Cookie Policy

What cookies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device — a computer, phone or tablet. When you return, the site can read that file back, which lets it remember things like the pages you have already seen or a setting you chose. Cookies cannot run programs or carry viruses, and they cannot read anything else on your device. We also group under this policy similar technologies that do the same job, such as local storage and small tracking pixels.

Cookies are either first-party (set by vapemate.co.nz itself) or third-party (set by another service we load on a page, such as an analytics provider). They are also either session cookies, which are deleted the moment you close your browser, or persistent cookies, which stay until they expire or you clear them.

The categories of cookie we use

VapeMate is an information and comparison site — we do not take deposits, host games or run betting accounts, so we deliberately keep cookies to a minimum. We group what we do set into three plain categories.

Strictly necessary cookies

These make the site work and cannot be switched off from within the site. They do things like remember that you have dismissed a notice, keep the site secure, and balance traffic so pages load reliably. They do not track you across other websites and are not used for advertising. Because they are essential to delivering a page you have asked for, they are set without a separate opt-in. Examples include a session identifier that lasts only until you close the browser, and a short-lived cookie that records you have acknowledged this cookie notice.

Analytics and performance cookies

We may use analytics cookies to understand how visitors use the site — which guides get read, where people arrive from, roughly where in New Zealand our audience is, and which pages load slowly or return errors. This is reported to us in aggregate: it tells us "this page was viewed 4,000 times this month", not who you are. We use it to fix broken links, improve the pages Kiwi readers find most useful, and decide what to write next. These cookies may be set by a third-party analytics provider, and where that provider offers IP anonymisation we enable it.

Preference cookies

These remember choices you make so the site behaves the way you left it — for example a confirmation that you have seen an 18+ or responsible-gambling message, or a display preference. They are a convenience, not a necessity; if you block them the site still works, you may just be asked the same thing again on your next visit.

We do not set cookies to build advertising profiles of you, and we do not sell cookie data.

How long cookies last

The lifespan of a cookie depends on its job. Session cookies disappear as soon as you close your browser. Persistent cookies have a set expiry — typically a day or two for a dismissed-notice flag, and up to around 13 months for an analytics identifier, which is the common ceiling analytics providers use. You can shorten any of these yourself at any time by clearing your browser's cookies, which deletes them immediately.

How to control or disable cookies

You are always in charge. Every major browser lets you see the cookies stored, delete them, and block some or all future cookies. Blocking strictly necessary cookies may stop parts of the site working, but blocking analytics and preference cookies will not stop you reading anything on VapeMate.

• Google Chrome — Settings › Privacy and security › Third-party cookies (and "Clear browsing data" to remove existing cookies).
• Safari (Mac & iOS) — Settings/Preferences › Privacy, where you can block cookies and manage website data. On iPhone and iPad this is under Settings › Apps › Safari.
• Microsoft Edge — Settings › Cookies and site permissions › Manage and delete cookies and site data.
• Mozilla Firefox — Settings › Privacy & Security › Cookies and Site Data, including the "Strict" tracking-protection option.

Most browsers also offer a private or incognito window that discards cookies when you close it, and many let you install an analytics opt-out add-on. Turning on a browser's "Do Not Track" or global privacy signal is another way to tell sites you prefer not to be measured.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy as our tools or New Zealand's privacy expectations change. When we do, we will revise the "last updated" date at the top of this page. For anything about how we use the information cookies help us collect, please read our Privacy Policy or get in touch through our contact page.

18+ VapeMate is an independent comparison service for over-18s. If gambling stops being fun, help is free and confidential — call the Gambling Helpline NZ on 0800 654 655 (24/7).