27/08/2026
When your business uses cloud platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or common online tools, your data is likely stored on overseas servers. Most businesses don't choose this. It happens by default.
The issue is that data stored offshore sits under the laws of that country, not New Zealand's. Under US law, for example, American cloud providers can be required to hand over data to authorities regardless of where that data is physically stored.
New Zealand's Privacy Act 2020 still applies to how you handle data, but it cannot override the jurisdiction of where that data lives.
It is a detail most businesses have never had reason to think about, until something goes wrong.
Keeping your data stored and managed locally means it stays under New Zealand law, with a local team accountable for it. That is exactly how Devine manages cloud services for their clients, right here in Hawke's Bay.
If you want to know more about your options, get in touch.
π 06 834 4234
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