Privacy Statement
Lateral Engineering Limited ("LEL", "we", "us" or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and applicable New Zealand privacy requirements.
This Privacy Statement explains how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information when you visit our website, contact us, request a quotation, apply for a credit account, engage us to provide goods or services, or otherwise interact with LEL.
Information we may collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect information including:
your name, company and position;
email address, telephone number and other contact details;
physical, postal or project addresses;
information about a project, property or site;
quotations, enquiries, instructions and correspondence;
billing and account information;
information provided in a credit application or trade reference;
information required for project administration, health and safety, site access or contractual purposes;
records of communications with us; and
technical information generated through use of our website, such as browser/device information, pages visited and website analytics.
We only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for our business activities and the purposes described below.
How we collect information
We may collect personal information:
directly from you through our website, email, telephone, forms, quotations or other communications;
from your employer, builder, contractor, project manager or another member of a project team;
from trade referees or credit reporting providers where you have applied for credit;
from professional advisers, consultants, public registers or other lawful sources; and
automatically through our website and associated analytics or technical services.
Where we collect personal information about you from another person or organisation, we will comply with our notification obligations under the Privacy Act 2020, including Information Privacy Principle 3A where applicable.
How we use personal information
We may use personal information to:
respond to enquiries and prepare quotations;
assess potential projects and service availability;
provide fabrication, engineering and related services;
administer projects, contracts, workshop drawings, deliveries and site works;
communicate with customers and project participants;
issue invoices and administer customer accounts;
assess credit applications and obtain trade or credit references;
recover overdue amounts;
maintain health, safety and site records;
manage warranties, defects, disputes and legal obligations;
improve our website, systems and customer service;
maintain appropriate business and accounting records; and
comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
Disclosure of information
We may disclose personal information where reasonably necessary to:
LEL employees and authorised contractors;
project consultants, engineers, architects, builders, subcontractors or suppliers where relevant to the project;
accountants, lawyers, insurers and other professional advisers;
credit reporting agencies, trade referees and debt collection providers;
technology, cloud hosting, website and software providers that support our business; and
government, regulatory or law enforcement bodies where required or permitted by law.
We do not sell personal information to third parties.
Providing information is generally voluntary
Providing personal information to LEL is generally voluntary.
However, some information is required for us to provide particular services. If you do not provide information we reasonably require, we may be unable to prepare an accurate quotation, assess a project, open a credit account, communicate with you or perform the requested work.
Website information, cookies and analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, understand how visitors use it and improve website performance.
Our website is hosted through Squarespace and may use Squarespace or other third-party technology and analytics services. These services may process technical information about website use.
You can generally control or disable cookies through your browser settings, although some website functionality may be affected.
Credit applications
Where you apply for a credit account, LEL may obtain information from trade referees, credit reporting agencies and other lawful sources for the purposes of assessing and administering credit, recovering debts and managing commercial risk.
Further information about credit checks and authorisations is contained in LEL's Credit Account Application and Terms of Trade.
Storage and security
LEL takes reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, misuse, disclosure or alteration.
Information may be stored electronically using reputable business, cloud, email, accounting, website and project-management systems and may also be retained in physical records where appropriate.
Access is restricted to persons who reasonably require the information for LEL's business activities.
Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, for legitimate business requirements, or to comply with legal, accounting, contractual, warranty and record-keeping obligations.
When information is no longer reasonably required, we may securely delete, destroy or anonymise it.
Access and correction
Under the Privacy Act 2020, you may request access to personal information LEL holds about you and ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate.
Requests can be made using the contact details below.
Privacy Officer
Lateral Engineering Limited
55 Greenmount Drive
East Tamaki
Auckland, New Zealand
Email: accounts@lateralengineering.co.nz
You may contact us if you have any questions, concerns or requests relating to your personal information.
If you are not satisfied with how we handle a privacy matter, you may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Changes to this Privacy Statement
We may update this Privacy Statement from time to time to reflect changes to our business practices, technology or legal obligations.
The current version will be published on this page.