Privacy Policy

Commitment to website privacy and responsible use of information

At Westpac Institutional Bank, New Zealand, we are committed to ensuring the privacy of your information.

We understand that as a customer using our website the privacy of your personal information is important to you.

The following statement has been developed in the recognition that Internet technologies are rapidly evolving.

Should we change our website privacy statement for any reason, such changes will always be posted to this page. However, if you have any further questions relating to this privacy statement, please do not hesitate to email us .

Information we collect

Our web server collects the following types of information for statistical purposes:

• The number of people who visit the website (gathered via IP address logs)
• The date and time of visits
• The number of pages viewed
• Traffic patterns

This is anonymous statistical data and no attempt is made to identify users or their individual browsing activities. We use this aggregate data to evaluate our website performance and measure the interest in the various areas of our site.

Cookies

We use session cookies as an integral part of the identification process for our online services. This is for security purposes to determine that you are who you say you are and to provide you with your confidential account information during an online banking session.

No personal information is kept in the cookie and the cookie is not written to your hard drive. When you log out of your online session, the cookie is no longer valid and is discarded when you close your browser.

IP addresses

The Westpac Institutional Bank, New Zealand website logs IP addresses, or the location of your computer on the Internet. This is for system administration and troubleshooting purposes.

When you provide information

The type of information that we collect from you will depend on what products and services you use on the website. Specific details on each product and service are detailed within terms and conditions on the website and supersede this general statement.

When applying for a Westpac Institutional Bank product or online service we will request personal information such as your name, address, bank account details, your email address and a contact phone number. This information is fundamental in order for you to open an account or transact with us, and so that we may contact you when necessary on issues relating directly to the product or service. This practice is consistent with our branch and telephone policies.

From time to time, we may collect additional personal information from website users in connection with optional competitions, surveys, or special offers.

Information disclosure

We may release information about you when required to, or permitted by law.

We may also disclose information where you have authorised us to, or where disclosure is connected to the purpose for which it was collected - e.g. online applications.

You have the right to access and correct this information subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993.

We will not, however, use your personal information for any purpose that is not related to the products or services we provide to you, or for any purpose for which you would not reasonably expect us to use the information. For example, your information may be used by Westpac and its related companies to enable us to offer you other products and services that may enhance your relationship with us. It is your decision whether you wish us to provide this service to you.

We may share the information we gather in aggregate form with advertisers and other partners. However, we will not sell or disclose personal information about you as an individual to any third party or entity outside Westpac Institutional Bank, New Zealand or its related companies (including Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 incorporated in Australia and Westpac New Zealand Limited.).

Email address

If you are registered customer for one of our online services, such as Internet banking or broking, we may use your email address to advise you of any upgrades or changes to these services.

We may also use your email address to periodically send promotional email about product and service offers from Westpac Institutional Bank, New Zealand that are relevant to you.

It is our policy to only email customers who give us permission to do so. If we send you an email for a commercial purpose, we will give you the option of not receiving further communications of this nature.

Security of captured data

To prevent unauthorised access, maintain data accuracy and ensure appropriate use of any customer supplied information, we have put in place physical, electronic and managerial processes to protect the information we collect via our website.

When capturing customer data through our online services, it is passed through a secure Westpac server using encryption technology to ensure that your information is protected when being sent over the Internet.

Additionally, all stored customer information is protected from unauthorised access through the use of secure passwords and user logons or other security procedures.