Privacy Policy
Last updated: 12 June 2026 · Piha Tank Watch (“we”, “us”, “our”), New Zealand
This policy explains what personal information Piha Tank Watch collects, how we use it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and the rights you have under the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020. It applies to our website (pihatankwatch.nz) and the Piha Tank Watch app (app.pihatankwatch.nz).
1. What we collect
| Information | What it is | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | Used as your account identifier and for passwordless sign-in (one-time codes), and any alert address you set. | To create your account, sign you in, and send alerts/notices you ask for. |
| Tank reading history | Water-level readings from your sensor over time. This can reveal household occupancy and usage patterns, so we treat it as sensitive. | To show your level and history and power insights/alerts. |
| Device & ownership data | Which tank/sensor is yours, its configuration, and who you’ve shared it with (e.g. family, or an installer you’ve linked). | To run the service and enforce who can see/manage each tank. |
| Device diagnostics | Basic health signals your sensor sends with each reading — firmware version, WiFi signal strength, and (on battery/solar units) battery level and sensor status. This is about the device, not about you. | To monitor device health, show honest “no recent reading”/fault states, and plan firmware updates. |
| Billing data | For paid plans, a payment-provider customer reference. We never see or store your card details — payments are handled by Stripe. | To manage your subscription. |
| Support & technical data | Messages you send us, and basic technical/log data needed to operate and secure the service. | To support you and keep the service reliable and secure. |
| Push notification subscription | If you turn on push alerts, your browser gives us a push subscription — a notification address (endpoint) and keys your browser generates, stored per browser/device. It lets us send you a notification; it doesn't let us read anything else on your device. | To deliver the alerts you've enabled as push notifications. |
2. How we use your information
We use your information to provide and maintain the service, authenticate you, send the alerts and notices you’ve enabled, manage subscriptions, provide support, and keep the service secure. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
3. Who we share it with
We share information only with the providers that run the service for us (our “sub-processors”), and only as needed:
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) — hosting and storage, and email delivery (Amazon SES), in the Asia Pacific (Sydney) region.
- Stripe — payment processing for paid plans.
- Your browser's push provider — if you enable push alerts, each notification is delivered through the push service your browser uses. The notification and your push subscription pass through that service to reach your device.
If you choose to share a tank with another person, or link an installer/trade partner, they will see that tank’s data (and, if you opt in, receive its alerts) for as long as the link exists. You can see and revoke these in the app. We will only disclose your information otherwise where required by law.
4. How long we keep it
Retention is set by your plan, per the periods below.
- Sign-in codes — short-lived one-time login records expire automatically about an hour after issue.
- Tank reading history — kept according to your plan: Free: 7 days; Plus: 90 days; Pro and Enterprise: retained for the life of the account.
- Account & billing records — kept while your account is active; removed when you delete your account (see your rights below), except where we must retain limited records to meet legal/accounting obligations.
If you change plans: if you move to a plan with a shorter history window (for example, downgrading from Pro to Plus or Free), reading history older than the new plan's window is permanently deleted — after about 30 days at the new plan — and cannot be recovered. If you want a copy first, export your data (see your rights below) before downgrading.
When you delete a tank you solely own, its history is deleted. History for a tank shared with others is retained for those other owners.
5. Your rights
Under the Privacy Act 2020 you have the right to access and correct your personal information. In the app you can:
- Download your data — export your profile, devices and reading history (“Download my data”).
- Delete your account — remove your account, device links and billing record, and cancel any subscription (“Delete my account”).
To access, correct, or ask questions about your information, contact us at hello@pihatankwatch.nz. You also have the right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
6. Security
Traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS). We don’t store card details (Stripe handles payments), and access to your data is restricted to running the service. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to protect your information and to limit what we collect to what we need.
7. Storage & cookies
The app stores your sign-in session in your browser’s local storage so you stay logged in. If you enable push alerts, your browser stores a notification permission and we store your push subscription so we can send them — you can turn push off any time in the app or in your browser settings. We use only what’s essential to run the service — we don’t use third-party advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
8. Children
The service is for property owners and isn’t directed at children.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as the service evolves. We’ll post the new version here with an updated date; significant changes will be highlighted.
10. Contact
Questions, requests, or privacy concerns: hello@pihatankwatch.nz.