Most of your content and account data is deleted automatically 30 days after you close your account or delete the content.
Deleted content sits in a 30-day recovery window first, so if you change your mind, you can get it back.
Payment records are kept for 7 years, because IRD requires it.
Cultural content is treated with extra care, and is permanently removed within 7 days of a hard delete rather than waiting the standard 90 days.
What it is | Kept while | Deleted |
Your profile and account information | Your account is active | 30 days after you close your account |
Video content and media files | Your account is active | 30 days after account closure or content deletion (both the Hub Owner storing it and the Creator who made it need to have deleted or closed) |
Transcripts and generated content | Your account is active | 30 days after account closure (both Hub Owner and Creator) or content deletion |
Learning progress and quiz responses | Your account is active | 30 days after account closure |
Payment transaction records | 7 years from the transaction date | Retained for tax and legal compliance (IRD requirements) |
Session cookies | Until you close your browser, or 24 hours, whichever comes first | Expire automatically |
When you delete something, whether it's a Shareable, a video, or your whole account, it doesn't disappear straight away. Here's the process:
Soft delete (0 to 30 days). Your content is removed from view but not gone. If you deleted something by mistake, get in touch and we can recover it within this window.
Hard delete (after 30 days). Once the 30-day window passes, the content is permanently removed from our live systems. This can't be undone.
Backup removal (within 90 days of hard delete). Backups take a little longer to clear, since they're stored separately for disaster recovery. All copies are purged from backups within 90 days of the hard delete.
Some of the knowledge shared on Kaha Create carries particular cultural weight and significance. Where content is flagged as culturally sensitive, we don't wait for the standard 90-day backup cycle. Once a hard delete happens, culturally sensitive content is purged from all systems, including backups, within 7 days.
This reflects our responsibility as a Māori-owned platform: when a knowledge holder decides content should be removed, that decision is honoured quickly and completely.
A few categories have longer retention periods than the rest, for reasons outside our control:
Payment records are kept for 7 years to meet IRD tax and legal record-keeping requirements. This applies to every business operating in Aotearoa, not just Kaha Create.
If you want to know exactly what we hold about you, request early deletion, or have any concerns about how your information or content is being handled, contact us at [support email] and we'll walk you through it.
