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Ministry of Education New Zealand
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We use social media to share information about education in New Zealand.

We also use it to enable conversations, gather feedback and respond to the views and needs of New Zealanders.

What we share on social media#

We use social media to provide regular updates, including:

  • news and information about the New Zealand education system
  • information about our services and activities
  • invitations to give feedback on specific issues
  • emergency information, such as school closures during bad weather
  • information about jobs.

Social media channels#

You can connect with us on:

We may also operate other social media channels for a specific purposes or audiences.

Acceptable use#

We want our social media communities to be safe and respectful for everyone. 

We may remove content that:

  • is offensive, abusive or obscene
  • isn't relevant
  • is potentially libellous
  • uses images or content without permission
  • links to sites that may be offensive or inappropriate
  • shows political bias
  • is spam
  • refers to any commercial activity, including advertising.

We may report, block, or ban anyone who posts this kind of content. We may also take action if someone breaks the rules of the platform, including:

We may also report serious misuse to the platform or the Police.

Engagement#

We love hearing your thoughts and ideas.

We try to respond when we can – but we might not reply to every comment, post or message.

If you're having trouble reaching us on social media, you can email us or get in touch with one of our local offices.

Email: [email protected]

Regional offices

Monitoring#

We monitor our social media accounts between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

We also check them periodically in the evenings and on weekends and public holidays.

Our political neutrality#

We:

  • don’t support any political party or candidate
  • won’t use our social media to promote political messages
  • may remove comments that could affect our political neutrality
  • follow the rules for public servants at all times, including during elections.

Connections and endorsement#

We may follow, like or connect with others on social media.

We do this to:

  • stay informed
  • share useful content
  • send direct messages when needed.

We usually don’t unfollow people unless there’s a good reason.

We may unfollow someone if:

  • it could harm our reputation
  • it could affect our political neutrality.

We look at each case carefully.

Endorsement#

Creating a social media connection with someone doesn't mean the Ministry endorses them regardless of the terms used by social media providers such as 'follow' or 'like'.

We don't take sides. We stay connected with people and groups who might not agree with us. However, we aren't responsible for the content they post.

Use of social media by Ministry staff#

Ministry of Education staff are free to use social media in their personal lives. Their views are their own, not ours.

Privacy#

Please don’t share personal information in public comments. This includes names, addresses, phone numbers or student details.

If you send us a private message, we’ll only use your information to help with your request. We may need to share your message with the right team.

We won’t share your personal information unless the law says we must.

We follow the Privacy Act and our own privacy policies.

Legal and privacy

Unless stated otherwise, content on our social media is protected by Crown copyright.

You can reuse this Crown copyright material free of charge without further permission, as long as you:

  • reproduce it accurately
  • don’t use it in a misleading or harmful way
  • don’t sell or distribute it for profit
  • credit the source and copyright status.

To reuse images, email: [email protected].

This licence doesn't apply to logos, emblems, trademarks or design elements. These specific items may not be re-used without express permission.

Our social media accounts may provide links to other websites or embed material which may contain information that is the copyright of third parties and subject to restrictions on use or reproduction.

You must get permission from the copyright owner to use:

  • copyrighted materials from other websites, or
  • material on our social media pages that is protected by the copyright of a third party.

The Ministry of Education can't give you this permission.

Copyright

Licence#

By submitting, posting or displaying your content on any of our social media accounts, you grant the Ministry of Education a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use that content.

We may share your content on our channels. We’ll include credit when we can, depending on the platform and context.

Disclaimer#

The content on our social media accounts is for general information only.

The Ministry of Education shall in no event accept any liability for loss or damage suffered by any person or body due to information provided on these sites or linked sites.

Social media sites may occasionally become unavailable. The Ministry of Education can't accept responsibility for lack of service due to downtime.

Information on our social media and government websites is provided on the understanding that users are responsible for checking its relevance and accuracy.

Contact#

If you have questions or feedback about our social media or these terms, email: [email protected]

Transparency statement#

These terms also serve as our transparency statement, in line with guidance from Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission.

Updates to social media terms of use#

We review these terms every 12 months.

We may update them at any time without notice.