In March 2026, Hutt City Council experienced a malicious phishing attack.
As a result of the phishing attack, we have determined that five individuals have had identity information compromised, and 732 people may have had financial information exposed through email correspondence. This is deeply regrettable.
We are sorry we did not handle this data with sufficient care, and we acknowledge the concern this has caused. We unreservedly apologise to anyone affected by this attack. Any exposure of personal information is not acceptable.
All affected individuals have now been contacted directly about this phishing attack, and steps they need to take in response.
What this incident has reinforced is that being vigilant and guarding against cyber security incidents, and reporting issues quickly, is more important than ever. As criminals use AI to carry out more frequent and sophisticated attacks, they can automate scams, avoid detection, and adapt to security measures. This makes strong monitoring, quick response, and clear reporting essential to protect our systems.
We take the protection of personal information seriously and have acted promptly to address this incident. Additional safeguards have been put in place and system security strengthened to protect council information and prevent any further attack of this nature.
If you have any concerns, please contact us at privacy@huttcity.govt.nz.
FAQs
In March 2026, Hutt City Council experienced a malicious phishing attack that resulted in unauthorised access to a number of email accounts. We’re very sorry this happened and acknowledge the concern it may cause.
A small number of people had personal information accessed, and a larger group may have had some information exposed through email correspondence.
We have contacted those affected directly, with more information and next steps.
We have taken steps to contain the incident and strengthen our systems. This includes improving security settings, increasing monitoring, and providing additional staff training to help prevent this happening again.
We take the protection of personal information seriously. While this incident is regrettable, additional safeguards have now been put in place and our systems have been strengthened to reduce the risk of future incidents.
If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with us at privacy@huttcity.govt.nz and our team will be able to help.