Privacy Policy
Last updated: 03/10/26
Macale (Macale Office Automation) is a bookkeeping, payroll and administration service based in Dunedin, New Zealand. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean Macale.
We take privacy seriously. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we look after it, and how you can see or correct it. It follows the Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles.
Who we are and how to contact us
Macale
441 Princes Street, Dunedin, New Zealand
Email: nicola@macale.nz
Phone: 027 469 6816
Our Privacy Officer is Nicola Macale. Please contact her with any privacy question, request or complaint.
What personal information we collect
We only collect what we need. Depending on how you deal with us, this may include:
- Contact details: your name, phone number, email address, business name and the type of business you run.
- Enquiry details: anything you tell us when you fill in our website contact form, a Facebook or Instagram lead form, send us a message, or call or email us.
- Client business records: if you become a client, the financial and business information we need to do your bookkeeping, payroll and administration. This can include invoices, receipts, bank transactions, supplier and customer details, and tax information such as IRD and GST numbers.
- Employee information for payroll: if we run payroll for you, details about your employees, such as names, contact details, IRD numbers, tax codes, bank account numbers, pay rates, hours, leave and KiwiSaver details.
- Identity information: where we help accounting firms with customer due diligence under anti-money laundering rules, identity documents and related details for their clients.
- Website information: basic technical details collected automatically when you visit our website, such as your browser type, the pages you view and how you arrived. See "Cookies and analytics" below.
How we collect it
Most information comes directly from you: through our website, our Facebook and Instagram ads and lead forms, by email, phone, text or in person.
Sometimes we collect information from other people, for example:
- employee details provided by a client so we can run their payroll
- records from a client's accountant, bank feed or accounting software
- client details provided by an accounting firm we're assisting.
When we collect information about you from someone else, we'll let you know we have it, as required by the Privacy Act, unless an exception applies. For example, we usually won't contact a client's employees directly when the client has already told them their payroll is handled by an outside provider.
Why we use it
We use personal information to:
- reply to your enquiry and talk with you about our services
- provide bookkeeping, payroll, invoicing, debt collection support and other services you've engaged us for
- meet legal obligations, including tax, employment and anti-money laundering requirements
- send invoices and manage our relationship with you
- send occasional updates about our services, but only if you've agreed, and you can unsubscribe at any time
- improve our website and advertising.
We won't use your information for anything unrelated to these purposes unless you agree or the law allows it.
You don't have to give us personal information. However, if you don't, we may not be able to answer your enquiry or provide our services.
Who we share it with
We don't sell personal information. We only share it when needed to do our job, with:
- Software providers we use to deliver our services, such as Xero, and other cloud accounting, payroll, job management or document tools we use for your work. These providers store information on our behalf.
- Inland Revenue and other government agencies, when we file returns, payroll information or other reports for you.
- Your accountant, bank or other advisers, where you've asked us to work with them.
- Accounting firms we assist, for information about their clients.
- Website and advertising providers, such as Squarespace (our website host) and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), when you contact us through those platforms.
- Anyone else the law requires or allows, for example under a court order.
Storing information overseas
Some of the cloud services we use, such as Xero, Squarespace and Meta, may store information on servers outside New Zealand, including in Australia and the United States. Where we send personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to make sure it's protected in a way that's comparable to New Zealand law, as required by the Privacy Act.
How we keep it safe
We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access. These include secure, password-protected cloud systems with two-factor authentication where available, limiting access to those who need it, and storing any paper records securely.
If a privacy breach happens that's likely to cause serious harm, we'll tell the people affected and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as soon as practicable, as required by law.
How long we keep it
We keep information only as long as we need it, or as long as the law requires. For example, business and tax records generally have to be kept for seven years under the Tax Administration Act 1994, and wage and time records for six years under the Employment Relations Act 2000. After that, we securely delete or destroy them.
Cookies and analytics
Our website is hosted on Squarespace, which uses cookies and similar technology to make the site work and to give us anonymous statistics about how it's used. We may also use the Meta Pixel to measure how well our Facebook and Instagram ads work. You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, although some parts of the site may not work as well.
Seeing and correcting your information
You have the right to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if it's wrong. To do this, contact Nicola using the details above. We'll respond within 20 working days and won't charge you for making a request. We may need to confirm your identity first.
If you're an employee of one of our clients, we may refer your request to your employer, since they're responsible for your employment records.
Concerns and complaints
If you have a concern about how we've handled your personal information, please contact Nicola first and we'll do our best to sort it out.
If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at [privacy.org.nz](https://www.privacy.org.nz) or on 0800 803 909.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated.