Survey: Legal

Privacy Policy

KCT is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Notice forms part of the Terms of Use and explains what information we collect through the Kea Survey Tool, why we collect it, how we use it and your rights under the Privacy Act 2020.

1. Information We Collect

Depending on how you use the Survey Tool, we may collect:

  • your name;
  • email address;
  • account details;
  • survey information you submit;
  • photographs and other media you choose to upload;
  • the location, date and time of surveys;
  • device and browser information;
  • website usage information collected through analytics tools; and
  • correspondence if you contact us.

You do not have to provide personal information, but some features of the Survey Tool may not be available if you choose not to.

2. How We Use Your Information

We collect and use information to:

  • operate and improve the Survey Tool;
  • manage user accounts;
  • maintain the quality and integrity of survey information;
  • contact you if we need to clarify or verify a survey;
  • support conservation management, education and scientific research;
  • analyse use of the Survey Tool so we can improve it; and
  • comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information.

3. Sharing Information

Survey information may be shared with:

  • Te Papa Atawhai / the Department of Conservation;
  • researchers;
  • conservation organisations;
  • educational institutions; and
  • other organisations involved in kea conservation.

Where appropriate, survey information may be published or incorporated into reports, maps, scientific publications or publicly available datasets.

Your personal information will not be shared without your consent unless required or permitted by law.

We may use service providers located outside New Zealand to host or process information on our behalf. Where we do so, we will take reasonable steps to ensure your information remains protected in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

4. Website Analytics

We use website analytics to understand how the Survey Tool is used and how it can be improved.

Analytics information may include your browser type, pages visited, approximate location, device information and similar technical information. Wherever reasonably practicable, this information is aggregated or anonymised.

5. Security

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse or disclosure.

No online system can be completely secure, but we use appropriate technical and organisational safeguards to protect the information we hold.

6. Retention

We retain survey information because it forms part of a long-term conservation dataset.

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Notice or as required by law.

7. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020 you have the right to:

  • request access to personal information we hold about you; and
  • request correction of personal information that you believe is inaccurate.

If you would like to exercise these rights, please contact us using the details below.

8. Changes to this Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time.

The latest version will always be available on the Survey Tool website.

9. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice, how we handle your personal information,  or wish to make a request to access or correct your personal information which is held by KCT, please contact us [insert email].

 

Terms of Use

The Kea Survey Tool is operated by the Kea Conservation Trust (“KCT“, “we“, “our” or “us“) to support the conservation of kea throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Every survey contributed helps improve our understanding of kea populations and supports conservation management, education and scientific research.

By creating an account, accessing or using the Kea Survey Tool website or the Kea Surveys App (together, the Survey Tool), you agree to these Terms of Use.

1. Using the Survey Tool

Please use the Survey Tool honestly, responsibly and respectfully.

When using the Survey Tool you agree that you will:

  • provide information that is accurate to the best of your knowledge;
  • only use your own account;
  • comply with all applicable laws;
  • respect the privacy and safety of other people;
  • not knowingly submit false or misleading information;
  • not upload material that infringes another person’s rights;
  • not upload material that contains malware; and
  • not interfere with the operation or security of the Survey Tool.

We may suspend or remove your access to the Survey Tool if these Terms are seriously or repeatedly breached.

2. Your Contributions

You retain ownership of the survey information, photographs and other material that you submit through the Survey Tool (“Your Contributions“).

By submitting Your Contributions, you confirm that:

  • you own them or have the right to submit them;
  • they do not knowingly infringe another person’s rights; and
  • the information is accurate to the best of your knowledge.

If Your Contributions include photographs, video, audio recordings or other media, you confirm that:

  • you created them or have permission to submit them;
  • you have the right to grant the permission described in this document; and
  • our use of them in accordance with these Terms will not knowingly infringe another person’s rights.

If you become aware that information you have submitted is inaccurate, please let us know so that we can correct it where appropriate.

3. How We Use Your Contributions

The Survey Tool depends on the willingness of contributors to allow their information to be used for conservation purposes.

You continue to own Your Contributions. However, by submitting them you grant KCT a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to:

  • store and manage Your Contributions;
  • reproduce, copy, adapt and improve data quality;
  • analyse and combine Your Contributions with other information;
  • prepare maps, reports, publications and educational resources;
  • use Your Contributions for conservation management, scientific research and education purposes;
  • share Your Contributions with Te Papa Atawhai / the Department of Conservation and other organisations or researchers working to conserve kea;
  • create aggregated, statistical and derived datasets; and
  • continue using Your Contributions even if you later stop using the Survey Tool.

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of Your Contributions to KCT.

4. Protecting Sensitive Information

Protecting kea and their habitat is our priority.

To reduce the risk of harm to wildlife or sensitive locations, we may remove, generalise, delay publication of or restrict access to precise location information or other sensitive information where we reasonably consider this necessary for conservation purposes.

5. Who Owns What?

Different parts of the Survey Tool belong to different people and organisations.

Item Owner
Kea Survey Tool website Kea Conservation Trust
Kea Survey Tool App Kea Conservation Trust
Database structure and original database design Kea Conservation Trust
Original content, branding and content created by KCT Kea Conservation Trust
What you contribute You
Official kea information and Crown datasets Department of Conservation on behalf of the Crown
Open-source software components Subject to their own licence terms

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of the Survey Tool to users.

6. Giving credit

We greatly value every contribution made by volunteers and, where reasonably practicable, we will acknowledge contributors when Your Contributions are used in publications, reports or research.

This will not always be possible where information has been:

  • aggregated;
  • anonymised;
  • incorporated into larger datasets; or
  • published through automated systems.

7. Using information from the Survey Tool

Unless another licence says otherwise, information made publicly available through the Survey Tool may be used for conservation, education and research purposes.

If you use or refer to information from the Survey Tool, please acknowledge the Kea Conservation Trust as the source where reasonably practicable.

You must not:

  • suggest that we endorse your activities without our written permission;
  • remove copyright or attribution notices;
  • misuse our branding or logos; or
  • use information in a way that is misleading or inconsistent with its conservation purpose.

Nothing in this clause limits any licence expressly applying to particular datasets, publications or images.

8. Accuracy of Information

The Survey Tool contains information submitted by volunteers and other contributors.

Although we undertake reasonable quality assurance, not every record can be independently verified. Accordingly:

  • information may contain errors or omissions;
  • observations may be incomplete or change over time;
  • precise locations may be altered or withheld to protect wildlife;
  • records should not be interpreted as confirming the presence or absence of kea at any particular location; and
  • information should not be relied upon as the sole basis for legal, regulatory, commercial or planning decisions.

To the fullest extent permitted by New Zealand law, the Kea Conservation Trust accepts no responsibility for any loss arising from reliance on information made available through the Survey Tool.

9. Availability

We aim to keep the Survey Tool available and up to date.

However, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted access or that the Survey Tool will always be free from errors.

We may modify, suspend or discontinue any part of the Survey Tool at any time.

10. Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under New Zealand law.

Subject to that, the Survey Tool is provided on an “as available” basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, KCT is not liable for any indirect or consequential loss arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Survey Tool or from reliance on information available through it.

11. Privacy

Our collection, use and protection of personal information is explained in our Privacy Notice below, which forms part of these Terms.

12. Looking after this resource

The Survey Tool has been built through the generosity of volunteers, researchers, conservation organisations and supporters. This generosity allows us to preserve, improve and continue developing the Survey Tool so that the information contributed today continues to benefit kea conservation into the future.

If responsibility for the Survey Tool is ever transferred to another New Zealand charitable organisation, statutory body or other not-for-profit organisation with substantially the same conservation purpose, we may transfer our rights and responsibilities under these Terms so that Your Contributions continue to be used for the conservation of kea.

Any organisation receiving responsibility for the Survey Tool must continue to use Your Contributions consistently with these Terms and only for conservation, education or scientific research purposes.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time.

The latest version will always be published on the Survey Tool website. Continued use of the Survey Tool after updated Terms have been published constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand.

15 Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact Kea Conservation Trust at contact@keaconservation.nz

Effective date: 29 June 2026

© 2026 Kea Conservation Trust. KEA CONSERVATION TRUST, the KEA CONSERVATION TRUST combined mark, KEA SURVEY TOOL, and the KEA SURVEY TOOL logo are all trade marks or licenced trade marks of the Kea Conservation Trust. All rights reserved.