1. Who we are

Messy Mates is a children's sensory and messy play studio based in Christchurch, New Zealand. We offer drop-in play sessions, birthday parties, co-working space for parents, and retail and digital products.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

2. What information we collect

We may collect the following personal information from you:

About you (the parent/guardian/customer)

• Name, email address, and phone number

• Payment information
  (processed securely via our payment provider — we do not store full card details)

• Booking history and session preferences

About your child/children

• First name and age or date of birth
  (to ensure sessions are age-appropriate)

• Any relevant medical, allergy, or health information you choose to share with us
  

3. Why we collect it

We collect this information to:

• Process bookings and payments for sessions, parties, and products

• Contact you about your booking, or changes to sessions

• Ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in our care

• Send you updates, promotions, or news about Messy Mates (you can opt out any time)

• Meet any legal or health and safety obligations

We will not use your information for any purpose unrelated to the above without your consent

4. How we store and protect your information

We take reasonable steps to keep your information safe from loss, unauthorised access, or disclosure. Your information may be stored in third-party platforms (such as booking systems or email marketing tools) that we use to operate our business. We only use reputable providers with their own privacy and security standards.

Payment information is handled by our payment processor and is not stored by Messy Mates directly.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with:

• Third-party service providers who help us operate the business (e.g. booking platforms, payment processors, email tools) — only to the extent necessary

• Authorities, if required by law
  

6. Children's information

Because our business serves children, we take extra care with any information about minors. We only collect what's necessary for safety and session management, and we do not share children's information with third parties except as required for our services or by law.

7. Marketing communications

If you've signed up to hear from us, we may send you emails or messages about upcoming events, promotions, or new products. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.

8. Your rights

Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you

• Correct any information that is inaccurate or out of date

• Ask us to delete your information, where it is no longer needed

To make a request, contact us at the details below. We will respond within 20 working days.

9. Cookies and website

Our website may use cookies to improve your browsing experience. You can adjust your browser settings to decline cookies, though this may affect some functionality.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be available on our website or in studio.

11. Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please get in touch:

Messy Mates 📧 theteam@messymates.co.nz 📍 Christchurch, New Zealand

If you have a complaint about how we've handled your information and we can't resolve it, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at privacy.org.nz.