Privacy Policy

Last updated: 21 July 2026

EcoQuest ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This policy explains what information we collect through this website, why we collect it, how it's used, and the rights you have over it. It's written to meet our obligations under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

By using this website or submitting information to us through it, you agree to the collection and use of information in line with this policy.

Who we are

This website is operated by EcoQuest. If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, contact us at franklinbats@ecoquest.co.nz.

Information we collect

Newsletter sign-up

When you sign up for our newsletter, we collect your first name, last name (optional) and email address. This information is passed directly to our email marketing platform, Mailchimp, who store and process it on our behalf so we can send you updates about our conservation work, news and events. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email, or by contacting us directly.

Mailchimp is operated by Intuit Inc. and stores data on servers located outside New Zealand (in the United States). By subscribing, you consent to your information being transferred and stored overseas for this purpose. Mailchimp's own privacy practices are described in their privacy policy.

Shop and donations

Our online shop and donation features are being rolled out. Once live, if you place an order or make a donation through this website we will collect the information needed to process it — such as your name, email address, delivery address and order details. Payment is handled by a third-party payment provider (for example PayPal); we do not receive or store your full card or bank account details on our own servers. The payment provider processes that information under its own privacy policy and terms.

Getting in touch

If you contact us directly by email (for example to arrange a bank transfer donation or ask a question), we collect whatever information you choose to include in that email, such as your name, email address and the content of your message. We use this only to respond to you and to keep any records needed for our own administration.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, our server and security tools automatically log some technical information for every visit — such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited and time of visit. We use this only for site security (including through our security plugin, Wordfence, which may temporarily log activity to detect and block malicious traffic), to keep the site running reliably, and to understand general traffic patterns. We do not currently use third-party analytics or advertising tracking (such as Google Analytics or advertising pixels) on this site. If that changes, this policy will be updated first.

Cookies

This site uses only the essential cookies needed for it to function — for example, cookies set by WordPress and by our security plugin. If our shop is in use, WooCommerce may also set cookies to remember the contents of your cart. We don't use cookies for advertising or cross-site tracking.

How we use your information

• To send newsletters and updates you've signed up for
• To process orders, donations and enquiries
• To respond to questions or requests you send us
• To keep the website secure and functioning properly
• To meet our legal and accounting obligations

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties.

Who we share information with

We only share personal information with the third parties needed to provide the services above:

• Mailchimp — for sending newsletter emails
• Our payment provider — for processing shop orders and donations, once these features are live
• Our web hosting provider — to store website data and keep the site running
• Any party we're required to share information with by law

How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold, including using security software (Wordfence) to guard against unauthorised access, and taking regular backups of site data. No method of storage or transmission over the internet is 100% secure, so we can't guarantee absolute security, but we work to keep your information safe.

How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as it's needed for the purpose it was collected — for example, newsletter details until you unsubscribe, or order and donation records for as long as required for our accounting and legal obligations.

Your rights

Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct any information that's wrong or out of date
• Ask us to delete your information, where we're not required to keep it for legal or accounting reasons
• Withdraw consent — for example, unsubscribing from our newsletter at any time

To make any of these requests, contact us at franklinbats@ecoquest.co.nz. If you're not satisfied with how we've handled your information, you also have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Children's privacy

This website is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate consent.

International visitors

This website can be accessed from outside New Zealand. If you use it from another country, your information may be transferred to and processed in New Zealand and in the other countries mentioned in this policy (such as the United States, via Mailchimp).

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time — for example, once our shop and donation features go live, or if we start using new third-party services. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. We encourage you to review this page occasionally.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your information, please contact us at franklinbats@ecoquest.co.nz.