Source: Privacy Commissioner
A man complained to our office in 2017 because Oranga Tamariki requested information about his criminal history from Police and discussed it with his partner. Oranga Tamariki said the collection and disclosure of the mans information was part of its process to determine whether it was safe for the partners daughter to return to live with the couple. The man claimed Oranga Tamariki breached his privacy by seeking his criminal history and disclosing it to his partner without his consent. He said the disclosure caused him stress, anxiety, humiliation and loss of dignity. Privacy principles
The mans complaint raised issues under principles 1, 2, 4 and 11 of the Privacy Act. Principle 1 says personal information should not be collected by any agency unless the agency has a lawful purpose connected to its function or activity as an agency.
