Privacy Policy
Effective Date: 31 August 2026 · Version v1
1. Who We Are
Goldenvista ("we", "us", "our") provides education counselling and immigration advisory-adjacent services to international students seeking to study in New Zealand. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website, student portal, and related services.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of personal information:
- Identity information: full name, date of birth, nationality, passport details, and photographs.
- Contact information: email address, phone number, postal address, and city/country of residence.
- Education history: academic transcripts, certificates, qualifications, GPA, and English language test scores.
- Financial information: bank statements, proof of funds, scholarship details, and funding source documentation.
- Immigration history: previous visa applications, refusals, and current immigration status.
- Employment history: work experience records provided by you.
- Account information: email address, password (stored securely as a bcrypt hash), and session data.
- Usage data: pages visited, actions taken within the portal, and timestamps.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- Providing education counselling and application support services.
- Communicating with you about your application, appointments, and required documents.
- Verifying your identity and academic credentials.
- Submitting applications to educational institutions on your behalf (with your explicit consent).
- Improving our services and website functionality.
- Complying with legal and regulatory obligations.
4. Document Storage and Security
Sensitive documents you upload (passports, financial statements, academic transcripts) are stored in encrypted cloud storage. Access is restricted to authorised Goldenvista staff members assigned to your case. We implement industry-standard security measures including:
- Encrypted file storage (Vercel Blob with access controls).
- Bcrypt password hashing (12 rounds).
- Secure session management with JWT tokens.
- Role-based access controls for staff.
5. Data Sharing
We may share your information with:
- Educational institutions: When you instruct us to submit applications on your behalf.
- Immigration authorities: When required as part of visa application processes.
- Service providers: Trusted third parties that assist in operating our services (e.g., hosting, email delivery), bound by confidentiality obligations.
We will never sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.
6. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations. If you request account deletion, we will remove your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
7. Your Rights
Under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate information.
- Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements).
- Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you believe we have mishandled your information.
8. Cookies and Tracking
We use essential cookies for session management and authentication. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or tracking pixels.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the version number above and notify registered users via email. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at:
Email: privacy@goldenvista.nz
Director: director@gv.org.nz