The short version: We collect information needed to respond to enquiries, connect people with opportunities, support learning and mentorship, and recognise assessed SLS achievements. We do not sell personal information. We aim to be clear about what we collect, who we share it with and the choices people have.
1. Who we are
Whenua Tech Incubator (“Whenua Tech”, “we”, “us”) is a Māori-led initiative based in Kumeū, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. We help connect rangatahi, educators and industry through the Whenua Bridge Model, mentorship, practical experiences and Synthetic Learning Simulations (SLS).
For privacy enquiries, requests to access or correct information, or to request our postal contact details, email contact@whenuatech.com or phone 0800 210 013.
2. Information we collect
Depending on how you engage with us, we may collect:
- Website enquiries: your name, email address, area of interest and the message you choose to submit through our Get Involved form.
- Communications and partnerships: contact details, organisation or role, correspondence, and information relevant to mentoring, education or industry engagement.
- Student and SLS participation: where you join an activity, relevant enrolment or contact details, project involvement, deliverables, progress, feedback and assessment information needed to support the activity.
- Student voice and approved media: feedback, permitted testimonials and any photographs or other material that you have agreed may be used.
- Technical website information: information such as IP address, browser or device details, website requests, error logs and security events that may be recorded by our hosting, WordPress and security systems.
Providing information is generally voluntary. If you do not provide contact details, we may be unable to respond. If you take part in an SLS project, some information may be necessary for coordination, assessment or a requested credential.
We usually collect information directly from you. Where information comes from an educator, project coordinator, whānau member or another source, we will take reasonable steps to inform you as required by New Zealand privacy law.
Please avoid including passwords, financial information, health records or other sensitive personal details in the general website enquiry form.
3. How we use your information
We use information for purposes connected with our kaupapa, including to:
- Reply to enquiries and provide information you have requested.
- Connect interested people with appropriate Whenua Tech activities, mentors, educators or industry contacts.
- Plan, deliver and improve mentoring, industry-informed projects and SLS activities.
- Review submitted project work, provide feedback and assess practical achievement.
- Issue and verify digital credentials where the learner meets the relevant criteria.
- Maintain website performance, respond to misuse and protect our systems.
- Understand programme outcomes using aggregated or de-identified information where appropriate.
We will not add you to a marketing mailing list merely because you send an enquiry. Where we offer future news or Pipeline updates, we will explain what you are signing up to receive and how to opt out.
4. Rangatahi, whānau and student voice
Whenua Tech works with rangatahi, including some who may be under 18. We take particular care to collect only information relevant to the activity and to explain its use in clear, age-appropriate language. We may involve parents, guardians, whānau or educators where appropriate to the young person’s circumstances and the activity.
We seek permission before publishing identifiable student feedback, photographs or stories. Where a student has agreed to a first-name testimonial, we may identify them by first name, the relevant project context and the synthetic business they worked with. A student can contact us to discuss changing or removing published material. Removal from third-party posts, copies or archives may not always be within our control.
Sharing a testimonial is not required to participate in Whenua Tech activities or receive assessment.
5. SLS assessment and digital credentials
Where an eligible learner meets the published or agreed assessment criteria, Whenua Tech Incubator may issue a digital credential recognising their synthetic industry-project achievement. NanoTech IT acts as an industry partner and technical assessor for these activities, and Certifier is used to deliver and help verify digital certificates and achievement badges.
To issue or verify a credential, we may process a learner’s name, contact email, project title or area, relevant assessed achievement, issue date, credential identifier and related verification information. The learner will be told what is needed before issuance.
A verification link or QR code may allow someone who has the link to view the credential and its associated details. Learners who choose to share a badge on LinkedIn, a CV, a portfolio or another platform should understand that the shared information may become visible to others and be subject to that platform’s privacy settings.
These are industry-project credentials, not a substitute for a formal education qualification, vendor certification or a guarantee of employment. The future Whenua Tech Pipeline is under development; this website does not currently provide public learner profile registration.
7. Website technology and external services
Our website runs on WordPress with Astra and Elementor. It also uses email-delivery, caching and security tools. These technologies may use technical records or essential cookies to operate the site, keep it secure and support administrative access. We may review website and security logs to diagnose problems or prevent misuse.
We will update this policy and provide any appropriate choice or notice before introducing material new tracking, analytics, advertising or third-party embedded services that change how visitor information is handled.
Links to social networks and other external services take you away from our website. Their own privacy practices apply once you use those services.
8. Security, storage and retention
We use reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to help protect information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse and disclosure. No website or email system can be guaranteed completely secure.
We retain personal information only as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, for valid credential verification, and for applicable legal, operational or record-keeping requirements. We review information when it is no longer needed and take reasonable steps to delete it or de-identify it.
Some service providers, including cloud email and credential platforms, may process or store information outside New Zealand. We remain responsible for meeting our applicable obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, including relevant requirements for overseas disclosures.
If a privacy breach creates a risk of serious harm, we will take appropriate action, including notifying affected people and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner where required.
9. Your rights and choices
You can ask to access personal information we hold about you, ask for corrections, update communication preferences or discuss removing optional published material. Email contact@whenuatech.com with enough detail for us to identify the relevant information. We may need to verify your identity before releasing it.
Under New Zealand law, we generally must respond to an access or correction request within 20 working days, subject to permitted extensions and exceptions.
If you have concerns about how your information is handled, please contact us first so we can investigate. You can also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
10. Contact and policy changes
Whenua Tech Incubator
Kumeū, Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand
Email: contact@whenuatech.com
Phone: 0800 210 013
We may update this policy as our website, learning activities, technology and partnerships evolve. The updated date at the top of this page will show when it was last revised. If a significant change affects how we use information already held, we will take appropriate steps to inform the people concerned.