1. Introduction

Quiet Star Studio respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information carefully, transparently and responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected when you visit quietstarstudio.com, contact Quiet Star Studio, subscribe to website updates or request web design services.

Quiet Star Studio operates from New Zealand and handles personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020.

2. Who is responsible for your information

Quiet Star Studio is responsible for the personal information collected through this website and through communications relating to its services.

The Privacy Officer for Quiet Star Studio is:

Carlos Vieira
Quiet Star Studio
New Zealand

Privacy enquiries can be submitted through the Quiet Star Studio contact page .

3. Information we may collect

Quiet Star Studio may collect personal information that you provide voluntarily, including:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number, when provided
• Your business or organisation name
• Your country or general location
• Information about your website or proposed project
• Your preferred services, budget or project requirements
• Messages submitted through a contact or enquiry form
• Your newsletter subscription information
• Files, images, logos, documents or content you provide
• Feedback or testimonials you choose to submit
• Correspondence between you and Quiet Star Studio

Please do not send sensitive personal information unless it is genuinely necessary for the service you are requesting.

4. Information collected automatically

When you visit this website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by WordPress.com, Jetpack or related website services.

This may include:

• Your internet protocol address
• Your browser type
• Your device type
• Your operating system
• The approximate country or region from which you visited
• The pages you viewed
• The date and time of your visit
• The website or search page that referred you
• Links or buttons you interacted with
• General website performance and traffic information

This information is generally used to understand website traffic, improve website performance, identify technical problems and understand which content is useful to visitors.

5. How we use personal information

Quiet Star Studio may use personal information to:

• Respond to questions, messages and service enquiries
• Prepare estimates, proposals and quotations
• Assess whether Quiet Star Studio can assist with a project
• Communicate with clients before, during and after a project
• Create, maintain and support client websites
• Provide newsletters or website updates requested by subscribers
• Manage appointments, project information and client records
• Provide ongoing website and design support
• Maintain the security and operation of this website
• Understand how visitors use the website
• Improve services, website content and user experience
• Meet accounting, taxation, legal and regulatory obligations
• Protect Quiet Star Studio, its clients and website visitors
• Prevent spam, fraud, misuse or unlawful activity

Personal information will not be used for an unrelated purpose unless you have provided consent or the use is otherwise permitted by law.

6. Contact forms and project enquiries

When you submit a contact form or request a quote, the information you provide is used to respond to your enquiry and assess your requirements.

Submitting an enquiry does not create a client relationship or require either party to proceed with a project.

Messages may be stored within WordPress.com, email services or business records for as long as reasonably required to respond, maintain an accurate history of the communication or meet legal obligations.

7. Newsletter subscriptions

Visitors may choose to subscribe to Quiet Star Studio newsletters, articles or website updates.

When you subscribe, your email address and subscription preferences may be processed through WordPress.com or another email delivery service identified at the time of subscription.

Subscription information is used only to provide the updates you have requested and to manage the subscriber list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by selecting the unsubscribe option in an email or by contacting Quiet Star Studio.

Unsubscribing stops future newsletter emails, although limited records may be retained when reasonably necessary to record your preference or comply with legal requirements.

8. Cookies and similar technologies

This website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember preferences, protect forms from spam, understand website traffic and improve the visitor experience.

Cookies are small files stored by your browser. Some cookies are necessary for website operation. Others may support statistics, embedded content or optional features.

WordPress.com and connected services may place their own cookies in accordance with their privacy and cookie practices.

You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the website operate.

9. WordPress.com and Jetpack

Quiet Star Studio is hosted using WordPress.com and may use WordPress.com or Jetpack services for hosting, security, spam protection, statistics, forms, email subscriptions and website functionality.

These services may process technical and personal information on behalf of Quiet Star Studio or for their own legitimate operational purposes.

Their handling of information is also governed by their own privacy policies and terms.

You can review the Automattic Privacy Policy for further information.

10. Sharing personal information

Quiet Star Studio does not sell or rent personal information.

Information may be shared only when reasonably necessary with:

• Website hosting and infrastructure providers
• Email and newsletter delivery providers
• Cloud storage and communication providers
• Payment or accounting providers, when relevant
• Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers
• Contractors who are authorised to assist with a client project
• Government, regulatory or law enforcement authorities when required
• Another party when you have specifically authorised the disclosure

Providers are given only the information reasonably necessary to perform the relevant service.

11. Information processed outside New Zealand

Some technology providers used by Quiet Star Studio may store or process information outside New Zealand.

This can include website hosting, email, cloud storage, statistics and communication providers.

Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas organisation, Quiet Star Studio will take reasonable steps to ensure that the information receives appropriate protection, as required by applicable New Zealand privacy law.

12. Client project information

Clients may provide Quiet Star Studio with website content, photographs, logos, customer information, account details or other project materials.

Clients are responsible for ensuring they have the right and authority to provide those materials and that their use does not breach another person’s privacy, intellectual property or legal rights.

Quiet Star Studio will use client materials only for agreed project purposes, related support, legal record keeping or another purpose authorised by the client.

Clients should avoid sharing passwords by ordinary email whenever a more secure method is available.

13. Payment information

Quiet Star Studio does not currently request visitors to enter payment card information directly into this website.

When payment services are introduced or used, payment information may be processed directly by an independent payment provider. Quiet Star Studio may receive transaction details such as the payer name, amount, date, payment status and invoice reference, but may not receive complete card information.

Payment providers apply their own privacy policies and security practices.

14. Links to other websites

This website may contain links to external websites, including Arise Stories, Human Signals, client websites and third party services.

Quiet Star Studio is not responsible for the content, security or privacy practices of external websites.

Visitors should review the privacy policy of any external website before providing personal information.

15. Embedded content

Pages may include embedded content such as videos, images, maps, social content or other media supplied by external platforms.

Embedded content may behave as though you visited the external platform directly. The provider may collect information, use cookies or record your interaction in accordance with its own privacy practices.

16. Protecting personal information

Quiet Star Studio takes reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure.

Safeguards may include:

• Password protected accounts
• Secure website connections
• Access restrictions
• Software and platform updates
• Spam and security protection
• Secure storage practices
• Limiting access to people who require the information

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Visitors should avoid submitting highly sensitive information through ordinary website forms or email.

17. Privacy breaches

If Quiet Star Studio becomes aware of a privacy breach, it will assess the incident, take reasonable steps to limit harm and meet any applicable notification obligations.

Serious privacy breaches may be reported to the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner and to affected individuals when required by law.

18. How long information is kept

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably required for the purpose for which it was collected or to meet legal, taxation, accounting, contractual or dispute resolution requirements.

Retention periods may vary according to the type of information and the nature of the client relationship.

Information that is no longer reasonably required may be securely deleted, anonymised or archived where appropriate.

19. Accessing or correcting your information

You may request access to personal information Quiet Star Studio holds about you.

You may also ask for information to be corrected if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading.

Requests can be submitted through the Quiet Star Studio contact page .

Quiet Star Studio may need to verify your identity before providing or changing personal information.

Access may be limited where an applicable law permits or requires the information to be withheld.

20. Requests to delete information

You may ask Quiet Star Studio to delete personal information that is no longer required.

A deletion request may not always be completed immediately when information must be retained for legal, accounting, contractual, security or dispute resolution purposes.

21. Children’s privacy

Quiet Star Studio’s services are intended primarily for adults, businesses and organisations.

Quiet Star Studio does not knowingly seek to collect personal information directly from children through this website.

A parent or guardian who believes that a child has provided personal information may contact Quiet Star Studio to request that the matter be reviewed.

22. International visitors

Quiet Star Studio works with visitors and clients in New Zealand and internationally.

Depending on where you live, additional privacy rights may apply. Quiet Star Studio will consider reasonable privacy requests in accordance with applicable law and the nature of the information held.

23. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when the website, services, legal obligations or technology providers change.

The revised policy will be published on this page with a new last updated date.

Visitors are encouraged to review this page periodically.

24. Questions or complaints

Questions, access requests, correction requests and privacy concerns can be submitted through the Quiet Star Studio contact page .

Please include enough information for Quiet Star Studio to understand and respond to your request.

If you are not satisfied with the response, you may contact the New Zealand Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Visit the Office of the Privacy Commissioner