Privacy & safety
Trick or Treat NZ helps neighbours find participating Halloween houses in Aotearoa New Zealand. Please read this before adding your home to the map.
Your account stays private
We collect your name and email when you create an account. We use your email to send secure sign-in links and your name to manage your account. Private email-delivery diagnostics and recipient information may be retained for up to 24 hours to handle delivery failures. Changing your email requires confirmation from both your current and new inboxes. Your account name and email are not included in public listings.
Your participating address is public
After signing in, you can choose to list an address. While your participation is active for the current season, the public can see your address and precise map location, house title, description, welcome hours and Extra Spooky status. Anyone can view or share that information, including people without an account. Only list a home if you are at least 18 and have permission to do so.
Do not include personal phone numbers, access codes, information about children, or details you wouldn’t put in a public location. Listings are supplied by hosts and are not independently verified.
You control your participation
You can edit your details, turn participation off, remove your listing or delete your account from the participation page. The participation switch saves immediately. Public map results may be briefly cached; copies or screenshots made by other people are outside our control. Participation is seasonal, and requires you to confirm your listing again each Halloween.
Moderation
Authorised operators can review account and listing details, remove or hide listings, and block specific emails or addresses to prevent abuse. Blacklist records and moderation audit records are private. A blacklist rule may remain after account deletion to prevent repeat abuse; contact the operator to request a review.
Services used to make the map work
The map’s attribution identifies its map-data and tile providers. Loading the map connects your browser to the OpenFreeMap tile service, which receives information such as your IP address and requested map area. Address searches are processed on our server using a local copy of LINZ’s NZ Addresses data; your search text is not sent to an external geocoding service. Sign-in emails use our email delivery provider. A bot protection challenge may connect to Cloudflare Turnstile.
We use an essential, secure session cookie to keep you signed in. We don’t store your sign-in link in browser storage. If you choose “Near me”, your browser asks for location permission. Your location centres the map and determines the map area requested; it is not added to your account. If device location is unavailable or too approximate, Cloudflare may estimate your city from your IP address. We ask you to confirm this estimate before using it. Your chosen city and its map centre are remembered in your browser, without saving your precise device location.
A safe, neighbourly Halloween
- Children should go with a trusted adult. This service is for adult hosts; browsing does not require an account.
- Check the house’s hours, stay on public paths and respect private property. If the lights are off or the host says no, move on.
- Extra Spooky marks a host’s display, not an age suitability or safety rating. Use your judgement about displays and treats.
- Hosts: secure decorations, keep paths clear and avoid sharing details about when your home will be unattended.
- For an immediate emergency in New Zealand, call 111. The map is not an emergency service.
Information requests or concerns
You can review, correct and delete your account information directly in your account. For a privacy question or a listing concern, please get in touch. If you cannot access your account, request a fresh sign-in link using the email you registered with.