Book My VaccinePrivacy statement
To book your COVID-19 vaccination we need to collect some information from you using our booking system 'Book My Vaccine'. Find out what we record, where it's kept, and who can access it.
About Book My Vaccine
Book My Vaccine is the COVID-19 booking system provided by the Ministry of Health. It allows you to:
- book COVID-19 vaccination appointments
- change or cancel your vaccination appointments.
What information is collected
You’ll need to provide some personal information and contact details to book a vaccination.
These will either be your details, or those of the person you’re completing the booking or registration for (you’ll need to confirm you have their consent).
| Type of information | Mandatory/optional | Why we collect this information |
|---|---|---|
| First name and last name (middle name optional) | Mandatory | Used to:
Mandatory |
| Preferred first and last name | Optional | Used to:
Optional |
| Date of birth | Mandatory | Used to:
Mandatory |
| Contact email and/or contact number | Mandatory (at least one be needs to be provided) | Used to:
Mandatory (at least one be needs to be provided) |
| Gender | Optional – you can choose ‘prefer not to say’ | Used to:
Optional – you can choose ‘prefer not to say’ |
| Ethnicity | Mandatory | Used to:
Mandatory |
| Address | Optional | Used to:
Optional |
| Assistance required | Optional | Used so we can accommodate your needs when you attend your appointments. Optional |
| Booking location, dates, and times | Mandatory | Used to confirm your vaccination appointments. Mandatory |
| Acknowledgment that you accept our privacy statement | Mandatory | Used to confirm you’re aware of how the Ministry of Health manages your privacy. Mandatory |
| Confirmation that you have consent if you’re completing the form for someone else | Mandatory | Used to confirm to the Ministry of Health that you have authority to book on someone else’s behalf. Mandatory |
| NHI number supplied by you | Optional | Used to assist with matching your NHI number. Optional |
We will also record and store:
| Type of information | Mandatory/optional | Why we collect this information |
|---|---|---|
| Your NHI as matched by Ministry of Health | Mandatory if match can be made | Used to link your booking records to your NHI number so it can be used during your appointments. Linking you to your NHI number also helps us identify and manage bookings that may not be genuine. Mandatory if match can be made |
| Confirmation booking attended | Mandatory if match can be made | Used to confirm within the Booking System when a booking has been attended and to follow up missed appointments. Mandatory if match can be made |
Reporting
We use your information for statistical reporting so we can track how our bookings are progressing nationally – you are not identified in any of these reports.
NHI number matching
We will link your details to your National Health Index (NHI) number where we have sufficient details for a match. This is your unique identifier in the health system.
Our team may contact you if we can’t match you to your NHI number and will allocate a new one to you if necessary.
Booking cancellations
If we cancel a booking for any reason, we will advise you using the contact details provided and include advice on how to re-book.
Bookings may be cancelled if we can’t match you to an NHI number and we can’t contact you with the contact details provided.
Fraudulent bookings
Information may be shared with other agencies where we have reason to believe that a fraudulent booking has been made, or where one person attempts to use the identity of another person.
If someone is booking on your behalf
You may authorise another person to complete a booking on your behalf, but they must confirm that they have your consent to do this.
Bookings for young adults and children
Ages 5 to 11
Children aged 5 to 11 are eligible for a child (paediatric) course of Pfizer. They are not eligible for AstraZeneca or booster vaccinations.
It’s recommended that a parent or caregiver books on behalf of a child. COVID-19 vaccination is different for ages 5 to 11 and it’s important you select the right age band when booking.
A parent, caregiver, legal power of attorney, or whanaungatanga will need to accompany a child to their appointment(s) as the responsible adult.
At the appointment a health professional will discuss the vaccination with the adult and child. They can ask any questions and the responsible adult will need to confirm consent for the child to be vaccinated.
Ages 12 to 15
Young people aged 12 to 15 are eligible for a primary course of Pfizer. They are not eligible for AstraZeneca or booster vaccinations.
We recommend young people discuss vaccination with whānau or a trusted support person.
A health professional will also discuss the vaccine with them before they get vaccinated and answer any questions they have. If they have a good understanding, they can say yes or no to getting the vaccine. If they’d prefer, a parent or caregiver can provide consent instead.
COVID-19 vaccine and children: Information for parents and caregivers
Keeping your information safe
Your personal information will be held and managed in accordance with the Privacy Act and Health Information Privacy Code. Secure measures are in place to protect your information from unauthorised access.
Access to your information is limited to authorised users. This access is recorded and can be audited.
In order to host Book My Vaccine we use Amazon Web Services located in Sydney, Australia.
Who can see and access your information
We will share your information with the people and organisations who are involved in managing your vaccination appointments and providing the vaccination to you. We need to be able to:
- identify you when you book and when you arrive at your appointment
- communicate with you when we have relevant information for you or to help you attend your appointment
- link your details to your NHI number and to the COVID-19 Immunisation Register when you present for your vaccination
- manage resources to have enough vaccinations at the right location at the right time
- identify and make improvements to the vaccination programme by:
- reporting on the number of people booking and attending vaccinations
- understanding facility capacity
- monitoring how effective the vaccination programme is.
In addition, your information will be stored on the Ministry of Health secure reporting database and used for supporting the COVID-19 response. This may include matching with other Ministry of Health datasets. You will not be identified in any reports generated as part of these reporting activities.
If you are under 16 years of age, your parent or guardian may request access to your information.
Information will also be collected from you when you present for your vaccinations. This is managed separately by vaccination staff.
COVID-19 vaccine and your privacy
How long your information is kept
Your information will be held within the Book My Vaccine booking system and in the Ministry of Health’s secure reporting database until the COVID-19 Public Health Response 2020 is repealed, or as required by the Public Records Act 2005.
Accessing or changing your information
To view any personal information held by us about you, or if you have any concerns or questions about the personal information that we hold and wish to request a correction:
Email: covid-19.privacy@health.govt.nz
Write to:
The Privacy Officer
Ministry of Health
PO Box 5013
Wellington
We may require proof of your identity before being able to provide you with any personal information.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to collect and analyse details about the use of our website. No effort is made to identify individual users. You may opt out from having Google Analytics collect your information by disabling cookies in your browser or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out browser add-on.
The information collected includes your IP address, the pages you accessed on the website, the links you clicked on, the date and time you visited the website, the referring site (if any), the operating system on your device, the web-browser you used and other incidental information such as screen resolution and language setting. Google reCAPTCHA is also used.
Google Analytics Privacy Policy
Contact us
If you have concerns about your privacy email covid-19.privacy@health.govt.nz.
If you are not satisfied with our response to any privacy concerns, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.