Your credit score is a number between 1 and 1000 that indicates how likely you are to pay your bills on time. The higher the score, the better your credit rating is. If your score is low, companies may be reluctant to lend to you or may charge you a higher rate.
Get a free copy of your personal credit report from Centrix to understand more about what’s affecting your score and how you can improve it. Centrix is New Zealand’s only locally owned consumer credit bureau with 95% of credit active Kiwi’s in our database.
Fill in the details below to receive a free copy of your credit report. If you supply a current New Zealand driver’s licence, or New Zealand passport, your application will be processed as soon as possible, generally on the next working day. If you supply another form of ID, your credit report will take 5-10 working days.
We know it can be distressing if your credit score is lower than you hoped. The score is calculated based on the data in your credit report. See the FAQs at the bottom of this page for more on how you can understand and improve your credit score.
If you are struggling to get on top of debt and pay your bills, get free and confidential budgeting advice from MoneyTalks. Visit their website here.
Laws around lending money to consumers in New Zealand are changing, it’s important to know how these changes affect you and what to expect as a borrower. Read this helpful summary of changes from the Financial Services Federation and the New Zealand Bankers’ Association.
Your credit score is a number between 1 and 1000 that indicates how likely you are to pay your bills on time. A high score means you may get better offers from banks, insurance and utility companies. A low score can result in companies refusing to lend to you or charging you a higher interest rate.
Consumer credit bureau’s collect information on bill payments, any loan defaults as well as court judgments and how much credit you have across your mortgage and credit cards. Paying bills in full on time is also recorded, so this increases your score.
If you think your Centrix credit report contains incorrect information, you can make a request to correct it by contacting us. Considering a correction request will often involve contacting the organisation that provided the information to Centrix. We will advise you of our decision within 20 working days, unless we require additional time to investigate your request.
Pay your accounts on time and keep them up to date.
Settle any outstanding defaults. A default will stay on your file for 5 years but over time the impact of the default will reduce. Paying your default will help reduce the negative impact.
Don’t open new accounts or make repeated applications for credit. Lots of enquiries for small loans or credit on your file can negatively impact your score as it could be seen that there is an increased risk. Please note, asking for a credit history by requesting a report is not the same as a credit enquiry with a lender. You can access your credit history with us and get your score as many times as you like, and it will not impact your score.
There may not be much information about your credit history, meaning you might not have applied for much credit, so there is limited data to base your score on.
Very Good and Excellent scores are usually assigned where you have a long active credit history and a very good payment history demonstrating a high level of stability.
A Centrix credit report contains credit information about you that is allowed by the Credit Reporting Privacy Code (“Code”). Centrix may provide your credit report to its subscribers, including credit providers that have your consent to review your credit report and debt collectors. Generally, credit providers are businesses who lend money (such as banks or finance companies) or businesses who provide goods and services before payment (such as mobile phone retailers or gas or electricity retailers).
The following information may be on your credit report:
Full Name and any known alias name or previous name
Gender
Date of Birth
Address and any known previous address
Occupation and any previous occupation
Employer and any previous employer
Type of credit sought
Amount of credit sought
Whether you are the applicant, joint applicant or guarantor
Date of the application
Details of the credit provider
In addition, the following information in relation to any defaults by you in payments of a credit account may be on your credit report:
Whether you are the account holder or guarantor
Date of the default
Type of account, the amount in default and the total amount owing on the account
Status of the default including details of any referral to a debt collector and any payment, part payment, scheme of arrangement or write-off subsequent to the default
Details of the final settlement of an amount of default
Details of the subscriber
Subscriber’s client reference number
Your report may also contain information sourced from public registries such as:
You can request a copy of your credit report from us. So that we can be satisfied that your credit report is being released to you, and not someone else, you will need to complete the on-line application form including your identification details or send to us an application form and provide suitable identification. You can also arrange for your information to be sent to your agent (for example, a financial advisor or debt counsellor).
If we do not correct the information in accordance with your request you can request that there be attached to the information a statement of the correction sought by you and not made. You can do this by contacting us. You can also make a complaint to Centrix and we will investigate your complaint under our Complaints Procedure. Details of our Complaints Procedure is found here. You can make a complaint by contacting us.
The Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2020 affords you specific rights to access any data we hold on you and to request correction. A summary of your rights under the Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2020 can be found here.
If you think Centrix has breached the Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2020, you should contact us and we will investigate your complaint in accordance with our Complaints Procedure. Details of our Complaints Procedure is found here.
If you believe that you have been, or are likely to be, a victim of fraud (including identity fraud) you can request to suppress your credit file. Read more here to suppress your credit file page.
Centrix has an agreement to forward ‘freeze’ requests with the two other credit reporters (Equifax and illion) and can pass these on so you will not need to contact them separately if you agree to this.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint you may complain to the Privacy Commissioner. Details of how to do so can be found on the Commissioner’s website www.privacy.org.nz.
