Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 Oct 2026

About this policy

Maria Ward ("we", "us", "our") is a personal stylist and image consultant based in Havelock North, Hawke's Bay. We respect your privacy and handle your personal information in line with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 and its Information Privacy Principles.

This policy explains what personal information we collect through www.mariaward.co.nz and our services, why we collect it, how we keep it safe, and the choices you have. It applies to website visitors, clients, event and workshop guests, newsletter subscribers, and anyone who buys from our shop.

By using our website or services, you agree to us handling your information as described here.

The information we collect

We only collect information we need to provide our services, run our business and stay in touch with you. This may include:

  • Contact details: your name, email address, phone number and postal address.

  • Enquiry and booking details: the service, event or talk you are interested in, your preferred dates, and anything you choose to tell us in a message or on a free clarity call.

  • Styling information: details you share during a session, such as your lifestyle, wardrobe, style goals, clothing sizes, body shape and colouring, and photos of you or your wardrobe taken with your permission.

  • Purchase details: what you buy (such as the Universal Colour Palette or a gift certificate), billing and delivery details, and order history. Card payments are handled by our payment providers, and we never see or store your full card number.

  • Gift certificate details: the recipient's name and email address if you buy a certificate for someone else.

  • Event details: attendance at workshops and events, waitlist sign-ups, and any dietary needs you tell us about so we can cater for you.

  • Newsletter details: your name and email address when you subscribe.

  • Website usage information: your IP address, browser and device type, pages visited and how you arrived at our site, collected through cookies and similar tools.

You don't have to give us your personal information. If you choose not to, we may not be able to answer your enquiry, complete a booking or deliver a service.

How we collect it

Most of the information we hold comes directly from you, when you:

  • fill in a form on our website, join a waitlist or subscribe to our emails

  • email, phone or message us, including through Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn

  • book a session, event, workshop or talk, or buy from our online shop

  • take part in a styling session or event

Sometimes we receive information about you from someone else. For example, a friend may buy you a gift certificate, or an employer, school or event organiser may book a group experience or talk and share attendee names with us. When this happens, we will let you know we hold your information, unless an exception under the Privacy Act applies (for example, you have already been told by the person who shared it). If you share someone else's details with us, please make sure they are happy for you to do so.

How we use your information

We use your personal information to:

  • respond to your enquiries and arrange clarity calls

  • book, prepare for and deliver your styling sessions, group experiences, events and talks

  • process orders, payments and gift certificates, and deliver digital downloads

  • send you booking confirmations, reminders, invoices and follow-up notes

  • send you our newsletter, style tips and offers, if you have subscribed

  • understand how people use our website so we can improve it

  • meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations

We will only use your information for another purpose if you agree, or if the Privacy Act allows it. We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

Photos, videos and client stories

Photos taken during a private styling session are used only to support your styling, unless you give us written permission to use them for anything else.

We will never share your photos, testimonial or story on our website, social media or marketing without your clear consent. You can withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us, and we will remove the content from channels we control as soon as reasonably possible.

Our events and workshops are sometimes photographed or filmed for promotional use. We will let you know beforehand, and you are welcome to ask not to be photographed or for an image of you to be removed.

Emails and marketing

We only send marketing emails to people who have subscribed, for example through our newsletter or Universal Colour Palette sign-up, or who have an existing relationship with us. This is in line with the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007.

Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time. You will still receive messages we need to send about a booking or purchase you have made.

Cookies and website analytics

Our website is built on Squarespace, which uses cookies (small files stored on your device) to make the site work and to tell us how it is used. These include:

  • Essential cookies that keep the site secure and remember what is in your shopping cart.

  • Analytics cookies that show us, in general terms, which pages are popular and how visitors find us. This information doesn't identify you personally.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Some parts of the site, such as the shop, may not work properly if you do.

Our site links to our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages. Those platforms have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they handle your information.

Who we share it with

We only share your information with trusted providers who help us run our business, and only as much as they need. These include:

  • Squarespace, which hosts our website, online shop, forms and email newsletter

  • Payment providers such as Stripe and PayPal, which process card and online payments

  • Booking, email and accounting tools we use to manage appointments, correspondence and invoicing

  • Our accountant or professional advisers, where needed

  • Event venues or caterers, limited to names and dietary needs for events you attend

Some of these providers store information on servers outside New Zealand, including in the United States and Australia. Before sharing information overseas, we take reasonable steps to make sure it will be protected in a way comparable to the Privacy Act.

We may also disclose information if required by law, or if needed to prevent a serious threat to someone's health or safety.

Storage, security and retention

We store your information securely, using password-protected accounts and reputable cloud services. Any paper notes from sessions are kept in a secure place. While no system is completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect your information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access.

We keep your information only for as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy, or as required by law. For example, financial records are kept for seven years for tax purposes. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or destroy it.

If a privacy breach happens that is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner as required by the Privacy Act.

Your rights

Under the Privacy Act, you have the right to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it if you think it is wrong.

To make a request, email mw@mariaward.co.nz. We may need to confirm your identity first. We will respond as soon as we can, and within 20 working days. There is no charge for asking. If we decide not to correct your information, you can ask us to attach a statement of the correction you wanted.

Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to put it right. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at privacy.org.nz or on 0800 803 909.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page, with the date it was last updated at the top.

Contact us

For any privacy questions or requests, please contact:

Maria Ward, Personal Stylist & Image Consultant
Havelock North, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
Email: mw@mariaward.co.nz