Terms of Service

1. Agreement to terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and Whānau Hub, the community wellbeing platform operated by Kura Cares Charity (registered New Zealand charity CC57916), 290 Great South Road, Takanini, Auckland 2112, New Zealand. By signing in or otherwise using the Whānau Hubportal (“the Service”), you agree to these Terms. The Service is provided free of charge — there are no participant fees.

2. Eligibility & programme participation

• Age. You must be at least 16 years old to participate independently. Participants under 16 may take part only with the consent of, and under the supervision of, a parent or guardian.
• Programme eligibility. Access to particular programmes may depend on eligibility criteria set by Kura Cares Charity.
• Right to refuse service. We may decline or withdraw access where eligibility is not met or where these Terms are breached.

3. User responsibilities

• Accurate information. Provide true, current, and complete information and keep it up to date.
• Respectful conduct. Treat staff, facilitators, and other participants with respect.
• Programme commitment. Engage with the programmes you enrol in in good faith.
• Confidentiality & account security. Keep your sign-in credentials confidential and do not share your account. You are responsible for activity under your account; notify us at admin@thekuracarescharity.org if you suspect unauthorised access.

4. AI features

The Service includes AI features — including a support chat, interview-practice tool, and Kai Hub (our budget-planning tool) — that generate responses automatically using a third-party large language model. How your data is processed by these features is described in our Privacy Policy. You acknowledge that:

• AI output is generated automatically and is not reviewed by our staff before you see it.
• It may be inaccurate, incomplete, or culturally inappropriate, and must be independently verified before you rely on it.
• It is not professional financial, legal, employment, or wellbeing advice, and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional.
• In an emergency, or if you are in distress, contact local emergency services or a helpline (in New Zealand, you can call or text 1737, or call Lifeline on 0800 543 354). Do not rely on the AI features in a crisis.
• If you are a parent or guardian, you are responsible for supervising a minor’s use of these features.

5. Intellectual property

Our content. The curriculum, course materials, and the Whānau Hubplatform itself are the intellectual property of Kura Cares Charity or its licensors. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use them for your personal, non-commercial participation in our programmes.

Your content. By submitting feedback, testimonials, assignments, or other content, you grant Kura Cares Charity a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, store, modify, reproduce, and display that content for the purpose of delivering and improving our programmes and for promotional purposes. We will use testimonials publicly only with your consent.

6. Prohibited activities

You agree not to:

• violate any applicable law or regulation;
• infringe the rights of others, including intellectual property and privacy rights;
• harass, discriminate against, or otherwise engage in harmful behaviour towards others;
• access or attempt to access data or accounts belonging to others without authorisation;
• introduce viruses, malware, or other harmful code, or otherwise interfere with the Service’s security or normal operation;
• use the Service for commercial purposes without our written consent;
• misrepresent your identity or eligibility.

7. Limitation of liability

• No guarantee of outcomes. Our programmes and tools are provided to support you, but we do not guarantee any particular outcome.
• Service availability. The Service is provided “as is” and “as available” without uptime guarantees. We may suspend it for maintenance, security incidents, or to protect participant safety.
• Maximum liability. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Kura Cares Charity is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss arising from your use of the Service, and our total liability is limited to the maximum extent the law allows.

New Zealand consumer law. Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any rights or remedies you may have that cannot lawfully be excluded under New Zealand consumer law, including the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986. Where those Acts apply and cannot be excluded, the above limitations apply only to the extent permitted by them.

8. Termination

• Voluntary withdrawal. You may withdraw from the Service at any time by giving us written notice at admin@thekuracarescharity.org.
• Programme termination. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms or where required to protect participant safety.
• Effect of termination. On termination, you may export any data you contributed; thereafter your account is deactivated and your stored data is handled according to our retention practices (see Privacy Policy § 6).

9. Complaints & disputes

If you have a concern or dispute, please raise it with us in good faith first by contacting admin@thekuracarescharity.org so we can try to resolve it before any court proceedings are commenced.

10. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of New Zealand, and you submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of New Zealand.

11. Changes to terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted at this URL with an updated “Last updated” date. Continued use of the Service after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

12. General

• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.
• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, make up the entire agreement between you and Kura Cares Charity regarding the Service.
• Assignment. You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms. Kura Cares Charity may assign or transfer these Terms (for example, as part of a restructure or transfer of the platform) on notice to you.

13. Contact

admin@thekuracarescharity.org — Kura Cares Charity, 290 Great South Road, Takanini, Auckland 2112, New Zealand.