Privacy Policy | Pet Health Map

Effective Date: 30 June 2026

Last Updated: 30 June 2026

Pet Health Map ("PHM", "we", "us" or "our") is operated by The Cat's Whiskers Co., Ltd. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use, disclose, store, transfer, retain and protect personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, the Information Privacy Principles ("IPPs"), and other applicable laws. In this Privacy Policy, "personal information" has the meaning given under the Privacy Act 2020. Pet-related information may also be personal information where it is linked to your account, contact details, uploaded documents, clinic visit records, invoices, communications, device identifiers or other information that can reasonably identify you. By using PHM or providing personal information to us, you acknowledge and, where required, consent to our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Personal Information We Collect and How We Collect It

We may collect personal information directly from you when you:

create an account;
sign in through Google, Apple or another provider;
use PHM;
upload images, documents, notes or pet records;
use AI Care, Pet Health Record / Pet Medical Card, Vet Review or related features;
submit a clinic request or booking enquiry;
contact us for support;
respond to questions, forms or feedback requests;
otherwise interact with the Platform. We may also collect information automatically through cookies, logs, analytics tools, device identifiers and similar technologies when you use PHM. Where you choose to sign in through Google, Apple or another third-party authentication provider, we may receive account and authentication information from that provider in accordance with your settings and the provider's own terms and privacy policy. We may collect the following categories of personal information: Account information Name, email address, profile information, authentication information, account settings and login-related information. Usage information Search queries, clinics you view or save as favourites, navigation patterns, feature interactions, page views, device information, IP address, browser type, operating system, referrer URL and similar usage data. Pet-related information Your pet's name, species, breed, age, sex, weight, health notes, symptoms, clinic visit information, uploaded documents, receipts, images, reports, reminders and other information you choose to provide about your pet. AI Care and optional content Information you choose to submit when using AI Care Navigator or similar features, including descriptions of your pet's situation, symptoms, concerns, images, documents or other context you provide. Communications Messages you send to us, including emails to [email protected], support requests, feedback and our responses. Technical and security information Logs, error reports, authentication events, fraud signals, security events and data used to detect abuse, scraping, unauthorised access, fraud, security risks or service misuse. We hold personal information using cloud infrastructure, databases, access controls, authentication systems, backups, logging systems and security tools operated by us or our service providers.

2. Anonymity and Pseudonymity

Where practical, you may browse general PHM content without creating an account or identifying yourself. Some features, such as saving clinics, maintaining pet profiles, using AI Care history, uploading documents, submitting clinic contact requests, managing subscriptions, or using account-based services, may require you to provide personal information or sign in so that we can provide the relevant service.

3. How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information for the following purposes:

to provide, maintain, operate and improve PHM and its features;
to authenticate you, secure your account and prevent fraud, abuse or unauthorised access;
to personalise your experience, including saved clinics, pet profiles, AI Care history, reminders or related features;
to process information you provide through AI Care Navigator or similar tools and generate informational outputs;
to help you organise pet-related information before seeking veterinary care;
to provide Pet Health Record / Pet Medical Card functions;
to manage paid services, subscriptions, entitlements, billing support and restore-purchase flows;
to communicate with you about service changes, support requests, security notices, policy updates and account matters;
to respond to your questions, feedback, complaints or requests;
to generate aggregated, de-identified or anonymised analytics that help us understand how users interact with PHM;
to monitor service performance, debug errors, improve safety and prevent misuse;
to comply with applicable laws and respond to lawful requests by public authorities. We will not use your personal information for purposes unrelated to those described above unless we obtain your consent or are otherwise permitted or required by law.

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

We may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients: Service providers Cloud hosting providers, database providers, analytics providers, customer support tools, security vendors, email providers, payment support tools, infrastructure providers and similar vendors who process information on our behalf under confidentiality and data protection obligations. Authentication providers Google, Apple or other authentication providers when you choose to sign in through their services. Your interactions with those providers are governed by their respective privacy policies. AI service providers Third-party large language model or AI infrastructure providers that process information on our behalf to support AI Care Navigator, Single-Use AI Reports, Pet Health Record / Pet Medical Card, or similar features. Veterinary clinics and professionals Only when you explicitly choose to share information, such as by submitting a booking enquiry, clinic contact request, Vet Review request, Online Veterinary Information Consultation request, or other clinic-related request through PHM. Payment and app store providers Apple App Store, Google Play, payment processors, payment service providers or related vendors where necessary to process purchases, subscriptions, refunds, restore-purchase flows, fraud prevention or billing support. Professional advisers Lawyers, accountants, auditors, insurers or other professional advisers where necessary for business, legal, compliance or risk-management purposes. Legal and regulatory authorities Courts, regulators, law enforcement or public authorities when required or permitted by law, court order, regulatory request or legal process. We do not sell your personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

5. AI Care Navigator and Automated Processing

PHM offers AI-assisted tools, such as AI Care Navigator, that may process information you provide about your pet to surface relevant clinics, organise your concerns, provide general informational guidance, or generate reports. These tools are intended as informational aids only and do not constitute veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, prescription or emergency assessment. AI-generated outputs may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated or unsuitable for your pet's specific condition. You should not rely on AI Care Navigator as a substitute for professional consultation with a registered veterinarian. Information you submit to AI Care Navigator may be processed by third-party AI service providers under contractual privacy and security obligations. We do not permit third-party AI service providers to use your AI interactions to train their general-purpose AI models. You should not submit unnecessary personal information, government identification numbers, payment card details, passwords, confidential third-party information, or information about other individuals unless you have the right to do so. We may retain AI Care inputs and outputs to provide the service, maintain your history where applicable, improve safety, detect misuse, debug errors and improve PHM. Where possible, we use aggregated, de-identified or anonymised information for analytics and service improvement. We do not use AI Care Navigator to make legally binding decisions about you. If we introduce automated decision-making features that may significantly affect your rights or interests, we will update this Privacy Policy and provide any additional notice required by law.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

maintain your session and authentication status;
remember your preferences;
understand usage patterns and improve PHM;
detect errors, abuse and security risks;
measure product and feature performance. Some cookies are necessary for PHM to function properly. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies or delete existing cookies, but some features of PHM may not function as intended without them. More information is available in our Cookie Policy (/en-NZ/cookie-policy).

7. Overseas Disclosure of Personal Information

Some of our service providers and technology partners may be located outside New Zealand. We may disclose personal information to recipients located outside New Zealand, including Taiwan, Singapore, the United States, and other countries where our cloud hosting, analytics, authentication, customer support, database, security, payment or AI service providers operate. Before disclosing personal information to an overseas recipient, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient handles the information in a manner consistent with the Privacy Act 2020 and the IPPs, unless an exception applies. This may include contractual safeguards, data processing agreements, access controls, security requirements and other legally enforceable arrangements.

8. Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required or permitted by applicable laws. Different categories of information may be retained for different periods depending on:

the purpose of collection;
account status;
subscription and payment records;
security needs;
support and dispute handling;
legal or regulatory obligations;
operational requirements. When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, anonymise or de-identify it.

9. Access, Correction and Account Deletion

Subject to the Privacy Act 2020, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you and request correction of personal information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading. You may also contact us to request deletion of your account or certain personal information. We will assess such requests in accordance with applicable law, our retention obligations, security requirements and legitimate operational needs. We may need to verify your identity before processing a request. We will not charge you for making a correction request or for correcting your personal information. We may charge a reasonable fee for giving access to personal information where permitted by law, but not for making the access request. To exercise these rights, please contact us at [email protected] or through the contact page (/en-NZ/contact-us).

10. Marketing Communications

If we send you product announcements, offers, newsletters or other marketing communications, we will do so in accordance with applicable law. Where required, we will identify ourselves as the sender and provide a functional unsubscribe facility. You may opt out of marketing communications by following the unsubscribe instructions in the message or by contacting us. Even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still send you non-marketing messages, such as service notices, security alerts, account-related messages, payment notices or policy updates.

11. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, loss, interference or similar risks. These measures may include access controls, authentication, encryption where appropriate, logging, monitoring, backups, vendor controls and internal security practices. However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Data Breach Notification

We will take reasonable steps to detect, assess, contain and respond to suspected data breaches. Where required under the Privacy Act 2020, we will notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals of notifiable privacy breaches.

13. Third-Party Websites and Services

PHM may contain links to third-party websites, services, platforms or content, including veterinary clinic websites, Google Maps, Google, Apple, payment platforms, analytics providers or other third-party services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or policies of third-party services. Your use of third-party services is subject to their respective privacy policies and terms.

14. Privacy Complaints

If you believe that we have breached the Privacy Act 2020, the IPPs or this Privacy Policy, please contact our privacy contact at [email protected]. Please include your name, contact details, a description of your concern and any relevant supporting information. We will assess your complaint and aim to respond within a reasonable period, usually within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified by posting an updated version on PHM with a new effective date and, where appropriate, by additional notice through the Platform or other communication channels. If a change requires your consent, we will seek consent where required by law.

16. Governing Law

To the extent permitted by law, this Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of New Zealand. This section does not limit your rights under the Privacy Act 2020, the IPPs, the notifiable privacy breach provisions, or your right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

17. Contact

If you have questions, concerns, complaints or requests about how we handle personal information, please contact our privacy contact at: Email: [email protected] Company: The Cat's Whiskers Co., Ltd.