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What are my rights to get wrong information about me corrected?

What are my rights to get wrong information about me corrected?

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Last updated: January 30, 2025

You have the right to request corrections to your records

Under the Privacy Act 2020, you have the right to ask an organisation to correct any information they have about you, if you think it is wrong.

You can also do this if you received your information under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). Find out more about your right to correct your personal informationopen_in_new.

They may ask you to include: 

  • a copy of the page or pages that need to be corrected
  • evidence that the information on the page or pages is incorrect.

For example, you might ask the organisation to:

  • correct your date of birth
  • correct the spelling of your name
  • correct the description of your ethnicity or cultural identity
  • change some information
  • remove or add some information.

Your request can be refused

If you ask them to make a correction to the information, they can say no – but they must tell you why.

For example, they may refuse to change the information because they:  

  • believe it is correct  
  • believe it is an accurate record of what was thought to be true at the time, and which may have led to actions being taken
  • are not able to change a historical record
  • received the record from someone else, and believe they have the responsibility to keep the record as it is
  • are not able to change a court record.

You can ask for a statement of correction

If the organisation refuses to correct the information, you can ask them to attach a statement of correction to the records. The statement of correction can be either:  

  • your request for correction (if it sets out what you think the information should be) or  
  • a statement you provide.

If you provide a statement of correction and ask for it to be added to your records, the organisation should make sure that the statement of correction will be read alongside the original information.  

Learn more about asking for incorrect information about you to be correctedopen_in_new.

If you are not satisfied with how an organisation has responded to your correction request, you can make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner or the Ombudsman.