Privacy Policy
— merquessianfinecuisine.com
Last updated: 1 June 2025
1. Introduction
("we", "us" or "our") operates the hotel and casino property known as Merquessianfinecuisine, located at , and the associated website at merquessianfinecuisine.com (the "Website").
We are committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who visits our Website or submits an enquiry or reservation request through it. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what rights you have in relation to it.
This Policy applies solely to information collected through the Website. It does not govern personal information collected in person at our property, which is handled under separate on-site notices provided at the point of collection.
By using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
2. Data Controller
The data controller responsible for personal information collected through this Website is:
| Legal entity | |
|---|---|
| Registered address | |
| Company number | 9726384 |
| GST number | 247-936-281 |
| Privacy enquiries | privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com |
If you have any questions about this Policy or about how we handle your personal information, please contact us at the privacy email address above.
3. Personal Information We Collect
We collect personal information only to the extent necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. The categories of personal information we collect through the Website are set out below.
3.1 Contact and Reservation-Request Information
When you submit a reservation request, accommodation enquiry, dining enquiry or general contact form through the Website, we collect the information you voluntarily provide, which may include:
- Full name
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Requested arrival and departure dates
- Room or suite preferences
- Number of guests
- Special requests or preferences relevant to your stay
- Any other information you choose to include in a free-text message field
Where a reservation request relates to casino-floor access, we may ask you to confirm that you are aged 18 or over, in accordance with New Zealand law governing minimum entry age for gaming venues.
3.2 Device and Technical Information
When you browse the Website, our web server and any cookies or similar technologies we operate automatically record certain technical information from your device, which may include:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- Referring URL
- Pages visited and navigation path within the Website
- Date, time and duration of your visit
- Device type and screen resolution
3.3 Consent and Preference Data
Where you provide consent to specific processing activities — such as receiving marketing communications or accepting non-essential cookies — we record the fact and timestamp of that consent, together with the version of the notice presented to you, so that we can demonstrate compliance with our obligations.
3.4 Special-Category Personal Data
We do not intentionally collect special-category personal data through the Website. Please do not include such information in free-text fields. If special-category personal data is provided to us incidentally, we will handle it with heightened care and will not use it for any purpose other than responding to your enquiry, unless a separate legal basis exists.
3.5 Information About Third Parties
If you submit a reservation request on behalf of another person or a group, you confirm that you have authority to provide that person's information and that they have been informed of this Privacy Policy.
4. Purposes and Legal Bases for Processing
We process personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so under applicable New Zealand privacy legislation, including the Privacy Act 2020. The table below sets out our principal processing activities, their purposes and the corresponding legal basis.
| Processing activity | Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Processing reservation and enquiry forms | To respond to your request, communicate availability and confirm or facilitate your booking | Necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract; our legitimate interest in managing guest relations |
| Age verification for casino enquiries | To comply with the legal obligation to ensure casino visitors are aged 18 or over | Compliance with a legal obligation |
| Website analytics and performance monitoring | To understand how visitors use the Website, to identify and fix technical issues, and to improve content and navigation | Our legitimate interest in maintaining a functional and user-friendly website, subject to your cookie preferences |
| Security and fraud prevention | To detect and prevent fraudulent, abusive or malicious activity directed at the Website | Our legitimate interest in protecting our systems and guests |
| Marketing communications | To send you information about our property, offers and services where you have opted in | Your consent; you may withdraw consent at any time |
| Responding to complaints and legal claims | To investigate complaints, defend or bring legal proceedings, and comply with regulatory obligations | Legitimate interests; compliance with legal obligations |
| Record-keeping and compliance | To maintain records as required by New Zealand law and to demonstrate compliance with our privacy obligations | Compliance with a legal obligation |
Where we rely on legitimate interests as our legal basis, we have carried out a balancing assessment and are satisfied that our interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. You may request information about that assessment by contacting us at privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com.
6. Recipients of Personal Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your personal information with the following categories of recipients where necessary:
- Service providers: Third-party organisations that provide hosting, email delivery, IT support and Website analytics services on our behalf. These parties process personal information only on our instructions and are contractually bound to keep it secure and confidential.
- Professional advisers: Lawyers, accountants and auditors who require access to information in the course of providing services to us.
- Regulatory and law-enforcement authorities: Where we are required or permitted to disclose information by law, court order or regulatory requirement, or where disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of individuals or to investigate unlawful activity.
- Successors in business: In the event of a merger, acquisition or sale of our business or assets, personal information may be transferred to the relevant successor entity, subject to equivalent privacy protections.
We require all third parties who receive personal information from us to maintain appropriate technical and organisational safeguards and to use the information solely for the purposes for which it was shared.
7. International Transfers of Personal Information
is based in New Zealand and processes personal information primarily within New Zealand. Where we engage service providers whose systems are located in other countries, any transfer of personal information outside New Zealand is made in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, specifically the requirements of Information Privacy Principle 12 (IPP 12).
Before transferring personal information to an overseas recipient, we take steps to ensure either that:
- the recipient country's privacy laws provide comparable safeguards to those under the Privacy Act 2020; or
- the overseas recipient is subject to binding contractual obligations, model clauses or other appropriate safeguards that require them to protect the information in a manner consistent with New Zealand privacy standards.
You may request further details about the specific safeguards in place for any international transfers by contacting us at privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com.
8. Retention of Personal Information
We retain personal information for no longer than is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, taking into account applicable legal, tax and regulatory requirements. The following general retention periods apply to information collected through the Website:
| Category of information | General retention period | Basis for retention period |
|---|---|---|
| Reservation and enquiry data (confirmed booking) | 7 years from the date of the stay | Tax and accounting obligations under New Zealand law |
| Reservation and enquiry data (enquiry not resulting in booking) | 12 months from the date of the enquiry | Our legitimate interest in managing follow-up communications |
| Marketing consent records | For the duration of the marketing relationship plus 3 years after unsubscription | Ability to demonstrate consent if challenged |
| Web server logs and technical data | Up to 12 months | Security monitoring and troubleshooting |
| Cookie consent records | 3 years from the date of consent | Compliance records |
| Correspondence related to complaints or legal claims | 7 years from resolution | Limitation periods applicable to civil claims under New Zealand law |
Where information is no longer required, we securely delete or irreversibly anonymise it.
9. Security of Personal Information
We take the security of your personal information seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, loss or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption of data in transit using industry-standard protocols
- Access controls restricting access to personal information to authorised personnel on a need-to-know basis
- Regular review of access permissions
- Staff training on privacy and data-handling obligations
- Documented procedures for responding to privacy breaches
While we take all reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is entirely secure. You provide information to us through the Website at your own risk, and we encourage you to take appropriate precautions when submitting personal information online.
In the event of a notifiable privacy breach affecting your personal information, we will notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and, where required, you as an affected individual, in accordance with the mandatory notification requirements of the Privacy Act 2020.
10. Your Privacy Rights
Under the Privacy Act 2020 and applicable privacy principles, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information that we hold:
10.1 Right of Access
You have the right to request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you, and to obtain a copy of that information. We will respond to access requests within the timeframes prescribed by the Privacy Act 2020.
10.2 Right of Correction
If you believe that personal information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or out of date, you have the right to request that we correct it. Where we do not agree that a correction is warranted, we will attach a notation to the record reflecting your request.
10.3 Right to Withdraw Consent
Where we process your personal information on the basis of your consent (for example, for marketing communications or non-essential cookies), you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before the withdrawal. To unsubscribe from marketing communications, use the unsubscribe link in any marketing email we send you, or contact us at privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com.
10.4 Right to Object
Where we process your personal information on the basis of legitimate interests, you may object to that processing. We will consider your objection and either cease the processing or explain our compelling grounds for continuing it.
10.5 Right to Deletion
In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete personal information we hold about you. This right is not absolute and applies only where there is no overriding legal obligation or legitimate ground requiring us to retain the information.
10.6 How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of the above rights, please submit a written request to:
Privacy Officer
Email: privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com
We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request. We will respond within 20 working days of receiving a valid request, as required under the Privacy Act 2020. If a response within that period is not reasonably practicable, we will notify you and provide a revised timeframe.
11. Responsible Gaming and the Gambling Commission
The Department of Internal Affairs administers gambling regulation in New Zealand and publishes public guidance, responsible-gaming resources and self-exclusion tools available to any member of the public. If you wish to access those resources, you can do so by visiting the Department of Internal Affairs website or contacting the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand, which operates independently of this property. Details of both organisations are publicly available.
Any information you provide in connection with a self-exclusion or responsible-gaming request at our property is handled under a separate on-site notice and is not governed by this Website Privacy Policy.
12. Privacy Complaints
If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance so that we may address your concern directly:
Privacy Officer
Email: privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com
We will acknowledge your complaint promptly and aim to provide a substantive response within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, or if you prefer to contact the regulator directly, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand. The Privacy Commissioner has the independent statutory function of investigating privacy complaints and publishing guidance under the Privacy Act 2020. You can reach the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at:
- Website: www.privacy.org.nz
- Postal address: PO Box 10094, The Terrace, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
13. Links to Third-Party Websites
The Website may contain links to external websites operated by third parties. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit, as we have no control over and accept no responsibility for their content or privacy practices.
14. Visitors Under 18
The Website is not directed at persons under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 through this Website. If you believe that a person under 18 has submitted personal information to us through the Website, please contact us at privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com and we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Website, or applicable law. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to bring them to your attention, such as by displaying a prominent notice on the Website. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal information.
Continued use of the Website after a revised Policy has been published constitutes your acknowledgement of the updated terms.
16. Governing Law
This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of New Zealand, including the Privacy Act 2020. Any dispute arising in connection with this Policy that cannot be resolved through our internal complaints process shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand.
17. Contact Us
For all privacy-related enquiries, requests or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer:
| Entity | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| privacy@merquessianfinecuisine.com | |
| Website | merquessianfinecuisine.com |