Terms of use and privacy policy

We have worked with our lawyers to try to make these terms and conditions easily understandable and in plain English. We hope we have been successful in that attempt. If any of the terms and conditions below confuse or concern you, please contact us and we will be more than happy to talk them through with you.

1. About

1. www.thelinkage.org and www.webhealth.co.nz is owned and operated by Linkage Limited, Hamilton, New Zealand and is designed for community participation.
2. A portion of this website is a directory ("Webhealth") of health and social service providers that work to assist people and communities to improve their health or wellbeing ("Providers").

2. Privacy policy

1. The information below applies to personal information (information about an identifiable individual) we collect about you when you visit and browse our website.
2. When you visit our website, we collect some non-personal information, such as the IP address from which you accessed this website, the date and time you are visiting, the pages you accessed, the type of browser and operating system you use, and terms you use to search for content on our site. We will not use this information to personally identify you. We use it for the purposes of system administration, auditing use of the site and improving it for different customer profiles, and for our internal reporting.
3. Our website relies on the use of cookies, which are small file stored on the hard drive of your computer. We recommend you enable cookies in order to enjoy our website, it is up to you whether you enable them or not. Not all features of our site may be available if you do not enable cookies.
4. Any information collected through cookies and site statistics by us is solely used for research and evaluation of site development and to distinguish common trends and themes for community development purposes. That information is non-identifiable.
5. If you choose to provide us with personal information to create a username and account with us ("My Linkage account"), we will use the information only for the purposes of administering the website. We will send email communications to your email address. If you wish to unsubscribe from any email communications which do not relate to the administration of the website, you can:
   1. follow the unsubscribe instructions in the email;
   2. phone or write to us using the contact details in that email message.

   3. You cannot unsubscribe from emails that we send you in relation to the administration of the website.

6. When you provide us with personal information, we are obliged to comply with the provisions of the Privacy Act 1993 (the "Act"). We will collect, hold, use and disclose that information in accordance with the principles set out in the Act. This means we will:
   1. use personal information only for the purpose we collect it for;
   2. retain that information only for so long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which we have collected it;
   3. disclose or release it to a third party only where we are required to or we are permitted by law to do so, if you have authorised the release or disclosure, or where it is the purpose (or a directly related purpose) for which the information was collected.

   4. If you think we have breached the Act or you would like to find out more about our obligations, information is available on the Privacy Commissioner's website at www.privacy.org.nz.

7. You are responsible for keeping your My Linkage account details including your username and password private and are not permitted to allow anyone other than you to use your My Linkage account.
8. If you wish to enquire about personal information we hold about you (if any) you can contact us by email at .

3. Disclaimer

1. The information we provide on the website is provided to you in good faith. However, it is an introduction to the services we provide only and a public directory for your information. While we take the utmost care to ensure information is of a high standard we are not responsible for the accuracy, completeness or relevance of information provided on the website.
2. The information on this website may be changed, deleted, added to, or otherwise amended without notice.
3. Providers can input and update their listing in the website themselves.
4. We are not responsible for the actions of or information provided by users of the website.
5. We do not endorse or recommend any Provider, treatment or service that is on the website.
6. While we will do our best to make sure that the website is available, we cannot guarantee that it will always be uninterrupted or that your access will be error-free, or that any files available for download will be error-free or free from viruses, faults or defects.
7. Links or references to other websites are provided for your convenience only. Other websites are not under our control. We have not reviewed them and we do not endorse or assume responsibility for the contents of any other website.
8. If you wish to link to this website, you must request our permission. To do so, contact us at .
9. You must not do anything which alters our website or interferes with how it works.

4. Intellectual property

1. Unless otherwise shown, we own all the copyright and other intellectual property rights on the material on this website. The material on this site is subject to copyright except where it is otherwise noted. You can use the material for your own personal, non-commercial use provided that you acknowledge the source of the material and that you do not remove any copyright, trade mark or other intellectual property notices contained in the content, but you must not use the material in a misleading way.
2. However, you must not use any of our trade marks in any other way without our permission.

5. Information submitted to the website

1. If you post any information or material to our site which we believe (in our own discretion) is inappropriate for our site, we may remove it.
2. Only health and social service providers that work to assist people and communities to improve their health or wellbeing are permitted to list their details and information or create a provider profile on the website. We may decline or cancel your My Linkage account and remove your provider listing at our discretion.
3. You are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of information that you submit to the website.
4. We reserve the right to:
   1. make any changes to a provider listing to ensure it is relevant, accurate, and easy to read;
   2. remove information or a provider listing;
   3. verify information that is submitted to the website or posted on the website by you;
   4. request that you provide us evidence and/or verification in relation to any information you have submitted to the website.

6. Live chat

1. The website may provide a live chat service to help you use the website and directory. If you are seeking health and social service information through live chat or our email address you must only use the service in good faith and must use respectful language, honesty and integrity.
2. Live chat is not an online counselling service and we do not provide any medical advice. Use of live chat or our email address is not recommended for people in crisis or people feeling suicidal or at risk of self-harm. If this is you please call the Crisis Assessment Team on or Lifeline on .
3. Live chat may not be available in your area and is only available between the hours of 8.30am – 5.00pm NZST Monday to Friday. We shall endeavour to respond to you within two working days.
4. We may store transcripts of live chat discussions or copies of emails sent to our email address .

7. Other

1. New Zealand law governs this website.
2. These terms may be changed or updated from time to time. Changes may take the form of completely new terms. We will post any changes on this website; any change applies from the date it is posted.