Privacy policy

Who we are

Connect Services ("Connect", "we"), trading as Connect New Zealand, runs connectnewzealand.co.nz and our regional sites (such as connectcoromandel.co.nz). We connect people who need work done with vetted local tradies. This policy explains what personal information we collect and how we use it, in line with the Privacy Act 2020.

What we collect

• Customers: your name, phone, email, job address or town, the job description and any photos you upload.
• Tradies: business and contact details, region and trades, trade licence numbers, business structure and NZBN or IRD number, insurance details, references, quotes you send us, GST details and payout details.
• Connect Marketplace: listing details and the seller's name, email and phone.
• Payments: deposits are processed by Stripe. We don't see or store your card number.
• Basic, anonymous website usage statistics (pages visited, device type) to improve the site.

How we use it

• To scope your job, send it to suitable tradies, show you their quotes and arrange the work.
• To vet tradies before they can see jobs (we may contact references, check public registers and confirm insurance).
• To take deposits and balances, and to pay tradies.
• To send you emails about your job, quote, listing or account.
• To keep records we're required to keep, and to resolve problems or disputes.

Who we share it with

We only share what's needed: a tradie sees your job details and photos when we ask them to quote, and your name, phone, email and address only once you accept their quote. Marketplace listings are public, including the contact details the seller chooses to show.

We use trusted service providers to run Connect — hosting (Vercel), database and file storage (Supabase), email (Resend) and payments (Stripe). Some of them store data outside New Zealand; we choose providers with appropriate safeguards.

We don't sell your personal information.

The Connect app and Connect Labour

If you use the Connect app, we collect your name, email, phone number and any photos you add to jobs. We also store a push notification token for your device so we can send you job alerts; you can turn these off in your phone's settings at any time.

If you work through Connect Labour, the app records your precise location at the moment you clock in and the moment you clock out. That location is stored with that shift so the client can confirm your hours. We don't track your location between clock-ins, and the app doesn't run in the background. You can decline to share your location and still clock in — the shift is simply recorded without it.

To delete your account and the information we hold about you, email admin@connectcoromandel.co.nz from the address on your account. We'll delete it within 20 working days, apart from records we're required by law to keep (such as payment records).

Website visits

We count visits to our pages ourselves, without cookies and without any third-party tracker. Each visit is recorded as the page viewed, where you came from (for example a search engine), the type of device, your country, and a scrambled code made from your connection and the day. That code can't be turned back into you, and it changes every day, so we can't follow you from one visit to the next. We use these counts to see which pages are useful. Our hosting provider may also keep standard server logs.

Keeping it safe

Our database is only reachable by our own servers, tradie accounts are invite-only and password-protected, and admin access is restricted. We keep information only as long as we need it for the purposes above or as the law requires.

Your rights

You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct it. Email admin@connectcoromandel.co.nz and we'll respond within 20 working days. If you're not happy with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (privacy.org.nz).