This Privacy Policy was last updated on 30 June 2026
Welcome to Smartspec, a digital specification writing tool that allows building and design professionals to create professional, council-ready specifications faster.
In this Privacy Policy, “you” or “your” means any person whose personal information we collect or hold in connection with our website(s) or the services we provide via our website(s) or other interfaces (collectively, “Services”), namely (a) visitors who access or browse our website(s); (b) subscribers who register for and use the Services (“Subscribers”); and (c) suppliers whose products or services are featured in or integrated with the Services (“Suppliers”).
This Privacy Policy sets out our, and your, rights and obligations in relation to personal information we collect, hold, and use in connection with our Services. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully before subscribing to, accessing, or using the Services. By accessing, registering for, or using the Services, you agree to follow and be bound by this Privacy Policy and, if you are a Subscriber, our Terms of Use or, if you are a Supplier, the Listing Agreement agreed with you. If you do not agree to this Privacy Policy, you must not subscribe to, access, or use the Services.
“Personal information” means any information about an identifiable individual.
This Privacy Policy may be varied by us at any time upon 30 days’ written notice to you of such changes, including by email or posting of modified terms on our website. If you continue to access or use the Services, or if you provide any information to us after changes are made to this Privacy Policy, then you agree that we may treat this as your acceptance of those changes and the updated Privacy Policy.
1. Collection
1.1
We may gather information about you from your access to and use of the Services including:
We may gather information about you from your access to and use of the Services including:
(a)Services usage information such as the date, time and length of your visit, the URLs or addresses of the website pages you visit, the operating system, browser, search engine and IP address used by the computer you are using to connect to the internet, and the domain name from which you are accessing the internet;
(b)where you are a Subscriber, personal information provided by you, both at the time of registration and also when you use the Services, including name, address, email address, contact details, and IP address;
(c)where you are a Supplier, contact and business details provided by you in connection with your products or services featured in or integrated with the Subscription Services, including name, business name, email address, phone number, and product or service information; and
(d)aggregate information generated by our systems which track traffic to the Services but does not relate to you personally. If we combine or connect aggregate information with your personal information so that it can be directly or indirectly linked to you, we will treat the combined data as personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
1.2
We may receive personal information about you from various third parties including:
We may receive personal information about you from various third parties including:
(a)analytics providers (such as Google Analytics), which collect information about how you use the Website and Services, including pages visited, time spent, and interactions;
(b)payment processors (such as Maxio and Windcave), which provide us with financial and transaction information in connection with your subscription payments; and
(c)your organisation or administrator, where your employer, firm, or an organisation administrator creates your account or adds you as a Subscriber, we may receive your name, email address, and contact details from them.
1.3
If you are or wish to become a Subscriber or a Supplier, you will be required to provide certain personal information. If you do not provide personal information that we require, we may be unable to create your account, provide the relevant Services or functionality to you, publish your information, or process your subscription payments.
If you are or wish to become a Subscriber or a Supplier, you will be required to provide certain personal information. If you do not provide personal information that we require, we may be unable to create your account, provide the relevant Services or functionality to you, publish your information, or process your subscription payments.
2. Use
2.1
We may use the information we collect from you:
We may use the information we collect from you:
(a)to provide you with (and assist you with using) the Services, including to verify your identity and assist you if you forget your password or login details;
(b)to identify and analyse user behaviour and industry trends on our website, including generating insights;
(c)to maintain and optimise the technical performance, operation and security of our Services;
(d)to measure the effectiveness of listings or other advertising on our website;
(e)to improve or enhance the delivery of the Services and their features to you (including developing, training, and improving any artificial intelligence or machine learning features or models that form part of or support the Services);
(f)to contact you in relation to your use of the Services or your engagement with us;
(g)to allow us to process payments in relation to the Subscription Services;
(h)to monitor, develop and improve our Services and its functionality;
(i)to generate aggregated or de-identified data for the purposes stated above;
(j)to comply with our legal obligations; and
(k)for any other use that you authorise.
2.2
Where we need your consent so that we can send marketing communications to you, we will obtain your consent before doing so. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing communications at any time by emailing us at [email protected], or by unsubscribing through the unsubscribe link in the email. If you elect not to receive communications or ask to be removed from a mailing list, we may still send you communications where it is necessary for the provision of the Services or to provide you with details of the changes to the Services.
Where we need your consent so that we can send marketing communications to you, we will obtain your consent before doing so. You have the right to withdraw consent to marketing communications at any time by emailing us at [email protected], or by unsubscribing through the unsubscribe link in the email. If you elect not to receive communications or ask to be removed from a mailing list, we may still send you communications where it is necessary for the provision of the Services or to provide you with details of the changes to the Services.
3. Disclosure
3.1
We will only share information with other organisations or individuals in the following limited circumstances:
We will only share information with other organisations or individuals in the following limited circumstances:
(a)where we engage third parties to perform services on our behalf or assist in providing the Services including: (i) platform hosting and data storage providers; (ii) maintenance, support and backup providers; (iii) payment processors, financial and credit card institutions; (iv) customer support providers; (v) marketing and research agencies; and (vi) software developers;
(b)where necessary, to any member of our corporate group (meaning our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company, and its subsidiaries), for the purpose of providing the Services;
(c)to any other third party that you authorise.
(d)We will ensure that these parties agree to use personal information only as required to perform their functions (and not for other purposes), and to process the personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
3.2
We may need to disclose your personal information: (i) to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or government request; (ii) for the prevention of fraud or other illegal activities; (iii) related to suspected or actual violations of our Terms of Use; and/or (iv) to safeguard our rights and the rights and safety of others.
We may need to disclose your personal information: (i) to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or government request; (ii) for the prevention of fraud or other illegal activities; (iii) related to suspected or actual violations of our Terms of Use; and/or (iv) to safeguard our rights and the rights and safety of others.
4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
4.1
We may use cookies, tracking pixels, and similar tracking technologies (“Tracking Technologies”) containing information that can identify the computer or other device you are using to access the Services. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that allow us to recognise you between visits. Tracking pixels are small image files or code snippets embedded in pages or emails used to track interactions and the effectiveness of communications.
We may use cookies, tracking pixels, and similar tracking technologies (“Tracking Technologies”) containing information that can identify the computer or other device you are using to access the Services. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that allow us to recognise you between visits. Tracking pixels are small image files or code snippets embedded in pages or emails used to track interactions and the effectiveness of communications.
4.2
We may use Tracking Technologies to:
We may use Tracking Technologies to:
(a)track traffic patterns to and from the Services;
(b)ensure any advertising or communications are being shown to the most appropriate person;
(c)enable you to use the Subscription Services without having to log on each time; and
(d)enable us and our partners/sponsors to serve targeted advertising to you.
5. Partners, Advertisers, Content Providers
5.1
Where, through the Services, you deal with our partners, content providers, advertisers, or other third parties connected with the Services (collectively Service Providers) we will endeavour to manage the manner in which they deal with you. Where you have concerns about how Services Providers are dealing with you please let us know so that we can seek to address any issue you identify. However where you engage with any Service Provider for purposes that are unrelated to the Services then you should ensure that you understand the basis on which that Service Provider is engaging with you. For example the Services may contain links to other sites. In following these links you are engaging with the third party other than in relation to the Services and those third parties may not follow the same privacy policies that we adopt. The inclusion of any link does not imply our endorsement of or association with those websites. We recommend that you check any relevant privacy policies before providing your personal information to any third party.
Where, through the Services, you deal with our partners, content providers, advertisers, or other third parties connected with the Services (collectively Service Providers) we will endeavour to manage the manner in which they deal with you. Where you have concerns about how Services Providers are dealing with you please let us know so that we can seek to address any issue you identify. However where you engage with any Service Provider for purposes that are unrelated to the Services then you should ensure that you understand the basis on which that Service Provider is engaging with you. For example the Services may contain links to other sites. In following these links you are engaging with the third party other than in relation to the Services and those third parties may not follow the same privacy policies that we adopt. The inclusion of any link does not imply our endorsement of or association with those websites. We recommend that you check any relevant privacy policies before providing your personal information to any third party.
6. Security
6.1
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. As no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we cannot ensure the security of any information you transmit or receive through the Services. While we take precautions to minimise the related risks, these activities are conducted at your own risk.
We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. As no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we cannot ensure the security of any information you transmit or receive through the Services. While we take precautions to minimise the related risks, these activities are conducted at your own risk.
6.2
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
7. Holding, Correcting and Updating
7.1
We will only retain your personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for. Any personal information that you provide to us will be collected and held by us and/or our third party hosting providers.
We will only retain your personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for. Any personal information that you provide to us will be collected and held by us and/or our third party hosting providers.
7.2
Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have rights to request access to, and to request correction of, personal information that we hold about you. For information about this Act and how it protects the personal information of individuals in New Zealand, click here.
Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have rights to request access to, and to request correction of, personal information that we hold about you. For information about this Act and how it protects the personal information of individuals in New Zealand, click here.
7.3
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal information (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it. We may also contact you to ask you for further information in relation to your request to speed up our response.
7.4
We will comply with any valid request to access your personal information, except where the Privacy Act 2020 allows us to refuse to do so. If we refuse your request to access and/or correct your personal information, we will provide you with reasons for the refusal. We will respond to any request for access and correction in accordance with the timeframes set out in the Privacy Act 2020.
We will comply with any valid request to access your personal information, except where the Privacy Act 2020 allows us to refuse to do so. If we refuse your request to access and/or correct your personal information, we will provide you with reasons for the refusal. We will respond to any request for access and correction in accordance with the timeframes set out in the Privacy Act 2020.
7.5
If you would like to access the personal information relating to you that we have stored, or to request correction of such personal information, or if you have any concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected].
If you would like to access the personal information relating to you that we have stored, or to request correction of such personal information, or if you have any concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected].
7.6
If you are not satisfied with our response to any privacy-related concern you may have, you can contact the Privacy Commissioner:
If you are not satisfied with our response to any privacy-related concern you may have, you can contact the Privacy Commissioner:
Office of the Privacy Commissioner
PO Box 10-094
Wellington, New Zealand
Phone: +64-4-474 7590
Enquiries Line (from Auckland): 302 8655
Enquiries Line (from outside Auckland): 0800 803 909
Fax: +64-4-474 7595
Email: [email protected]
PO Box 10-094
Wellington, New Zealand
Phone: +64-4-474 7590
Enquiries Line (from Auckland): 302 8655
Enquiries Line (from outside Auckland): 0800 803 909
Fax: +64-4-474 7595
Email: [email protected]