Nurturehood Privacy Statement
Last updated: August 2026
Introduction
At Nurturehood, I understand that the information you share with me can be personal and, at times, sensitive. I am committed to treating your information with care, respect and confidentiality.
This Privacy Statement explains what personal information Nurturehood collects, why it is collected, how it is used and stored, and your rights in relation to your information.
Nurturehood is committed to handling personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and applicable New Zealand privacy requirements. Because Nurturehood provides services directed at your child's sleep, health and wellbeing, the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 also applies to the health information Nurturehood collects. Where it applies, the rules in that Code take the place of the information privacy principles in the Privacy Act.
1. Who is responsible for your information?
Nurturehood NZ is a trading name of Kata Varga, who is the agency responsible for the personal information collected and held in connection with Nurturehood's services.
Contact: hello@nurturehood.co.nz
Postal address: Kata Varga
PO Box 32035
Maungaraki
Lower Hutt, 5010
Website: www.nurturehood.co.nz
As a small business, I am currently the only person who has access to client information in the course of providing Nurturehood services. I am also Nurturehood's privacy officer, and you can contact me at the address above about anything in this Privacy Statement.
2. What information do I collect?
The information I collect depends on how you interact with Nurturehood and the services you choose to use.
Information about you may include:
• Your name
• Contact details, such as your email address and phone number
• Booking and appointment information
• Information you provide when communicating with Nurturehood
• Payment-related information necessary to process your booking
• Information about your own health and wellbeing, including your sleep, mood, anxiety, physical recovery, medications and any health conditions you choose to tell me about
• Information you choose to share about conceiving, your pregnancy, the birth and the early weeks afterwards
• Information about how you are coping and the support available to you
Information about your child may include:
• Name and age
• Sleep patterns and behaviours
• Feeding and sleep-related information
• Developmental information
• Family circumstances and routines
• Information about your child's medical conditions or diagnoses
• Allergies
• Relevant health concerns
• Other information you choose to share that may help me understand your child's individual circumstances.
Information about other people may include the names and details of members of your household and of the people who support your family, such as a partner, other children, grandparents, friends, neighbours or childcare providers. I ask for this only where it helps me understand your family's circumstances, and I ask you to share only what is necessary.
Before you give me information about another adult, please tell them that you are giving it to me and why, and check that they are happy for you to do so. You are welcome to give them a copy of this Privacy Statement, which explains what I collect, what I use it for and how they can ask to see it or correct it. If a person you have told me about asks what I hold about them, I will deal with their request in the same way as I would deal with yours.
Some of this information may be considered health information.
Questions relating to health and wellbeing are not mandatory. However, providing relevant information can help me understand your child's circumstances and provide more appropriate and personalised sleep support.
I ask that you only provide information that is relevant to your child's sleep and wellbeing and the service you are seeking.
3. How do I collect your information?
Information is generally collected directly from you when you:
• make a booking;
• complete the Nurturehood intake form;
• communicate with me about your consultation;
• participate in a consultation;
• provide information during follow-up support; or
• otherwise contact Nurturehood.
Nurturehood's intake form is provided through Google Forms, and bookings are managed through the Nurturehood website and booking system.
Sometimes I collect information about a person from someone other than that person. Most often that is information about your child, which you give me. It may also be information about you or your child that another member of your household gives me, for example where your partner completes part of the intake form or takes part in the consultation.
Where I collect information about someone in that way, I take reasonable steps to make sure that person knows I have collected it, why I collected it, who I may share it with, and that Kata Varga, trading as Nurturehood NZ, collects and holds it at the contact details in section 1. I also make sure they know they can ask to see that information and ask me to correct it, as section 10 explains. Where the information is about your child, I do this through you as their parent or guardian.
If you choose not to provide certain information, I may not be able to provide the same level of personalised support. Information relating to your child's health and wellbeing is voluntary, but relevant information may be important to understanding your child's individual circumstances.
4. Why do I collect and use your information?
I collect and use your information to:
• provide Nurturehood's sleep support services;
• understand your child's sleep, development, health and wellbeing;
• understand your family's circumstances and goals;
• prepare for and conduct your consultation;
• develop your personalised written sleep plan;
• provide follow-up support;
• communicate with you about your booking and services;
• manage appointments and payments;
• maintain appropriate records of the services provided;
• respond to questions or requests;
• manage and administer the Nurturehood business; and
• meet any legal or regulatory obligations that apply to Nurturehood.
Your information will not be used for purposes unrelated to the services you have requested unless you have given permission or the use is otherwise permitted or required by law.
5. How do I communicate with you?
Email is Nurturehood's primary method of communication.
I may also communicate with you through the Nurturehood website booking system and, if you choose to use it, WhatsApp.
WhatsApp is an optional communication method and you are not required to use it to receive Nurturehood's services.
Information you choose to share through email or WhatsApp may include information relating to you, your child and your sleep consultation.
6. Who has access to your information?
Nurturehood is currently a solo business, and I am the only person who has access to client information for the purpose of providing Nurturehood services.
Nurturehood also uses third-party service providers to operate the business. These providers may process or store personal information on Nurturehood's behalf as part of providing their services.
These currently include:
• Squarespace – website hosting and website services
• Acuity Scheduling – appointment booking and scheduling
• Google Forms – client intake forms
• Google Drive and Google Docs – storing and working with client information and personalised sleep plans
• Stripe – payment processing
• Email services – communicating with clients
• WhatsApp – optional client communication
Some of these providers store or process information outside New Zealand. Where a provider holds information on Nurturehood's behalf, that information is treated as still being held by Nurturehood rather than disclosed to them, and their being overseas does not change that. Where information is genuinely disclosed to a party overseas that is not acting on Nurturehood's behalf, I will only do so where the Privacy Act and the Health Information Privacy Code allow it, which generally means the recipient is subject to comparable privacy safeguards or you have authorised the disclosure after being told that it may not be.
7. How is your information stored and protected?
Nurturehood takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.
Client information is stored electronically using the systems described above. Access to Nurturehood's client information is restricted to me, except where information is processed by a third-party service provider as necessary to provide the relevant service.
I take reasonable care when handling information, particularly information relating to children's health and wellbeing.
No method of electronic storage or transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, Nurturehood takes reasonable and appropriate steps to protect the information it holds.
8. How long do I keep your information?
Two rules apply to the health information I hold and they pull in different directions. The Health Information Privacy Code sets a limit, because I must not keep health information for longer than I need it for the purpose I collected it.
Separately, the Health (Retention of Health Information) Regulations 1996 set a minimum. They apply to a provider of health services, which is how I treat Nurturehood, and they require health information about a person to be kept for at least 10 years. The 10 years runs from the day after the most recent date shown in the information on which any provider gave services to that person, so it does not always run from my own last contact with you.
Your information and your child's information are treated separately, so the two periods may end on different dates. If you come back to me later, the period starts again for everything I hold about that person.
You can ask me to transfer your information, or your child's, to another provider or to you. I keep all other personal information only for as long as I reasonably need it. Once a minimum period has passed and the information is no longer required, I take reasonable steps to delete or dispose of it securely.
9. Do I share your information?
Nurturehood does not sell or rent your personal information.
The providers listed in section 6 hold information on Nurturehood's behalf so that they can supply the services Nurturehood uses, such as website hosting, appointment scheduling, payment processing, form collection, document storage and communication. As section 6 explains, that is not treated as disclosing your information to them.
I may also disclose information where a New Zealand law requires or authorises me to, and where the Health Information Privacy Code allows it. That includes a disclosure that is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.
Otherwise, Nurturehood will not disclose your personal information to another person or organisation without your permission, unless permitted or required by law.
10. Your rights
Under New Zealand privacy law, you generally have the right to:
• ask whether Nurturehood holds personal information about you;
• request access to personal information held about you; and
• request correction of information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
If you would like to access or correct your information, please contact:
I will respond as soon as I reasonably can, and in any case no later than 20 working days after the day I receive your request, as the Privacy Act requires. If your request covers a large amount of information, or I need to consult someone before I answer it, I may extend that time, and I will tell you if I do.
Where the information is about your child, the right belongs to your child. While your child is under 16 you exercise it on their behalf as their representative, and either parent or guardian may do so. Once your child turns 16 the right is theirs.
11. Website information and cookies
When you visit the Nurturehood website, some technical information may be collected automatically by the website platform or other services used to operate the website.
Nurturehood does not currently use Google Analytics.
Squarespace may use cookies and similar technologies as part of providing website functionality, security and performance.
12. Privacy and children's information
Nurturehood provides services relating to babies and young children, and information provided during the intake and consultation process may relate to a child.
I recognise the importance of taking particular care with information about children and their health and wellbeing.
Information about your child will only be collected, used and retained for purposes connected with providing the Nurturehood service, managing the client relationship, maintaining appropriate records, or meeting legal obligations, including the minimum retention period described in section 8.
When you complete the intake form you confirm that you are your child's parent or guardian, or are otherwise authorised to give me information about them. If your child has another guardian whose position on this differs, please tell me before your consultation so that we can agree how to proceed. The rights described in section 10 belong to your child, and section 10 explains who exercises them.
13. If you have a privacy concern
If you have any questions or concerns about how Nurturehood handles your personal information, please contact me first:
Email: hello@nurturehood.co.nz
Because the Health Information Privacy Code applies to Nurturehood, I follow a set procedure for any complaint that I have breached that Code. I will acknowledge your complaint in writing within five working days, and tell you my decision within 10 working days after that, or let you know if I need longer.
You also have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you believe your privacy rights have not been appropriately addressed.
14. Changes to this Privacy Statement
This Privacy Statement may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to Nurturehood's services, systems, privacy practices or applicable legal requirements.
The latest version will be made available on the Nurturehood website.