Introduction

Welcome to RealMe. The RealMe service is provided by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) (we, our, us). The RealMe service lets people prove who they are and more easily access services from online service providers. The RealMe service also lets people share verified information (such as their address) that are held by third party attribute providers.

These terms of use set out our commitments to people who use the service (you, your, user). They also set out what we require of you when you use the service. Our requirements are driven by a need to keep you and others safe and secure when using the RealMe service.

You will be asked to agree to these terms of use when registering to use the RealMe service. This will happen when you create a RealMe login to access online services.

Please read and understand these terms. If you choose to register for or use any RealMe service, these terms of use will form an agreement between you and us for the use of the RealMe service.

If you wish to apply for and use a verified identity or a New Zealand Post Limited (NZ Post) verified address or any other third party attribute service, you will also need to agree to separate terms as part of their application processes. These separate terms will be displayed to you during those application processes. You can also find them on this website if you wish to view them in advance.

These RealMe terms of use address or refer to the following matters: 

  • use of the RealMe service
  • our commitments to you
  • your commitments to us
  • recommended practices
  • effect of you using your login
  • protective action
  • unlawful access or use
  • privacy
  • disputes
  • miscellaneous provisions
  • amendments to terms of use and privacy statement.

Use of the RealMe service

Any individual may obtain a login to use the RealMe login service. Whether you can use your login with any particular service provider depends on whether that service provider has integrated with the RealMe service and permitted you to access its services.

You may only use the RealMe login service with your own login and you must not share your login with others.

Our commitments to you

We will use all reasonable care and skill

We will use all reasonable care and skill to:

  • provide the RealMe service;
  • keep user information secure from unauthorised access;
  • ensure that our services are reasonably fit for the purposes described on this website; and
  • ensure that any information on this website is up-to-date and correct.

While we accept that we might be liable for some direct loss or damage you incur through our not exercising the reasonable care and skill referred to above, subject to any terms imposed by law which cannot be excluded, we will not be liable on any basis (including negligence) for any indirect or consequential loss or for any loss of profit, opportunity, income or savings you incur in connection with your use of the RealMe service.

We will help you

We will help you in your use of the RealMe service. We provide a RealMe Help Desk and online tools to do so. Sometimes a participating service provider will operate a help desk providing RealMe login support for its own customers.

RealMe Help Desk personnel may access your RealMe login information in order to help you. They may also ask you for your username and the answers to your security questions to help you. If RealMe services personnel are not provided with such information, they may not be able to help you. Please note, however, that RealMe Help Desk personnel will never ask you for your password or PIN and you should not give that information to them.

Third party attribute providers may provide their own separate support services in relation to their attribute services. For example, NZ Post may provide its own help desk service in relation to its address verification service. As with service provider help desk services, we are not responsible for those third party services. You will need to contact the applicable attribute or service providers for those services.

Your commitments to us

The purpose of your commitments to us, set out below, is to protect the integrity and security of the RealMe service, users of the RealMe service and other people. Please appreciate that, if you do not honour your commitments, third parties may be able to undertake actions apparently on your behalf that may cause loss to you or other people and for which those other people may try to hold you responsible.

Use of RealMe to log in

Your login is a valuable and confidential item that authenticates your online identity to participating service providers. You must, therefore, take good care of your login or PIN you may have created, as well as the security questions you choose when creating a login, and keep them secure.

You agree that you will:

  • not knowingly or recklessly use or attempt to use any RealMe service, login, hardware device or one-time RealMe code for a purpose for which it was not intended, including any unlawful purpose; and
  • notify the RealMe Help Desk immediately if you know or have reason to believe that there has been or is about to be fraudulent or other unlawful use of any of your RealMe login, hardware device or code.

Protecting logins, security questions and PIN

You must immediately change your password, security questions, or PIN and notify the RealMe Help Desk if:

  • you believe that the security of your password, security questions which you answered, or PIN you created have been compromised; or
  • you become aware of any unauthorised use of your username or password.

Hardware devices

Where we provide you with a hardware device (such as a token) for the purposes of generating one-time RealMe codes to be used as part of your login:

  • the device remains DIA’s property;
  • you must take reasonable care of the device and keep it secure from access by anyone else;
  • you must not let any other person use your device; and
  • if you lose or damage the device, or it is stolen, you must immediately notify the RealMe Help Desk.

Where you provide your own hardware device (such as a mobile phone) for the purposes of receiving or generating RealMe codes to be used as part of your login:

  • you must keep any current RealMe codes sent to the hardware device secure from access by anyone else;
  • you must not let any other person use your device for the purpose of receiving RealMe codes; and
  • if you lose or damage your device, or it is stolen, you must immediately notify the RealMe Help Desk so that we can deregister or disable the hardware device from the RealMe login service.

Recommended practices

You should:

  • not use an email address that is shared with other people (as it is to this email address that your username, temporary password or other information will be sent when you request support for your login, for example when you forget your username or password);
  • choose a password or PIN that is a secret known only to you which cannot be easily guessed by anyone else;
  • not disclose your password to anyone, including RealMe services personnel (please note that RealMe services personnel will never ask you for your password or PIN);
  • keep your password and PIN safe from being discovered by others if you write your password or PIN down or store them electronically (unencrypted files on a computer or notes on your monitor are not safe options);
  • take care when answering your security questions to ensure you can remember the answers at a later date;
  • not tell anyone your answers to the security questions, other than RealMe services personnel when they require those answers to help you;
  • not allow anyone to see your password, any of your answers to the security questions, or PIN or have the opportunity to see them or record them;
  • not jailbreak or root your mobile phone as this can enable disclosure of otherwise secure information;
  • not use an app other than Google Authenticator to generate RealMe codes as they have not been tested for compatibility or security; and
  • keep your RealMe contact details up to date.

You can learn more about online security issues by consulting the NetSafe website.

Effect of your using your login

In accepting these terms of use, you will be taken to understand and agree that we are entitled to rely on:

  • the authenticity of your username and password and where applicable any RealMe code;
  • your consent to share your verified identity, your NZ Post verified address or any other third party provided attribute to access the participating service provider's online service via the RealMe service; and
  • the authenticity of your username to give the RealMe Help Desk instructions on your behalf.

Where the correct username and password have been entered, we and the RealMe service may act on any instructions given without further enquiry.

Enduring consent

You may agree to allow RealMe to remember your consent to share your verified identity; your NZ Post verified address or any other attribute with a participating service provider. Your consent will expire on the date specified, if the information changes, or you revoke your consent.

Protective action

For the protection of users, other people, the RealMe service, the  identity verification service or the NZ Post address verification service or any other third party provided attribute service, we may suspend or disable your login with or without notice to you if we consider that:

  • suspending or disabling your login is necessary to maintain the integrity or security of this website or any RealMe, DIA, NZ Post or other attribute provider service or a service provider's service or any person; or
  • the login is being misused or has otherwise been compromised; or
  • you breach these terms of use.

Where appropriate, we will notify you of any suspension or disabling of your login as soon as practicable after doing so.

Unlawful access or use

If you knowingly access or use or attempt to access or use any RealMe or related DIA or third party attribute provider service for an unlawful purpose (including but not limited to fraud or attempted fraud or hacking or attempted hacking), you agree that you will be liable to pay any party (or DIA or the applicable attribute provider on its behalf) the amount of the loss caused directly or indirectly to that party by your unlawful actions (any such third party loss being deemed to be our loss). For the avoidance of doubt, this clause is not intended to confer benefits enforceable by third parties under the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, Part 2, Subpart 1. You may also be liable to prosecution for criminal offences.

Privacy

The RealMe privacy statement for the RealMe service applies to your personal information. By registering with the RealMe service and agreeing to these terms of use, you will be taken to have read and agreed to the terms of that privacy statement. As such, please ensure you have read and are comfortable with it before agreeing to these terms of use.

Disputes

If you have a dispute with us in connection with these terms of use or any RealMe service you must first contact the RealMe Help Desk. Both you and the RealMe Help Desk will use all reasonable efforts in good faith to resolve the dispute. If you and the RealMe Help Desk are unable to resolve the dispute to your satisfaction, you may ask the RealMe Help Desk to escalate the dispute to the appropriate DIA representative.

We will then promptly contact you and will endeavour to resolve the dispute with you. If, following such escalation, the dispute is still not resolved to your satisfaction you may take such legal action as you consider appropriate, such as making a complaint to the Ombudsman or commencing legal proceedings.

Disputes relating to any third party attribute provider service need to be addressed with the applicable attribute provider service.

Miscellaneous provisions

Invalidity or unenforceability

If any of these terms of use or their application to any person or circumstances is, to any extent, held to be invalid or unenforceable:

  • the remainder of these terms of use or the application of such terms of use to any other person or circumstances shall not be affected;
  • each term shall be valid and enforceable to the extent permitted by law; and
  • the invalid or unenforceable term will be deemed to be amended to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original intention (as determined from this website).

Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988

Under the Protection of Personal and Property Rights Act 1988 a court can appoint an administrator, welfare guardian or manager in respect of certain persons, their property or affairs. Where this Act or an order made under it permits use of a login or hardware device contrary to these terms of use, the administrator, guardian or manager must use the login or hardware device only to the extent permitted under that Act or order. An administrator, guardian or manager must not use another person’s verified identity.

Minors' Contracts Act 1969

If, under Part 2, Subpart 6 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, any of these terms of use is held not to be fair and reasonable, then that term or condition will be deemed to be amended in relation to the relevant user to reflect the original intention (as determined from this website) as nearly as possible, but so as to be fair and reasonable and, in any case, in accordance with applicable law.

Amendments to terms of use and privacy statement

We can revise these terms of use and the privacy statement at any time and, unless an urgent change is required, will always endeavour to post a notice on this website summarising the changes at least one month before the changes take effect. There is a link in the footer of this website (i.e., at the bottom of the screen) called “Log of changes”. You can click on that link at any time to review a summary of the changes we have made to the terms of use and privacy statement. Your continued use of the RealMe service after the effective date of any changes we make to the terms of use and privacy statement, through the act of entering your login, indicates your acceptance of those changes.

Log of changes