Immigration files left in public foyer

Papers contained bank statements, copies of passports and tuition fee receipts

Immigration NZ stored boxes with more than 1000 personal files, including bank statements and copies of passports, in a publicly accessible foyer. The 17 boxes were stacked in a lift area next to the agency’s office on the sixth floor of a Palmerston North building.

The lifts weren’t swipe access and during work hours any member of the public or person visiting the office could access the area with the boxes.

The privacy incident was discovered in February last year. The files were copies of online applications from international students, sent on to Immigration NZ from education organisations.

They contained bank statements, application forms with personal details, copies of passports and visa labels, and tuition fee receipts.

It’s likely more than 1000 applications were in the boxes.

An email from an Immigration NZ officer noted one box was ripped open, meaning anybody could have pulled files out. “This was how we [health and safety team] realised that these were actually online applications. As soon as we discovered these, we notified our health and safety manager rep and our branch manager. The boxes were immediately brought back inside the branch within one hour of notifying them,” the officer wrote in an email, released under the Official Information Act.

“I believe they may have been put there due to lack of space . . . however, this is no excuse for leaving them in an area where any member of the public has access to them.”

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment, which includes Immigration NZ, said it appeared the boxes were moved into the foyer on the morning of February 16, and they were removed the following afternoon. An access card isn’t required during work hours to get to the 6th floor lobby, but signage on the ground floor advises people there is no public access.

The Herald has asked government organisations to detail cases since 2016 when material had been mistakenly left unaccompanied in public.

Seventeen organisations confirmed over 65 incidents, including an NZSIS staff member leaving a locked bag with sensitive information in a cafe bathroom.