Last updated: September 2026
Home and Lifestyle Marketing Co (“HLM”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) is dedicated to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with transparency and care. This Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, hold, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the Information Privacy Principles (IPPs).
By accessing our website (hlmco.co.nz), requesting a marketing assessment, submitting an enquiry form, or subscribing to our digital marketing systems and web services, you acknowledge the terms of this Privacy Policy.
1. What Information We Collect
The type of personal information we collect depends on your interaction with us. We only collect information that is reasonably necessary to provide our marketing services, assess your digital presence, and communicate with you.
a. Information You Provide Directly:
- Contact Details: Your full name, work email address, telephone number, and physical or business address.
- Business & Commercial Information: Your business name, trading entity, website URL, primary service categories (e.g., custom home building, pool construction, interior design), and target geographic regions.
- Project & Consultation Briefs: Marketing priorities, advertising history, target audience details, and trade documentation supplied during assessments or onboarding.
- Billing & Account Information: Invoicing contact details and payment confirmation records. (Note: We do not store full credit card or banking numbers on our servers; third-party payment processors handle transactions securely).
b. Information Collected Automatically:
- Device & Usage Data: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited on our site, time spent per page, and interaction timestamps.
- Cookies & Tracking Technologies: Small data files stored on your device to ensure website functionality, measure user engagement, and support marketing analytics.
2. How We Collect Personal Information
We collect personal information through lawful and fair means, including:
- Website Forms: Assessment requests, contact forms, package enquiry submissions, and newsletter subscriptions.
- Direct Communications: Telephone conversations, emails, video meetings, and direct messages with our strategy and production team.
- Client Onboarding & Portal Access: Information submitted when establishing your client portal account or submitting campaign assets.
- Automated Analytics: Web tracking software, such as Google Analytics 4, deployed on our public web pages.
3. Why We Collect, Hold, and Use Your Information
We use your information for core commercial and operational purposes, including:
- Service Delivery: Providing turnkey website development, search engine optimisation, local Google Maps management, Google Ads campaign configuration, and video marketing production.
- Marketing Assessments: Conducting complimentary reviews of your website speed, local competitor positions, and search keyword visibility.
- Client Portal Administration: Managing your secure portal account, tracking active production line tasks, and facilitating asset approvals.
- Customer Communication: Responding to enquiries, delivering monthly performance reports, and issuing service notices.
- Invoicing & Administration: Processing recurring monthly subscription invoices and managing accounts.
- Legal & Regulatory Compliance: Fulfilling our statutory obligations under New Zealand law.
4. Advertising Budgets & Third-Party Platforms
In accordance with the HLM Commercial Standard, we do not mark up third-party advertising media spend. When managing Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or remarketing campaigns on your behalf:
- Advertising accounts are established or accessed under your direct ownership.
- Media expenditure is billed directly by the relevant platform (e.g., Google LLC or Meta Platforms, Inc.) to your nominated payment method.
- We only access your campaign accounts with your explicit authorization to optimize, manage, and monitor advertising performance.
5. Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties
HLM does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. We may disclose your information to trusted third parties solely to facilitate our operations, including:
- Technology & Infrastructure Providers: Secure New Zealand, Australian, and global cloud hosting facilities, web server hosts, email delivery systems, and client portal software providers.
- Analytics & Tracking Services: Platforms such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to analyse traffic patterns and site performance.
- Professional Advisers: Accountants, legal counsel, and auditors where reasonably required for business governance.
- Statutory Authorities: Law enforcement, courts, or regulatory bodies where required or authorised by New Zealand law.
Cross-Border Disclosures:
Some software systems and cloud storage providers we use maintain servers located outside New Zealand (such as in Australia, the United States, or the European Union). Where data is transferred or hosted overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient protects your personal information under standards comparable to the Information Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 2020.
6. Data Security and Storage
We treat the security of your personal and commercial information seriously. We implement reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your data from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure.
- Encryption: Our website and client portals operate under modern Secure Sockets Layer (SSL / TLS) encryption.
- Access Controls: Access to client records, project assets, and contact data is restricted to authorized personnel who require it to perform their duties.
- Data Retention & Destruction: We retain information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy or to comply with legal retention requirements. When no longer required, data is securely destroyed or de-identified.
7. Cookies and Digital Analytics
Our website utilizes cookies to deliver a responsive browsing experience and analyse website traffic. Cookies are small text files placed in your web browser.
- Functional Cookies: Necessary for the proper operation, layout rendering, and security of our website.
- Performance & Analytics Cookies: Allow us to recognize and count visitors, observe how visitors move around our site, and improve site usability.
- Remarketing Cookies: May be used to display relevant HLM educational content or service announcements to users who have previously visited our website.
You may configure your web browser to reject cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. Note that disabling cookies may affect the usability of certain website functions.
8. Direct Marketing & Communications
We may occasionally send you industry insights, market updates, or service notices relevant to New Zealand home and lifestyle businesses. Every direct marketing communication includes an accessible “Unsubscribe” mechanism. You may opt out of promotional emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link or contacting us directly at [email protected].
Please note that opting out of promotional emails does not prevent you from receiving essential service communications, such as invoices, portal notifications, and security updates related to an active subscription.
9. Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information
Under Information Privacy Principle 6 (Access) and Principle 7 (Correction) of the Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to request access to the personal information HLM holds about you, and to request corrections if that information is inaccurate, out-of-date, or incomplete.
- To request access or correction, please email our Privacy Officer at [email protected].
- We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe (as required by the Privacy Act 2020, typically within 20 working days) and may require verification of your identity before releasing records.
- In limited circumstances where access cannot be granted under the law, we will provide you with written reasons explaining our decision.
10. Enquiries and Privacy Complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you believe HLM has breached your privacy rights under the Privacy Act 2020, please contact us:
- Attention: Privacy Officer
- Entity: Home and Lifestyle Marketing Co (HLM New Zealand)
- Website: hlmco.co.nz
- Email: [email protected]
- Client Portal: app.hlmco.co.nz
We take privacy complaints seriously. Our team will review your concerns and contact you within a reasonable timeframe to discuss resolution. If you remain dissatisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a formal complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (Te Mana Mātāpono Matatapu):
- Website: www.privacy.org.nz
- Enquiries Line: 0800 803 909
- Post: PO Box 10 094, The Terrace, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
11. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect modifications in our operational procedures, marketing systems, or New Zealand privacy legislation. Any revisions will be published directly on this page with an updated revision date. We recommend checking this page periodically to remain informed.