Last Updated: 9 January 2026
At RateMe, we take your privacy seriously. This policy explains how we handle your information when you use our platform to share and read reviews of New Zealand businesses.
When we say "RateMe", "we", "our", or "us", we mean RateMe, located at 17c Lane Street, Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand, which is the entity responsible for handling your personal information.
When we say "platform" or "service", we mean all of RateMe's websites and applications.
When we say "public information", we mean information published on our platform that anyone on the internet can see. When we say "private information", we mean information we don't publish on our platform.
Our platform contains links to other websites, but that doesn't mean we endorse them. We encourage you to check out their privacy policies because how they handle your information might be different to how we do things.
When you write a review, both the review and your RateMe profile are visible to anyone who visits our platform. People can click on your profile and see where you're from and all the reviews you've written—including what businesses you've reviewed and any photos you've shared. If you're a business user replying to reviews about your company, those replies are visible too. We consider all of this to be public information. You get to decide how much or how little personal information you want to share when creating your profile and username.
Personal information is any information that can identify you. When you create a RateMe account, write a review, set up a business account, or use our services, we collect and process information about you.
Please don't share sensitive personal information with us, such as details about your ethnicity, religious beliefs, or health information.
We may collect the following public and private information:
Public Information
Your Account Details: Username, photo, and location.
Review Information:
Review Interactions: How many people found your review useful, and whether you've marked other reviews as useful.
Social Media Connections: If you connect your RateMe profile to Facebook or other social networks, we'll collect selected information from that network (like your name, username, and profile photo) based on what you've made available there and your privacy settings. You'll be told exactly what information we'll collect before we do it. You can disconnect your social media profile anytime through your account settings.
If You're a Business Account Holder, We Also Collect:
Business Details: Your company name, website, address, and other information you add to your business profile like what services you offer.
Review Replies: Your name, company details, what you wrote in your reply, and when you replied.
Private Information
Account Security: Your password and language preference.
Contact Details: Your name, email address, and any other contact information you provide.
Review Activity:
Technical Information: Your IP address, browser type and settings, and general location.
Usage Information: Your search history on RateMe, how you interact with our platform and emails, time spent on the site, features you use, and email links you click.
View Counts: How many people have read your review.
Verification Data: If you verify your identity, we collect your name, images of documents you submit, document numbers and expiry dates, and your date of birth.
Questions You Ask: If you ask questions on a business's website through our platform, we collect the business, product, question content, date, and the business's response.
Business Requests: If a business asks you questions through our "Request Information" tool and you respond, we'll collect and share your response (including your name, phone number, email, and reference ID) with that business.
Preferences: Your account settings, consent choices, newsletter preferences, and cookie settings.
Communications: Messages you send us, feedback, help requests, and associated details like time and date.
Call Recordings: Phone or video calls with RateMe may be recorded for training, quality control, and compliance purposes.
If You're a Business Account Holder, We Also Collect:
Business Account Security: Your password.
Reports and Replies: Details about reviews you've reported, reasons for reports, and dates.
Business Verification: Contact details, images of documents, document numbers and expiry dates, date of birth, and bank account details (if you're on a paid plan).
Most information comes directly from you when you create an account or use our platform—like when you write reviews or reply to them.
Sometimes we receive information from others. For example, when you sign up using Facebook, they provide us with certain details. When a business sends review invitations on their behalf, they give us your name, email, and reference number. We may also receive information from third parties for fraud prevention.
We automatically collect some information from your device as you use our services—like your IP address, location, device and browser details, and how you interact with our platform.
A data controller decides how and why your information is used. A data processor follows the controller's instructions.
If you've been invited to write a review by a business, or you've provided information to a business through our "Request Information" tool, that business is the data controller and we're the data processor. You should contact them directly with any questions or to exercise your rights regarding that data.
For everything else—like your account information, reviews you write, or replies you post—RateMe is the data controller. Depending on which services our business customers use, they may also be data controllers of some of your data, like your reviews and username.
We use your information to:
If You Have a User Account, We Also Use Your Information To:
If You Have a Business Account, We Also Use Your Information To:
We may use automated systems, including machine learning and AI, for these purposes.
Legal Basis for Processing
We process your information because we need to:
If you've given us consent (like subscribing to newsletters or accepting cookies), you can withdraw it anytime through your account settings or by contacting us. However, we may still be able to process your information if we have another legal basis to do so.
You have the right to object to how we process your information or ask us to restrict processing—see "Your Rights" below for details.
Your Public Information (Reviewers and Business Users)
We share your public information on our platform so others can read about experiences with businesses. Remember, if you use your real name as your username, this reveals your identity publicly.
Business users' public profile information is also accessible to anyone visiting RateMe.
Your Private Information
Some RateMe employees have access to your data to facilitate everything described in this policy, but access is limited to those who have a genuine work-related need.
If you've been sent a review invitation by one of our business customers, they can access your data within their RateMe Business account. If you write a review in response to their invitation, they can match your review with their invitation. Remember, these businesses are data controllers of this data—contact them with any questions.
Your Information Shared with Third Parties
One of our main goals is to maximise the visibility and usefulness of reviews. We allow independent third parties to access public information (like usernames, profiles, review content, and business replies) through our system to use in their own products and services. This helps more people see and benefit from reviews. We only share data this way when third parties agree to appropriate protections.
Third parties that may access public information include:
If you respond to a business's request for information (via our "Request Information" tool), that information goes directly to the business. If we need to verify your experience with documentation, we won't share that documentation with the business. However, we might pass on reference numbers or order IDs unless you ask us not to.
Your Information Shared with Service Providers
We share your information with selected service providers who help us run our platform and deliver our services (like hosting providers and payment processors). These providers must follow our instructions and have agreements with us to protect your data. We ensure they have appropriate security measures in place.
Some service providers are located outside New Zealand and may have different data protection standards. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data regardless of location through technical, organisational, and legal measures.
Other Disclosures
We also share your information:
We only keep your data as long as we need it or are legally required to. This depends on why we collected it and whether we have a continuing legal basis to keep it. When we no longer have a valid reason to keep your data, we'll delete it or anonymise it.
Information you provide, including reviews, is kept as long as you have a RateMe account or as needed to provide services. If you delete your account, we retain certain information we're required by law or have legitimate interests to keep—like for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, and defending our business interests.
Keeping your information secure is our top priority. We use various technical, organisational, and administrative measures to protect your data and regularly audit our systems for vulnerabilities. However, since the internet isn't completely secure, we can't guarantee absolute security. Emails may not be encrypted, so don't include confidential information in emails to us.
We're constantly improving our security practices and will update this information as our practices evolve.
We use cookies and similar technologies (like pixels and tracking codes) to deliver, optimise, personalise, and analyse our services.
What's a Cookie?
A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your web browser when you visit websites. Cookies record preferences and settings to give you the most consistent experience. We also use cookies for experiments and improvements.
Cookies may be set by us, third parties we work with, or independent third parties like advertisers.
What Are Tracking Codes?
Tracking codes are snippets of code placed on pages to measure visits and interactions. We use them to understand how you use our platform and engage with content.
We only use essential cookies necessary for the platform to function properly. You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling them may affect how RateMe works for you.
If we hold information about you, you have the following rights under the Privacy Act 2020:
Access Your Information
You can request a copy of what we have about you. We'll provide it within 20 working days once we've verified your identity.
Correct Your Information
If information we have is incorrect or incomplete, you can request corrections. You can update most details yourself through your account settings.
Delete Your Information
You can request deletion of your information (subject to legal retention requirements). You can delete your account anytime through your settings. See "How Long We Store Your Information" for more details.
Object to Processing
You have the right to object to how we process your information or ask us to restrict processing, particularly if we're relying on legitimate interests rather than legal requirements.
Opt Out of Data Sharing
We share your public information with certain partners (see above). Where your rights override our interests, you can opt out by contacting us at privacy@rateme.co.nz.
Withdraw Consent
Where you've given consent (like for newsletters or cookies), you can withdraw it anytime through your account settings or by contacting us. Withdrawing consent won't affect processing that's already happened.
Make a Complaint
If you believe we've breached your privacy rights:
Please note these rights aren't absolute and may be limited—for example, if fulfilling your request would reveal someone else's information, or if we're legally required to keep certain data.
Our platform is intended for people 18 and over. We don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we discover we've collected information from a minor, we'll delete it immediately. Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided information should contact us at privacy@rateme.co.nz straight away.
We may update this policy from time to time as laws evolve or our business changes. We'll post changes here and encourage you to review this page regularly.
If we make changes that significantly affect your privacy rights, we'll provide additional notice via email or on our platform. Your continued use of RateMe after we notify you means you accept the updated policy.
We aim to make this information as clear as possible. If you have questions about how we process your information or want to exercise your rights, contact us:
RateMe
Email: privacy@rateme.co.nz
Website: www.rateme.co.nz
Post: 17c Lane Street, Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
If contacting us doesn't resolve your concern, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at www.privacy.org.nz.