Privacy Policy | NZ Trails

1. Introduction

NZ Trails ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website canterburytrails.co.nz (the "Site").

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you:

Create an account on our Site
Submit a contact form or enquiry
Post reviews or comments
Upload photos
Subscribe to our newsletter

This information may include:

Name and email address
Username and display name
Profile information (bio, avatar)
Content you submit (reviews, photos, comments)

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you access our Site, we may automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

IP address and general location
Browser type and version
Operating system
Pages visited and time spent on pages
Referring website

2.3 Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect and store information about your preferences and browsing activity. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve advertisements based on your prior visits to this website and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visit to our Site and/or other sites on the Internet.

Specifically, Google uses the DoubleClick DART cookie to serve ads on our Site. The DART cookie enables Google to serve ads to users based on their visit to our Site and other sites on the Internet. You may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google Ads Settings page.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Provide, operate, and maintain our Site
Improve and personalise your experience
Respond to your enquiries and provide customer support
Send you updates and marketing communications (with your consent)
Monitor and analyse usage patterns and trends
Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
Comply with legal obligations

4. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

Service providers: With third-party vendors who perform services on our behalf (e.g., hosting, analytics, email services)
Legal requirements: When required by law or to protect our rights
User-generated content: Information you post publicly (reviews, photos, comments) is visible to other users

5. Third-Party Services

Our Site may use third-party services including:

Google Analytics: For website analytics and performance monitoring
Google AdSense: For displaying advertisements
Mapbox: For interactive maps
Supabase: For authentication and data storage

These third parties have their own privacy policies governing the use of your information. We encourage you to review their policies.

6. Advertising

We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on our Site. Google AdSense is a third-party advertising service provided by Google LLC. Google AdSense uses cookies, including the DoubleClick DART cookie, to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website and other websites on the Internet.

Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its advertising partners to serve ads to you based on your browsing history. This may include information about your visits to this and other websites, your IP address, your ISP, and the browser you used to visit our Site.

How to opt out of personalised advertising:

Google Ads Settings — manage or disable personalised ads from Google
Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out — opt out from participating advertising networks
Network Advertising Initiative opt-out — opt out of targeted advertising from NAI member companies

For more information on how Google uses data when you use our Site, please visit How Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.

We are not responsible for the content of third-party advertisements or for the products or services they promote. The inclusion of advertisements on our Site does not constitute an endorsement by NZ Trails.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law. When your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

9. Your Rights

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

Access your personal information
Request correction of inaccurate information
Request deletion of your information (in certain circumstances)
Withdraw consent for processing
Lodge a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner

To exercise these rights, please contact us.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.

11. Consent

By using our Site, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms. If you require any more information or have any questions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us.

12. International Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than New Zealand. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last updated" date.

14. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.