Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Working With Animals is a sole trader animal communication practice operated by Steve Mullan, based in Waikato, New Zealand.

For any privacy-related enquiries or requests, contact Steve directly:

• Email: hello@workingwithanimals.co.nz
• Location: Waikato, New Zealand

2. What personal information we collect

Information you give us directly

When you use the contact form or book a session, we may collect:

• Your name and email address
• Your phone number (if provided)
• Information about your animal (name, species, age, behaviour)
• Any other information you choose to include in your message or questionnaire

Information collected automatically

When you visit this website, certain information is collected automatically by third-party analytics tools (described below), including:

• Pages visited and time spent on the site
• How you arrived at the site (search, referral, direct)
• Browser type and device type
• Approximate geographic location (country/region level)
• IP address (partially anonymised by Google Analytics)

We do not collect payment card details. Payment is handled directly between Steve and the client via bank transfer or a third-party payment platform, outside this website.

3. How we use your information

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to your enquiries and book sessions
• Conduct animal communication sessions and deliver recordings and written notes
• Communicate with you about your booking or follow-up questions
• Understand how people find and use this website, so we can improve it (via analytics)

We do not use your information for unsolicited marketing without your explicit consent. We do not sell your information to any third party.

4. New Zealand Privacy Act 2020

Working With Animals complies with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and the 13 Information Privacy Principles (IPPs). In summary, these principles require that:

• Personal information is collected only for a lawful purpose directly connected to our services (IPP 1)
• Information is collected directly from the individual where practicable (IPP 2)
• You are informed why information is collected and who we are at the time of collection (IPP 3)
• Information is not collected by unlawful means (IPP 4)
• Information is stored securely and protected from loss or unauthorised access (IPP 5)
• Information is accessible to the individual on request (IPP 6)
• You can request corrections to inaccurate information (IPP 7)
• Information is not used without checking it is accurate and current (IPP 8)
• Information is not kept longer than necessary (IPP 9)
• Information is not used for a purpose other than that for which it was collected (IPP 10)
• Information is not disclosed to third parties without your consent, except as required by law (IPP 11)
• Unique identifiers are not used inappropriately (IPP 12)
• Information is not transferred overseas except where appropriate protections are in place (IPP 13)

5. Third-party platforms

This website uses the following third-party services. Each collects data under their own privacy policy.

6. Overseas disclosure

The third-party platforms listed above (Google Analytics, Calendly, and Formspree) are US-based companies. By using this website and its forms, some of your information may be processed and stored in the United States or other countries outside New Zealand.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that these providers maintain adequate data protection standards. Each has its own privacy policy (linked above) describing how they handle data and comply with applicable laws.

7. Data retention and security

We retain personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purpose for which it was collected. Contact form submissions and session-related information are kept for a reasonable period to allow for follow-up and record keeping, and then deleted.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, unauthorised access, use, or disclosure. Session recordings are stored securely and shared only with the client who booked the session.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. We cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted to us electronically.

8. Your rights

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

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request corrections if the information is inaccurate or incomplete
• Request deletion of your information (subject to any legal retention obligations)

To exercise any of these rights, contact Steve at hello@workingwithanimals.co.nz. We will respond within a reasonable time, and no later than 20 working days as required by the Act.

Complaints

If you believe we have breached your privacy, please contact us first to give us an opportunity to resolve the matter. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner:

• Website: privacy.org.nz
• Phone: 0800 803 909 (within NZ)

9. Cookies

This website uses cookies set by Google Analytics and Calendly when you interact with those tools. These cookies help those services function correctly and collect usage data as described above.

You can control cookie behaviour through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of embedded tools such as the Calendly booking widget.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version will always be available at this page, with the date of the last update noted at the top. If we make material changes, we will take reasonable steps to let regular clients know.