Terms of use and privacy statement

The information available on or through this website is intended to provide general information to the public. We may change, delete, add to or otherwise amend information contained on this website at any time without notice.

While we have taken all reasonable measures to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information on our website, we make no warranty, express or implied, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness, completeness or use of any such information, nor represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights.

You may access third-party content via links to other websites from this website or through use of our social media (including retweets, @mention, our following of individuals or organisations on social media or our reposting of information by other social media users). We neither endorse the information, content, presentation, or accuracy of such third party content nor make any warranty, express or implied, regarding such information. We do not accept liability for the accuracy of content or information of any third party website or content you may access via hyperlink from our website or our social media.

Nothing contained on this website is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the past or future by the New Zealand Government or us.

The content of this website should not be construed as legal, business or tax advice, and we recommend users of this website should take advice from a qualified professional before undertaking any action following information received from this website.

Any reference to any specific commercial product, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacture or otherwise does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation or favouring by the New Zealand Government or us.

Each page on this website must be read in conjunction with this disclaimer and any other disclaimer that forms part of it.

Last updated: 2 October 2026

Introduction 

This Privacy Statement (Statement) describes how the Real Estate Authority | Te Mana Papawhenua (REA) collects, uses, discloses and stores your personal information and the personal information of third parties under the Privacy Act 2020(external link).

This Statement is provided for your information and is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice, and it does not limit or exclude your rights under the Privacy Act. If you wish to seek further advice on privacy, you may approach a lawyer(external link), a Community Law Centre(external link) or the Citizens Advice Bureau(external link). Information about individual privacy rights is available on the Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s website(external link).

“Personal information” means any information about an identifiable individual. The Privacy Act sets out 14 information privacy principles relating to the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information. A summary of the information privacy principles(external link) can be found on the Privacy Commissioner’s website.

This Statement extends to any and all documentation and personal information that REA collects about you, including your interactions with REA. This may include information collected about you from others (indirect collection).

Updates and other information 

We may update this Statement from time to time. We will advise you of this by changing the “last updated” date for this Statement. All updates will apply to previously collected personal information.

REA’s national office is located at Level 4, The Todd Building, 95 Customhouse Quay, Wellington CBD 6011, Wellington.

REA can be contacted at info@rea.govt.nz, 0800 367 732 (NZ only), +64 471 8930 or PO Box 25 371, Wellington 6140.

If you have any questions about this Statement or any updates, or REA’s information handling obligations under the Privacy Act and the Real Estate Agents Act, REA’s Privacy Officer can be contacted at info@rea.govt.nz.

Privacy framework - objectives

REA is committed to protecting an individual’s right to privacy, including the use and control of their personal information. REA does this by supporting REA staff and contractors to adopt good privacy practices. REA’s privacy approach and framework is overseen by REA’s Privacy Officer.

Importantly, REA adopts good privacy practices as follows:

• Collecting personal information in accordance with clear purposes.
• Adopting good data-handling processes.
• Avoiding the potential for security or data breaches.
• Meeting access and correction requests within prescribed time periods.
• Ensuring accuracy of personal information wherever reasonably possible.
• Lawfully using and disclosing personal information.
• Ensuring legal compliance by REA.

The Privacy Act (and other legislation) 

This Statement is informed by REA’s obligations under the Privacy Act, the Real Estate Agents Act 2008, and associated rules and regulations relating to the conduct of, practice by, and regulation of real estate licensees.

The Privacy Act provides that where another law authorises or requires personal information to be made available or to be used in a specific way, this will override the applicable information privacy principles. The Privacy Act also provides that other laws which prohibit or restrict the availability of personal information take precedence over the applicable information privacy principles.

As a Crown Agency, REA is also subject to the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982, as well as the Crown Entities Act 2004, Public Records Act 2005, the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017 and the Data and Statistics Act 2022. REA, as a regulatory entity, is also subject to the provisions of the Protected Disclosures (Protection of Whistleblowers) Act 2022.

Any reference in this Statement to associated rules and regulations relevant to real estate licensees include the:

•      Real Estate Agents (Continuing Professional Development Rules) Notice 2018(external link)
• Real Estate Agents (Exemptions) Regulations 2017(external link)
• Real Estate Agents Authority (Fees and Levies) Notice 2016(external link)
• Real Estate Agents Act (Professional Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2012(external link)
• Real Estate Agents (Winding Up of Fidelity Guarantee Fund) Order 2012(external link)
• Real Estate Agents (Complaints and Discipline) Regulations 2009)(external link)
• Real Estate Agents (Licensing) Regulations 2009(external link)
• Real Estate Agents (Audit) Regulations 2009(external link)
• Real Estate Agents (Duties of Licensees) Regulations 2009(external link)

     What personal information is collected by REA? 

REA collects personal information about individuals for purposes connected with REA’s statutory functions. These functions are set out in section 12(external link) of the Real Estate Agents Act and include further statutory functions imposed on the Registrar in section 34(external link).

The type of personal information REA collects in any particular circumstance will depend on why it is being collected. For example, personal information collected by REA for the purpose of considering licensing applications and issuing real estate licenses will differ from personal information collected to address a complaint made about real estate licensees or agencies.

In some circumstances, the Real Estate Agents Act and associated rules and regulations set out the information that must be collected by REA to carry out its statutory functions. For example, the Real Estate Agents Act requires REA to maintain a public register of licensees and sets out the specific information that the public register must contain.

The personal information REA may collect about an individual for purposes connected with REA’s statutory functions include (but may not be limited to):

• Identity information such as an individual’s name (including former names) and date of birth, together with verification information and documents.
• Contact information such as phone numbers, physical addresses and email addresses.
• Information REA collects to keep and maintain the public register of real estate licensees, such as name, place of work, and upheld disciplinary findings: see sections 63–70 of the Real Estate Agents Act.
• Information relevant to any application an individual may make for a real estate licence. For example, information relevant to assessing the individual’s qualifications, character (including criminal history), tertiary and other relevant qualifications, and employment history: see section 36 of the Real Estate Agents Act.
• Information to assess whether an individual is a “fit and proper” person:

o    for issue of a real estate licence; or

o    to renew a real estate licence; 

for REA to establish whether there are any grounds to decline to issue or renew a real estate licence: see section 36 of the Real Estate Agents Act, and see also REA’s “Fit and Proper Guidelines(external link)”.

• Information to assess an individual’s suitability to be issued a licence as a Branch Manager or Individual Agent.
• Information to enable a member of the public to identify real estate licensees in their location to engage them to undertake real estate agency work.
• Information relating to a real estate licensee’s continuing professional development (CPD) including:

o    information recording an individual’s learning needs and CPD activities;

o    information to enable REA to carry out an audit on a licensee’s CPD activities;

o    reports from CPD training providers about the topics licensees have completed.

• Information necessary to process, resolve and/or determine a complaint, inquiry or disciplinary matter or carry out an investigation or review of an individual.
• Information to monitor compliance with orders made by a Complaints Assessment Committee or the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal.
• Information necessary to employ, appoint, contract or engage individuals to undertake work with REA.
• It may also include information about third parties contained in the facts of a complaint filed with REA.

REA also requests (but does not require) information such as an individual’s title, preferred pronouns, gender and ethnicity for the purpose of understanding the demographics of the people who use its services. Provision of this information is voluntary. REA may publish anonymised aggregate data based on the information provided in its Annual Reports, for example.

How does REA collect my personal information? 

Directly from an individual

REA collects personal information directly from an individual any time the individual interacts with REA. For example, when:

• an individual communicates with REA by any means, including an individual who makes a complaint;
• an application or other form is completed and submitted to REA;
• an individual submits personal information through REA’s website or other online platforms, such as through SurveyMonkey when industry feedback is collected; or
• an individual calls REA and where the phone call is recorded for licensing or complaints purposes.

Indirectly from third parties

REA may also collect personal information about third parties from an individual (indirectly) in its role as the regulator of real estate licensees and in the performance of its statutory functions. This information includes (note this is not an exhaustive list):

• responses to independent enquiries REA makes for the purpose of assessing an individual’s application for a real estate licence, including but not limited to the Ministry of Justice and (where relevant) the Insolvency Register and participating Australian jurisdictions to assess an application made in reliance on the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997;
•  complaints about real estate licensees or real estate agencies and their employees from third parties, and information about other individuals contained in the complaint materials;
• reports that a real estate licensee may have engaged in unsatisfactory conduct or misconduct;
• reports of potential breaches of the Real Estate Agents Act and associated rules and regulations;
• reports from third parties relating to whether an individual is a “fit and proper” person to hold a real estate licence;
• information provided in response to, or as a result of, enquiries, investigations, audits and interventions under the Real Estate Agents Act and associated rules and regulations;
• requests for  information from members of the public;
• referrals or requests for information from courts, police or other regulatory agencies;
• information provided by a third party on behalf of an individual, for example in a complaint form or a CPD course registration form; or
• information from real estate agencies to confirm employment of real estate licensees.
• responses to surveys conducted by external vendors commissioned by REA.

Where REA collects personal information about you from another person or organisation indirectly, we will take steps to let you know as soon as reasonably practicable, unless an exception in the Privacy Act or any other law applies (for example, where you already know we have collected your personal information, where telling you would be likely to prejudice the purpose of collection, letting you know is not otherwise reasonably practicable, or where telling you that we have collected the information might prejudice the maintenance of the law).

We note that as a conduct regulator with a complaints and discipline function, the exceptions in the Privacy Act are likely to apply.

Website access

When an individual visits or uses REA’s website or the website of a business unit (for example, settled.govt.nz), REA collects general information through the use of cookies and similar technologies, which information may include the user’s internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and other technical information. This information is used to administer the relevant website, to target content and ads to users, to provide social media features to users, and to gain a better understanding of users and how they use the website.

Cookies are stored on the user’s browser and can generally be cleared or blocked at any time through the user’s browser settings. Doing so may affect the user’s experience of our website or the quality or relevance of the information they receive about REA.

Data is collected and processed on REA’s behalf by analytics and advertising partners.

Separately from cookies, REA may retain limited technical information, such as IP addresses, for purposes such as website security, error monitoring and administrator or member account access.

REA may disclose information about individuals’ use of our website to our social media, advertising and analytics partners, and website hosting partners, who may combine it with other information they hold or collect about a user.

Some of these third parties may also collect technical information, including IP addresses, directly through their own tools when a user visits our website. Information disclosed to, or collected by, third parties is held in their systems and is subject to their own privacy policies.

Where REA uses personal information to subscribe individuals to REA publications such as the industry REA Pānui, we use the Campaign Monitor platform to manage this process and distribute publications. Only names and email addresses are provided to Campaign Monitor for subscription purposes, and this list is updated for each issue sent out.

What are the purposes for which personal information is collected by REA?

REA only collects information, including personal information, so that REA can carry out its specific statutory functions (including the statutory functions given to the Registrar of the REA). Along with the purposes listed above, these may also include:

• setting levies and fees for the profession;
• developing consumer information on matters relating to real estate transactions, including approved guides on agency agreements and sale and purchase agreements;
• developing and providing consumer information on matters relating to the provision of real estate services, including providing the public with information on how to make a complaint;
• setting professional standards for real estate licensees;
• carrying out any other function that the Minister for Justice may direct REA to perform in accordance with section 112 of the Crown Entities Act 2004;
• consulting with representatives of the real estate industry about matters relating to REA’s functions;
• providing administrative support for REA’s Board sufficient to enable the Board to perform its functions efficiently and effectively.

If information that is requested for a regulatory purpose is not provided to REA by an individual, REA may not be able to consider the relevant application (or other matter) or fulfil the specific statutory purpose for which the information has been requested, or the relevant process may be delayed. In some cases, failure to provide information requested by REA may amount to a breach of the Real Estate Agents Act and associated rules and regulations.

The provision by an individual of their title and preferred pronoun information is voluntary. Collecting this information helps REA use the most respectful language when addressing you.

How does REA use and disclose my personal information? 

Use of personal information 

REA will generally only use personal information for the purpose for which it was obtained. These purposes are set out in this Statement, or are set out at the time the information is requested and/or collected.

Information collected by REA and held by REA, depending on its nature, may be used for another statutory purpose. REA may use personal information for another purpose if the individual concerned authorises the other use or disclosure, or REA is otherwise permitted to do so under the Privacy Act, the Real Estate Agents Act and associated rules and regulations, or any other law.

Disclosure of personal information 

REA will only disclose personal information if it is permitted to do so under the Privacy Act, the Real Estate Agents Act and associated rules and regulations, or any other law. Section 74(3)(c)(external link) of the Real Estate Agents Act allows for the referral of a complaint received to another agency - this may include the Police or the Serious Fraud Office, for example.

Before using or disclosing personal information to any third party, REA will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information is accurate, up to date, complete, relevant and not misleading.

REA may use third parties for providing research, booking, event management and other services to carry out its statutory functions. If it is necessary for personal information to be given by REA to any third party to carry out services on behalf of REA, everything reasonably within the power of REA will be done to prevent unauthorised use or disclosure of that information by the third party.

There are limited grounds upon which REA may refuse to disclose personal information. These include situations where the provision of the information would breach legal professional privilege, or where the disclosure would lead to the unwarranted disclosure of the affairs of another person

How is my personal information stored and how is it stored securely?

REA handles significant volumes of information including personal information for the purposes of its statutory functions. Much of this information is handled electronically. REA has internal policies and procedures in place to help protect personal information from unauthorised access, use, modification and disclosure, and other misuse. REA stores and disposes of information in accordance with its Disposal Schedule which is approved by Chief Archivist of Archives New Zealand.

Access to electronically stored information held by REA is controlled through user passwords and, where appropriate, multi-factor authentication. Different teams within REA have secure areas designated for the electronic storage of information and access to these areas is restricted to the REA staff who require access to that information to carry out their roles.

Confidential and sensitive information is identified and access to it is restricted to the REA staff who require access to it to carry out their roles.

REA stores data in secure facilities located in New Zealand and Australia. REA employs firewalls, intrusion detection systems and scanning tools to protect against unauthorised access and malware entering our computer systems. REA only holds personal information for as long as the information is needed for a lawful purpose. Personal information no longer required to be held is deleted or securely destroyed.

What are my rights of access and correction to personal information? 

Under the Privacy Act, an individual has the right to request access to their personal information. If an individual believes their personal information is inaccurate, they may request REA to correct that information.

You can make a request for access to or correction of your personal information by contacting the Privacy Officer via info@rea.govt.nz 

Privacy breaches 

Inadvertent privacy breaches may happen despite good processes and the best of intentions. As soon as a breach is discovered, REA staff are required to advise their Manager and the Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer, in line with REA’s Privacy Policy, will work with the relevant staff member to contain the breach, assess the breach, determine whether notification to the Privacy Commissioner and/or any affected individuals is required, and address any specific privacy concerns.