Last updated 26 October 2026
Potter Brothers Chocolates (“we”, “us”) makes chocolate in Levin, New Zealand and sells it through this website, potterbrothers.co.nz. This policy explains, in plain English, what personal information we collect, why we collect it, who we share it with and how you can get in touch about it. We follow the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.
What we collect
We only collect what we need to serve you:
- When you place an order: your name, email address, phone number, delivery and billing addresses, and what you bought. Payments are handled by Stripe, and we never see or store your full card number.
- When you create an account: your name, email address and the details you save for faster checkout.
- When you fill in a form: whatever you type into our contact, wholesale or “get your store listed” forms, such as your name, business name, email, phone and address.
- When you join our mailing list: your name and email address.
- Automatically, when you browse: basic technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visit and how you found us. This comes from cookies and similar tools (see below).
Giving us this information is your choice, but without it we can’t take your order, deliver it or reply to you.
How we use it
- To process, pack and deliver your order, and to send you order and shipping updates.
- To answer your questions and handle wholesale and stockist enquiries.
- To send you news and offers by email, but only if you have agreed to receive them. Every email has an unsubscribe link.
- To keep the website secure, prevent fraud and spam, and fix problems.
- To understand how people use the site so we can improve it.
- To meet our legal obligations, such as keeping tax records.
Who we share it with
We never sell your personal information. We share it only with the companies that help us run the shop, and only what they need to do their job:
- Delivery: our courier partners receive your name, address and phone number so they can deliver your parcel.
- Payments: Stripe processes your card payment securely.
- Email and newsletters: Mailchimp sends our marketing emails, and Google Workspace handles our business email.
- Website hosting and security: our website is hosted by Hostinger, and our forms use Google reCAPTCHA to block spam.
- Analytics: we use anonymous visitor statistics (such as Google Analytics) to see how the site is used. This data is aggregated and doesn’t identify you by name.
Some of these providers store information outside New Zealand, mainly in Australia and the United States. We choose providers that protect personal information to a standard comparable to New Zealand law. We may also share information if the law requires us to.
Cookies
Cookies are small files saved in your browser. We use them to:
- remember what’s in your cart and keep you logged in (essential, the shop won’t work without them);
- help Stripe detect fraudulent payments and help reCAPTCHA tell people from bots;
- measure visits, for example with Google Analytics.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. If you block the essential ones, you won’t be able to check out.
How long we keep it
- Order records: seven years, because New Zealand tax law requires us to keep business records for that long.
- Your account: until you ask us to close it.
- Mailing list: until you unsubscribe.
- Enquiries: for as long as we need to deal with them.
Keeping it safe
Our website uses encryption (HTTPS) for everything you send us. Only the people who need your information to do their job can see it, and we use reputable providers with their own security safeguards. No system is perfectly secure, but if something ever goes wrong with your information we will tell you and the Privacy Commissioner as the law requires.
Your rights
Under the Privacy Act you can ask to see the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct it. You can also:
- unsubscribe from our emails at any time using the link at the bottom of any email;
- update your details yourself in your account;
- ask us to delete your account or information. We may need to keep some records for tax or legal reasons, and we’ll tell you if that’s the case.
Just email us using the details below. We may ask you to confirm who you are first. We’ll reply within 20 working days. If you’re not happy with how we’ve handled your information, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle personal information, we’ll update this page and change the date at the top.
Contact us
Potter Brothers Chocolates
14 Coventry Street, Levin 5510, New Zealand
Email: Joe@potterbrothers.co.nz
Phone: 027 519 7785