Privacy & Terms

Sovereign Policies and Terms

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 9 November 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to the website of Sovereign (“we”, “us”, or “our”), a New Zealand political party. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information safely and responsibly, in line with the Privacy Act 2020. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit https://sovereign.nz, join Sovereign, or use our member area.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following personal information:

  • Contact details: your name, email address and phone number.
  • Membership application: your full name, date of birth and residential street address; if you live outside New Zealand, the date you were last in New Zealand; your declarations that you are enrolled, or eligible to enrol, as an elector in New Zealand and that you are not an overseas person; the membership fee you chose; and your signed membership declaration, including your signature and the date you signed. In the declaration you authorise us to record you as a financial member and to release your details to the Electoral Commission (see section 6).
  • Payments and donations: the amounts and dates of your membership fees and donations and, for a donation, your name and address at the time and the declaration you confirmed. You enter your card details into forms run by our payment processor, Stripe, which holds them. We see only the card type, its last four digits and its expiry date.
  • Member area: the sign-in links we email you, and when they were requested and used.
  • Technical data: IP address, browser details, website visitor statistics, and other data collected through cookies, JavaScript, and similar technologies. When you sign your membership declaration, we also record the IP address and browser you signed it from.

3. How We Collect Information

We collect information from you directly: through our membership application, member area, donation and contact forms, and the emails you send us. We also collect technical data through cookies, JavaScript, and similar technologies (see section 9).

The details the membership application asks for are needed to join. Without them we can't accept your application, because they are what the Electoral Commission needs to see for each member if Sovereign applies to register as a political party.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

  • consider your membership application, keep our membership register, and manage your membership, renewals and payments;
  • check that you meet the membership requirements in our constitution;
  • show the Electoral Commission that Sovereign has enough eligible members, if Sovereign applies to register as a political party (see section 6);
  • process donations and meet our disclosure obligations under the Electoral Act 1993 (see section 5);
  • send you membership emails, such as your confirmation, sign-in links, renewal notices and receipts;
  • send newsletters, political updates, and promotional campaigns;
  • reply to messages you send us; and
  • understand how our website is used (visitor statistics).

5. Disclosure of Donations

Electoral law requires some donations to be disclosed. If a donation you make must be disclosed under the Electoral Act 1993, we disclose your name, your address and the amount, as the Act requires. The disclosure rules are shown on our membership and donation forms. We do not accept donations from overseas persons.

6. Your Membership Details and the Electoral Commission

To register as a political party, a party must show the Electoral Commission that it has at least 500 financial members who are eligible to enrol as electors. When you join, you authorise us to release your name, residential address, date of birth and membership details (including your signed declaration, and the fee you paid and when) to the Electoral Commission for an application to register Sovereign as a political party under Part 4 of the Electoral Act 1993.

If we apply, the Commission uses this information to check our application. It checks that members are eligible to enrol, and it may contact some members to confirm that they are members and have paid a fee. Membership lists given to the Commission are not published.

You can withdraw this authorisation at any time by emailing us. You stay a member, but we will not give your details to the Commission and you will not be counted toward registration.

7. Who Else We Share Information With

We share personal information only with:

  • Stripe, which processes our payments and holds card details. Stripe may store information outside New Zealand.
  • Our email provider, which sends our emails.
  • Our website hosting provider, which stores the website and its database.
  • Vimeo, if you play a video embedded on our website.
  • The Electoral Commission, as described in section 6, and anyone else we are required by law to disclose information to.

Our visitor statistics are kept on our own self-hosted analytics system. We do not sell or rent your personal information.

8. Data Security and Retention

We protect your information with secure servers, encrypted connections, and strict access controls. Signatures and membership declarations are kept outside the public part of our website, and only our administrators can see them. We keep membership records, including signed declarations, while you are a member and afterwards for as long as we need them for party registration, financial and electoral record-keeping, and our other legal obligations.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses first-party functional cookies (including a session cookie while you are signed in to the member area), first-party analytics cookies from our self-hosted analytics system, Stripe cookies on our payment forms (for payment processing and fraud prevention), and cookies set by Vimeo when an embedded video loads. You can adjust your browser settings to disable cookies, but this may affect site functionality.

10. Your Rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020, you can ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct it. Members can see their membership details in the member area. You can also ask us to delete your information. We will do so, except where we must keep it (for example, financial and electoral records). Contact us at vote@sovereign.nz. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Privacy Commissioner.

11. Policy Updates and Notifications

We review this Privacy Policy annually. Sovereign reserves the right to amend this policy from time to time without prior notice. Updated policies will be posted on this page.

12. Youth Membership

Our online membership application is for people aged 18 or over. Youth Membership (under 18) requires parental consent; please contact us at vote@sovereign.nz.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at vote@sovereign.nz.

Website Terms and Conditions

By accessing or using https://sovereign.nz (the "Website"), you agree to these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree with any of these terms, please do not use the Website.

1. Acceptance of Terms

Your use of the Website constitutes your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. Sovereign reserves the right to update or modify these terms at any time without prior notice. Updated terms will be posted on the Website.

2. Intellectual Property

All content on this Website—including text, graphics, logos, images, and software—is the property of Sovereign and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, modify, or distribute any content without prior written permission from Sovereign.

3. Use of the Website

You agree to use the Website only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. Any misuse of the Website may result in termination of your access.

4. Third-Party Links

The Website may contain links to third-party websites for your convenience. Sovereign is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of use of these external sites.

5. Limitation of Liability

Sovereign shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with your use of the Website.

6. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Sovereign, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of the Website, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.

7. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes arising from the use of the Website will be resolved in the appropriate New Zealand courts.

8. Modifications to the Terms

Sovereign reserves the right to change or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time without notice. It is your responsibility to review these terms periodically.

9. Contact Information

For any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please contact us at vote@sovereign.nz.

Membership Terms and Conditions

Last Updated: 9 November 2026

These Membership Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your membership of Sovereign, joined through https://sovereign.nz. By joining, you agree to these Terms, the Sovereign Party Constitution, and Sovereign’s Privacy Policy and Website Terms and Conditions.

1. Definitions

Full Membership: Membership for people who are legally eligible to vote in New Zealand national elections, joined by signing the membership declaration and paying a membership fee.
Youth Membership: Membership for people under 18. Parental consent is required, and Youth Membership is not available through the online application.

2. Membership Eligibility

Full Membership applicants must meet the membership eligibility rules in the Sovereign Party Constitution, including being legally eligible to vote in New Zealand national elections (enrolled, or eligible to enrol, as an elector), and must be aged 18 or over. Youth Membership applicants must obtain parental consent, with proof as required.

3. Joining and Payment

You join by completing the online membership application, signing the membership declaration, and paying a membership fee of your choosing of no less than $1. Payments are handled securely by Stripe. Your membership starts when your payment succeeds.

4. Use of Personal Data

Your personal data will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy, including the release of your details to the Electoral Commission that you authorise in your membership declaration.

5. Membership Term and Renewal

Membership runs for three years. It renews automatically every three years by charging your card a renewal fee: your current membership amount, which you can change at any time in the member area (no less than $1). We will give you reasonable notice before each renewal. You can cancel at any time in the member area or by emailing us; cancelling ends your membership. Fees already paid are non-refundable unless otherwise specified.

6. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Sovereign, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your membership, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of a third party.

7. Modifications and Termination

Sovereign reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Updated Terms will be posted on this page. Sovereign may end your membership if you breach these Terms or the Sovereign Party Constitution.

8. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

Membership services are provided on an "as is" basis without warranties of any kind. Sovereign is not liable for any loss, damage, or disruption arising from issues with membership services, including payment processing errors.

9. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand. Any disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved in the appropriate New Zealand courts.

10. Contact and Support

For any questions about these Membership Terms and Conditions or membership support, please contact us at vote@sovereign.nz.