Legal Information

Terms & Conditions

Effective Date: 13 February 2025
Updated: 27 April 2025

Welcome to ElderLink New Zealand / ElderLink Marlborough (“ElderLink,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern the use of our website at elderlink.org.nz and subdomains (the “Website”) and apply to all users who access or interact with the Website and its Services.

By using our Website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must immediately cease using this Website.

1. About ElderLink New Zealand

1.1 Who We Are

ElderLink New Zealand is a registered charitable trust providing essential community support services to Marlborough residents in the 65+ age demographic who receive a government pension and rely on it as their sole or primary source of income. Our mission is to promote well-being, independence, and social connection among the demographic by offering:

  • Essential assistance – food parcels, welfare checks, and practical support for those in financial hardship.
  • Community events – social gatherings, movie evenings, and fundraising campaigns.
  • Volunteer programs – opportunities for individuals to assist with ElderLink’s services.
  • Advocacy & education – raising awareness about issues affecting over-65s and promoting intergenerational initiatives for the purposes of future-proofing ElderLink's immediate and long-term vision.

1.2 Legal Information

ElderLink New Zealand is an incorporated charity governed by legislation including the Charitable Trusts Act 1957, the Trusts Act 2019, and the Incorporated Societies Act 2022:

  • New Zealand Business Number (NZBN): 9429052630187
  • Incorporation Number: 50227281
  • Date of Incorporation: 13 February 2025
  • Registration with Charity Services: Pending

1.3 Our Website

The ElderLink Website serves as an online information hub where users can:

  • Learn about our services and support programs.
  • Sign up for volunteering opportunities.
  • Make secure online donations via external platforms like Givealittle.
  • Register for community events.
  • Access resources and updates relevant to over-65s.

While we strive to keep information accurate and up to date, service availability may vary based on funding, volunteer capacity, and other factors.

2. Definitions

For clarity, the following terms apply throughout these Terms & Conditions:

  • “Website” refers to elderlink.org.nz and any subdomains, pages, or services associated with it.
  • “User” refers to any individual or entity accessing or interacting with the Website.
  • “Services” refers to any information, programs, volunteer opportunities, donation processes, or resources provided through the Website.
  • “Volunteer” refers to any individual participating in ElderLink’s programs or assisting in its community initiatives.
  • “Content” refers to all text, images, videos, graphics, and other materials hosted on the Website.
  • “Personal Data” refers to any information voluntarily provided by users, such as name, email, or donation details.

3. Who Can Use This Website

3.1 General Access

  • Users must be at least 16 years old or have parental/guardian consent to access certain features, such as donation forms.
  • By using the Website, you confirm that you are accessing it legally and in good faith.

3.2 Prohibited Activities

Users must not:

  • Engage in illegal, fraudulent, or deceptive activities.
  • Post or transmit harmful, offensive, or misleading content.
  • Attempt to hack, disrupt, or interfere with the Website’s operation.
  • Use the Website for unauthorised commercial purposes (e.g., advertising, data mining).

ElderLink reserves the right to restrict or terminate access for users violating these Terms.

4. User Contributions & Interactions

4.1 Submitting Content

By submitting any content (e.g., forms, comments, messages) to the Website, you agree that:

  • You own or have rights to the content.
  • Your content does not infringe on third-party rights.
  • ElderLink may review, remove, or edit content that is inappropriate.

4.2 Volunteer Applications

  • Volunteers may be subject to police vetting or background checks.
  • ElderLink reserves the right to decline volunteer applications based on eligibility criteria.

5. External Links & Third-Party Content

  • Our Website may contain links to external third-party sites (e.g., government resources, donation platforms like Givealittle).
  • ElderLink does not control or endorse external content.
  • We are not responsible for the accuracy, policies, or security of third-party sites.
  • Users should review external terms and privacy policies before engaging with third-party websites.

6. Donations, Refunds & Tax Information

6.1 Making Donations

The ElderLink Website facilitates donations through secure, third-party payment gateways (e.g., Givealittle). All transactions are subject to the terms and privacy policies of these providers.

ElderLink does not directly process or store credit card information. For queries regarding donations, please refer to the relevant payment platform’s support channels or contact us for guidance.

6.2 Refund Policy

Donations made to ElderLink New Zealand are generally non-refundable. We allocate these funds promptly to support our charitable activities.

In exceptional circumstances, such as processing errors or duplicate transactions, refund requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us within 14 days of the transaction at elderlinknz@gmail.com with relevant details.

Eligibility for a refund is at ElderLink’s discretion, consistent with applicable laws.

6.3 Tax Receipts

As a New Zealand registered charitable trust (pending final approval from Charities Services), donations made to ElderLink may be eligible for tax credits.

Official donation receipts for tax purposes will be issued by our third-party donation platforms (e.g., Givealittle) or directly by ElderLink for other donation methods where applicable. Please ensure your contact details are accurate to receive these receipts.

For information on claiming tax credits, consult the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) website or a tax advisor.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our Content

All content on this Website, including text, graphics, logos (such as the ElderLink logo and associated brand assets), images, and software, is the property of ElderLink New Zealand or its content suppliers and is protected by New Zealand and international copyright laws. The “ElderLink” name and logo are trademarks of ElderLink New Zealand.

7.2 Limited Licence

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the Website and its Content for personal, non-commercial purposes, subject to these Terms.

7.3 Restrictions

You may not:

  • Modify, copy, reproduce, or republish any Content from this Website without prior written consent from ElderLink.
  • Use any Content for commercial purposes or public display.
  • Attempt to decompile or reverse engineer any software contained on the Website.
  • Remove any copyright or other proprietary notations from the Content.
  • Transfer the Content to another person or “mirror” the Content on any other server.

This licence shall automatically terminate if you violate any of these restrictions and may be terminated by ElderLink at any time. Upon terminating your viewing of this Content or upon the termination of this licence, you must destroy any downloaded Content in your possession whether in electronic or printed format.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Website and its Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. ElderLink makes no warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims and negates all other warranties including, without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement of intellectual property or other violation of rights.

Further, ElderLink does not warrant or make any representations concerning the accuracy, likely results, or reliability of the use of the Content on its Website or otherwise relating to such Content or on any sites linked to this Website. While we strive for accuracy, information may occasionally be incomplete or outdated. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access or error-free operation of the Website.

9. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall ElderLink New Zealand, its trustees, employees, volunteers, or affiliates be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, damages for loss of data or profit, or due to business interruption) arising out of the use or inability to use the Website or its Services, even if ElderLink or an ElderLink authorised representative has been notified orally or in writing of the possibility of such damage.

This includes, but is not limited to, direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages. Because some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties, or limitations of liability for consequential or incidental damages, these limitations may not apply to you. In such jurisdictions, ElderLink’s liability shall be limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

Our total liability to you for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Website or Services will not exceed NZD $50.

10. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes arising from or related to these Terms or the use of the Website shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand.

11. Changes to These Terms

ElderLink reserves the right to revise these Terms at any time without prior notice. By using this Website, you are agreeing to be bound by the then-current version of these Terms and Conditions. We encourage you to review this page periodically for any changes. The “Updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the Terms were last revised.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions about these Terms & Conditions, please contact us at:

ElderLink New Zealand
Email: elderlinknz@gmail.com
Phone: +64 21 081 80827
Address: 4/72 Market Street, Blenheim, Marlborough, 7201, New Zealand

Thank you for visiting ElderLink New Zealand.

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 13 February 2025
Updated: 27 April 2025

ElderLink New Zealand / ElderLink Marlborough (“ElderLink,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website elderlink.org.nz (the “Website”), interact with our services, or otherwise engage with us. This policy complies with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect personal information from you in various ways, including:

1.1 Information You Provide Directly:

  • Contact Information: When you contact us, sign up for newsletters, register for events, or apply to volunteer, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, postal address, and other relevant contact details.
  • Service User Information: If you or someone you know is applying for or receiving our services, we may collect information necessary to assess eligibility and provide appropriate support. This can include age, living situation, financial information (with consent, for hardship assessments), health-related information (only if relevant to service provision and with explicit consent), and emergency contact details. This information is treated with the utmost confidentiality.
  • Volunteer Information: If you apply to volunteer, we collect information such as your skills, availability, interests, and potentially references or information for background checks (e.g., police vetting) as required and with your consent.
  • Donation Information: When you make a donation, information required to process the donation (such as name and contact details) is collected. Financial transaction details are typically handled by secure third-party payment processors (e.g., Givealittle), and we do not store your full credit card numbers. We receive reports from these platforms with donor details for acknowledgement and record-keeping.
  • Communications: Records of your communications with us, including emails, messages via contact forms, or feedback you provide.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically:

  • Log Data: Like many websites, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Website (“Log Data”). This Log Data may include your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Website that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics. This is typically anonymised or aggregated.
  • Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track activity on our Website and hold certain information. Cookies are files with a small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Website. (See our Cookies Policy section for more details).

1.3 Information from Third Parties:

  • We may receive information about you from third parties, such as referring agencies (with client consent), donation platforms (e.g., Givealittle, when you donate to us), or publicly available sources.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To Provide and Manage Our Services: To assess eligibility for our services, deliver food parcels, conduct welfare checks, coordinate volunteer activities, and manage event registrations.
  • To Communicate With You: To respond to your enquiries, send you newsletters or updates (if you’ve opted-in), provide information about our services, events, and volunteer opportunities, and for administrative purposes.
  • To Process Donations: To process donations, issue receipts (where applicable), and thank our donors.
  • To Improve Our Website and Services: To understand how our Website is used, analyse trends, gather demographic information, and improve our content, functionality, and user experience.
  • For Volunteer Management: To recruit, train, coordinate, and communicate with our valued volunteers.
  • For Legal and Compliance Purposes: To comply with our legal obligations (e.g., charitable reporting, health and safety), resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
  • For Fundraising and Awareness: To promote our work, share stories (with explicit consent), and seek support for our mission.
  • For Safety and Security: To protect the rights, property, or safety of ElderLink, our service users, volunteers, and the public.

3. How We Share Your Information

ElderLink New Zealand does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

  • With Your Consent: We will share your personal information with third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so (e.g., sharing a client story, referring you to another support service).
  • Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, data analysis, email delivery, payment processing (e.g., for donations), IT support, and volunteer management systems. These providers are obligated to protect your information and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.
  • Referring Agencies/Partners: With client consent, we may share necessary information with other community organisations or government agencies to coordinate support and referrals.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with our services, protect the personal safety of users or the public, or protect against legal liability.
  • Aggregated or Anonymised Data: We may share aggregated or anonymised information (which does not identify you) for research, reporting, or statistical purposes.
  • In Case of Merger or Transfer: If ElderLink New Zealand undergoes a merger, restructuring, or transfer of operations, your information may be transferred as part of that process, subject to the commitments made in this Privacy Policy.

4. Data Storage, Security, and Retention

4.1 Data Storage and Security:

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. We use a combination of physical, administrative, and technical safeguards. This includes storing information in secure systems, restricting access to authorised personnel, and using encryption or other security measures where appropriate (e.g., for online forms transmitting sensitive data).

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

4.2 Data Retention:

We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements, or as otherwise required or permitted by New Zealand law.

For example:

  • Information related to service users may be kept for the duration of service provision and a reasonable period thereafter for record-keeping and reporting.
  • Volunteer information may be kept for the duration of their engagement and for a period afterwards for administrative purposes.
  • Donor information is kept as required for financial auditing and tax purposes (typically 7 years in New Zealand).

When your personal information is no longer needed, we will securely destroy or anonymise it.

5. Your Rights and Choices (Privacy Act 2020)

Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you have rights regarding your personal information. These include:

  • Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
  • Right to Correction: You have the right to request the correction of any personal information we hold about you if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
  • Right to Complain: If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to make a complaint to us (see contact details below) and, if you are not satisfied with our response, to the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this policy. We will respond to your request in accordance with the Privacy Act, generally within 20 working days. We may require you to provide proof of identity before we can process your request.

6. Cookies Policy

Our Website uses cookies to enhance your Browse experience and to help us understand how our site is used.

6.1 What are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device by websites that you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the site owners.

6.2 How We Use Cookies:

  • Essential Cookies: Some cookies are essential for the operation of our Website. For example, they may enable navigation or access to secure areas.
  • Analytical/Performance Cookies: These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our Website when they are using it (e.g., Google Analytics). This helps us improve the way our Website works, for example, by ensuring that users find what they are looking for easily. The information collected is typically aggregated and anonymous.
  • Functionality Cookies: These are used to recognise you when you return to our Website. This enables us to personalise our content for you or remember your preferences.
  • Third-Party Cookies: Some cookies may be set by third-party services embedded on our site, such as video players (e.g., YouTube) or social media sharing buttons. These third parties have their own cookie and privacy policies.

6.3 Your Choices Regarding Cookies:

Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. You can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. However, if you choose to disable cookies, some parts of our Website may not function properly.

To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org.

For Google Analytics, you can opt-out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites by visiting http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

7. Children's Privacy

Our Website and services are not primarily directed at individuals under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 without parental consent. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 16 without verifiable parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information.

8. Links to Other Websites

Our Website may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us (e.g., Givealittle, government services, community partners). If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our 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 “Updated” date at the top. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

ElderLink New Zealand
Attn: Privacy Officer
Email: elderlinknz@gmail.com
Phone: +64 21 081 80827
Address: 4/72 Market Street, Blenheim, Marlborough, 7201, New Zealand

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you have the right to complain to the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner: www.privacy.org.nz.