Privacy: Booking a vaccine

You will need to provide some personal information to book a vaccination or other consultation.

These will either be your details, or those of the person you are completing the booking or registration for (you will need to confirm you have their consent).

Information is collected and held by Health New Zealand. Information comprises:

• Identity information: including name, date of birth, ethnicity, gender (optional) and NHI number (if known – we will confirm this if you do not know it)
• Contact information: email address and/or contact number, and address (optional)
• Eligibility information: for some vaccines, we collect additional information to make sure the vaccine is appropriate and safe
• Information about your booking: including the vaccine(s) you are booking for, the location dates and times of your appointment, and whether you need any assistance (optional)
• Administrative information: acceptance of this privacy statement and confirmation of consent if you are completing a booking on behalf of someone else

Most information needs to be provided if you choose to use our booking system. If you do not supply the required information, you will not be able to complete your booking.

Information will also be collected from you when you present for your vaccinations or other consultations. This is managed separately by vaccination or consultation staff.

We use the information you provide to:

• check that the vaccine you are seeking is right for you
• identify you when you book and when you arrive at your appointment
• communicate with you when we have relevant information for you or to help you attend your appointment
• link your details to your NHI number to the Aotearoa Immunisation Register when you present for your vaccination or consultation
• manage resources to have enough vaccinations at the right location at the right time
• identify and make improvements to the programme by reporting on the number of people booking and attending appointments
• understand facility capacity
• monitor how effective the programme is.

Where we use your information for statistical reporting, you will not be identified in any reports.

Access to your information in the Booking System and associated Health New Zealand reporting systems is limited to authorised users. This access is recorded and can be audited.

We will share your information with the people and organisations who are involved in managing your appointments and providing the vaccination or consultation service to you.

If you are under 16 years old, your parent or guardian may request access to your information.

You may authorise another person to complete a booking on your behalf, but they must confirm that they have your consent to do this.

It is recommended that a parent or caregiver books on behalf of a child.

A parent, caregiver, legal power of attorney, or whanaungatanga will need to accompany a child under 12 years old to their appointment(s) as the responsible adult.

At the appointment a health professional will discuss the vaccination. There is time for questions, and the responsible adult will need to confirm consent for the child to be vaccinated.

While young people aged 12 and over have the right to give their own consent, we recommend they discuss vaccination with their parents, whānau, or a trusted support person.

A health professional will also discuss the vaccine with them before they get vaccinated and answer any questions they have. If they have a good understanding, they can say yes or no to getting the vaccine. If they would prefer, a parent or caregiver can provide consent instead.

Information may be shared with other agencies where we have reason to believe that a fraudulent booking has been made, or where one person attempts to use the identity of another person.

We will link your details to your National Health Index (NHI) number where we have sufficient details for a match. This is your unique identifier in the health system.

Our team may contact you if we can’t match you to your NHI number and will allocate a new one to you if necessary.

If we cancel a booking for any reason, we will advise you using the contact details provided and include advice on how to re-book.

Bookings may be cancelled if we can’t match you to an NHI number and we can’t contact you with the contact details provided.

Your personal information will be held and managed in accordance with the Privacy Act and Health Information Privacy Code. Secure measures are in place to protect your information from unauthorised access.

Access to your information is limited to authorised users. This access is recorded and can be audited.

In order to host the Booking System, we use Amazon Web Services located in Sydney, Australia.

Your information collected through the Booking System will be deleted five years after it is no longer required for the purposes listed above, in accordance with our record-keeping obligations.

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. You also have the right to ask us to correct your information if you think it is wrong.

If you wish to request access to your information, or a correction, of if you have any concerns or questions:

Email: hnzprivacy@tewhatuora.govt.nz

Write to:
The Privacy Officer
Health New Zealand
PO Box 793
Wellington
6140

We may require proof of your identity before being able to provide you with any personal information.

See also additional information, including this website’s privacy statement, at info.health.nz/privacy