This privacy statement describes how Kinship Genealogy Co. deals with your personal information, and how we protect your privacy.
Your privacy
Our commitment to your privacy
Kinship Genealogy Co. provides genealogy services to the public, including family research, heir searching, analysis of DNA results and advice.
This privacy statement outlines what personal information we collect (either directly or indirectly), how we store, use and share it, and how you can access or correct your personal information. We are committed to protecting your privacy when you visit our website or contact us in any way.
We deal with your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, including Information Privacy Principle 3A (IPP3A) which came into force on 1 May 2026. We may occasionally update this privacy statement, to reflect changes to our practices.
Your personal information
Collecting your personal information directly
We collect personal information that we need in order to deliver services to you. We collect personal information directly from you when you agree to our services or engage with us through our website.
If you engage us to do research on your behalf you will collect some or all of the following personal information:
- Your name
- Your e-mail address
- Your residential or postal address
- Date of birth
- Any other relevant background information that you choose to provide us
Indirect collection of personal information – (IPP3A)
During the course of research, Kinship Genealogy Co. may indirectly receive information about someone who is not a client, (eg. DNA match name, match level (in centimorgans) and estimates of DNA relationships) through a third-party. We may also collect information about subjects who are the focus of an investigation (in the case of heir-search or probate cases). Third party suppliers have their own privacy policies to which users opt in or out of. Below are some of the third party sources Kinship Genealogy Co. uses and, where relevant, their privacy policies:
- Ancestry
- MyHeritage
- FamilyTree DNA
- GEDMatch
- New Zealand electoral roll
- Open-source intelligence (OSINT) including publicly available social media and internet sources
- Valocity Nexus property ownership records
Using your personal information
We collect and use your personal information to:
● Provide you with the services you sign up for.
● Conduct the research you have asked for.
● Invoice you, or receive payment from you, for any of our services that require payment or to receive and account for donations from you.
● Respond to communications with you, including complaints.
● Protect and/or enforce our legal rights and interests, including
defending any claim
● For any other purpose authorised by you or the Act.
Reviews
We may use some of your information to display it within Testimonials section. When you submit a testimonial, your first name and last name initial e.g. Mary B, or initials (if you have requested anonymity), are displayed with your review. You can set your display name on the online form or request a particular one if reviewing by e-mail at any time.
We do not publicly display any other personal information on our website. We strongly advise that you do not post your email address, home address, phone number or other personal information as part of your testimonial.
We will endeavour to get your permission before copying or quoting your testimonial for any marketing purposes.
Sharing your personal information
We do not sell your personal information to any third party. Personal information would only ever be shared with any other person authorised by the Act or another law (e.g. a law enforcement agency) or with individuals with your permission.
Why We May Not Notify the Subject of Indirect Collection
IPP3A ordinarily requires us to take reasonable steps to notify an individual when their personal information has been collected indirectly. However, in the context of genealogy work, one or more of the following exceptions will often apply:
| Exception | How it Applies |
| No prejudice to the subject | In many assignments — for example, family reconnection or estate notification — the collection of an address causes no detriment to the subject’s interests. |
| Not reasonably practicable | We do not hold verified contact details for the subject before beginning research — those details are exactly what is sought. Notifying an individual at an unverified address is not reasonably practicable. In DNA cases, we may look at hundreds of DNA matches briefly in order to determine their usefulness to the research being undertaken. Notifying every individual who was only briefly looked at would be almost impossible and excessively costly to the client. |
| Purpose would be undermined | In heir-search work, notifying the subject before or during the search would defeat the purpose. The subject may relocate or take steps to avoid being found. |
| The individual has already been made aware of the privacy policy of the third-party | When submitting a DNA kit to Ancestry, MyHeritage, FTDNA, GEDMatch or other company, each user who submits their own sample for a DNA test or uploads their DNA data creates their own account and registers their own test. During registration, they explicitly consent to the processing of sensitive personal information. Users control their own content and consent to compare their DNA data with other users’ DNA data, including matching themselves to others in their database with whom they share DNA (the user is in control as to whether or not they can see and be seen by DNA matches) and by extension those authorised to view DNA matches. |
How we store and protect personal information
We store the personal information we collect from you in accordance with our obligations under the Privacy Act and take reasonable steps to ensure the security of your personal information.
Retention
We retain personal information for five years in order to continue to provide you with our service(s) – many of our clients are repeat clients.
Security
We take all reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we collect is protected against loss, unauthorised access and disclosure or any other misuse. Client instructions and research results are treated as strictly confidential.
Your privacy rights
You have the right to request access to and correct any personal information we hold about you at any time. You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
When any such request is received, we will process your request as soon as possible and provide you with our decision. We will also take steps to verify your identity before providing you with any requested personal information.
Complaints
If you are concerned this privacy policy may have been breached or your privacy has been compromised, please email us immediately
on kinshipgeneco@gmail.com or call us.
For more information on privacy see the Privacy Commissioner’s website.
Kinship Genealogy Co. 