbH (hosting) – processes server logs and IP addresses as part of the hosting service. Location: Germany (EU). Privacy policy
- Cloudflare, Inc. (security and delivery) – processes IP addresses and technical information. Location: United States, with servers worldwide. Privacy policy
- Google LLC (Search Console) – provides aggregated, anonymised search data. Location: United States. Privacy policy
In particular cases we may be required to disclose information to public authorities where the law demands it.
Information held outside New Zealand
Our service providers store and process information outside New Zealand – Hetzner in Germany, and Cloudflare and Google in the United States and other countries.
These providers handle information on our behalf, and we remain responsible for it under the Privacy Act 2020. We use only providers that commit to protecting personal information with safeguards comparable to those required in New Zealand.
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect information against loss and against unauthorised access, use, change or disclosure:
- HTTPS encryption across the whole website
- Cloudflare’s security infrastructure, including DDoS protection, a web application firewall and bot management
- Regular updates of WordPress, plugins and themes
- Restricted access to the administration system
- Secure hosting with Hetzner, which is ISO 27001 certified
- Safe storage of email correspondence
If a privacy breach occurs that has caused, or is likely to cause, serious harm, we will notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and the people affected as soon as practicable, as the Privacy Act 2020 requires.
Your rights
Under the Privacy Act 2020 you have the right to:
- Ask whether we hold personal information about you, and get access to it
- Ask us to correct information that is wrong, incomplete or out of date
- Have a statement attached to your information setting out the correction you asked for, if we do not agree to make the change
To use your rights, get in touch through our contact page. We will respond as soon as reasonably practicable, and no later than 20 working days after receiving your request. We do not charge for this.
Complaints to the Privacy Commissioner
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we have the chance to put things right.
If we cannot resolve the matter, you can make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand’s privacy regulator:
Office of the Privacy Commissioner
Website: privacy.org.nz
Children and young people under 18
rugbyunion.nz includes content that touches on betting, and the site is intended for readers aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.
If you are a parent or guardian and discover that your child has sent us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this privacy policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in how the website operates or in the law. The latest version is always published on this page with the date it was updated. If we make significant changes, we will say so clearly on the website.
Contact us
If you have questions about this privacy policy or about how we handle personal information, you can reach us through our contact page. You can also read our terms of use for more about using the website.