In these Terms and Conditions, unless the context otherwise requires:
2.1. Dual-Sided Marketplace: Needsey operates an online technology marketplace connecting Clients seeking professional assistance with independent third-party Service Providers for both local on-site services and remote/online digital services (such as web development, tutoring, and legal or financial consulting).
2.2. Intermediary Role and Payment Collection: Needsey runs an online marketplace. The agreement for a job is between the Client and the Service Provider; Needsey is not a party to it and does not perform the services. To make paying safer for both, each Provider appoints Needsey as its limited agent to collect payment for a job from the Client and to hold it until it is released or refunded under these Terms. When the Client pays Needsey for a job, the Client's obligation to pay the Provider for that amount is met. Needsey holds the payment on the Provider's behalf, in Needsey's account with its payment processor, and releases or refunds it only as clauses 5 and 6 say. Held money is not a deposit with Needsey, earns no interest for anyone, and is not used by Needsey for any other purpose.
2.3. Independent Status: Service Providers operate as independent business contractors and are not employees, workers, partners, joint venturers, or agents of Needsey. Needsey does not employ, supervise, or direct the manner in which a Provider performs their work, and makes no representation as to the quality of a specific Provider's services beyond the verification, rating, and review mechanisms described in these Terms. Needsey's role in collecting and holding payment and in helping with problems under clause 6 does not make Needsey a guarantor of any Provider's performance, nor does it affect a Client's statutory rights against the Provider under clause 8.2.
2.4. Provider Documents and Checks: Before accepting jobs, a Service Provider must complete an identity check and, where the Provider offers work that New Zealand law restricts to licensed or registered people (including electrical work, sanitary plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying, restricted building work, driving instruction, solemnising marriages and civil unions, and legal services), supply a current licence or registration number. Providers offering electrical, plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying, heat pump installation, hot water cylinder, building and renovation, or roofing work must also supply a current public liability insurance certificate. Other Providers may supply one to show an Insured badge on their profile. A Provider may also supply a current Ministry of Justice criminal record check. Needsey recommends this for every Provider. For work that often involves children, older people or people needing care (including babysitting and nanny work, elderly companionship, tutoring, music lessons, swimming lessons and sports coaching), a current check is required before taking jobs. If Needsey accepts the check, the Provider's profile shows a badge saying a check was supplied and when it was issued. Needsey only accepts checks issued in the last 3 months, and the badge is removed 12 months after the check was issued. The badge reflects only what that check showed on the date it was issued, and a Ministry of Justice check does not include convictions covered by the Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004. The Provider confirms that every document supplied is genuine, belongs to them, and is current, and must tell Needsey promptly if a licence is suspended or cancelled, insurance lapses, or (where they supplied a criminal record check) their criminal record changes. Needsey reviews these documents manually and may decline or withdraw a Provider's ability to accept jobs based on them. Needsey's review is a point-in-time check of the documents supplied; it is not a guarantee of a Provider's identity, conduct, skill, or the quality of their work, and it does not replace a Client's own judgement or statutory rights.
3.1. Account Creation: Users must register an account to access core Platform features, providing accurate and current information. You must be 18 or older to create an account or use the Platform. We may ask you to confirm your age, and we may close accounts that belong to anyone under 18.
3.2. Provider Onboarding: Users initially register as Clients. To list services or accept jobs as a Service Provider, users must complete the mandatory onboarding verification process, including providing professional background details, verification credentials and tax or GST registration status. Stripe Connect payout account information is required before a Provider accepts paid work, and may be provided when the Provider receives their first booking request. Providers set up their payout account in a secure form from Stripe, shown on the Platform. Payment processing services for Providers on the Platform are provided by Stripe and are subject to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Terms of Service (together, the "Stripe Services Agreement"). The Provider accepts the Stripe Services Agreement in that form when they finish setting up payouts, and agrees to be bound by it as Stripe may update it from time to time. The Provider agrees to give Needsey accurate and complete information about themselves and their business, and authorises Needsey to share it, and transaction information about their use of Stripe's payment processing services, with Stripe.
4.1. Browse Services (Client-initiated): Clients may browse professional profiles and service packages, electing either to book directly at the Provider's listed standard price or to initiate a dialogue to negotiate a custom budget.
4.2. Post a Need (Client-initiated via Radar): Clients may broadcast a specific project "Need" accompanied by a fixed budget and geographic location, or designate the request as "Remote / Online". Local or global Providers may evaluate and accept open requests via their live radar interface.
4.3. Changes to a job (Add to job): After a job is paid, and until both the Client and the Service Provider confirm it is done, the Provider may propose changes to it in the chat, for example extra work, parts, or a different measurement. Each change lists its items and shows the new job total and any fees before the Client decides. Nothing is charged without the Client approving the change in the app. If the Client declines a change, or does not answer it within 72 hours, the job stays as originally agreed and nothing is charged. When the Client approves an increase, they pay it at that time and it is held with the original payment until the job is confirmed done. When the Client approves a decrease, the difference is refunded to the card used to pay. Amounts marked as estimates on a quote are the Provider's best guess; any difference is proposed as a change for the Client to approve. A Client may also ask the Provider for something extra, which the Provider can price as a change.
4.4. Agreed scope: Before paying, the Client is shown what is included in the job, what is not included and the timing (from the Provider's quote or the offer agreed in the chat, or from the listing or job post when those don't say) and confirms they have read it. That agreed scope forms part of the agreement between the Client and the Provider for the job, together with the price and anything else they agree in the chat. Each change approved under 4.3 makes a new version of the agreed scope; every version stays available to both of them in the chat. The agreed scope describes what was agreed. It does not limit the guarantees in the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (clause 8.2).
4.5. Job photos and records: While a job is paid and not yet paid out, either person can add Before and After photos to it. Each photo keeps the date and time it was added. Photos, the agreed scope and the chat messages are a shared record of the job, and either person may rely on them if something goes wrong. Once an issue is raised under clause 6, nothing added before it can be deleted until the issue is closed. Only the Client, the Provider and Needsey can see them (see our Privacy Policy).
5.1. Free Access: Account creation, browsing the marketplace, and posting needs are completely free of charge.
5.2. Scenario A (Standard Pricing / Direct Booking): When a Client books directly at a Provider's listed standard price without custom negotiation, Needsey charges the Service Provider a 10% marketplace commission. Needsey covers card processing costs, so nothing else is taken off.
5.3. Scenario B (Custom Budget / Need Radar): When a Client requests a service under a custom negotiated budget or posts an open need accepted by a Provider, Needsey charges the Client a 10% marketplace commission on top of their fixed budget. There are no other transaction fees. For the first job you pay for through Needsey, we do not charge this commission when the job price is over $100. This applies once per person, only where the Client would otherwise pay the commission, and not to jobs of $100 or less. If you agree more than one job before paying, it applies to the first one you pay for, and a payment made for a job that no longer qualifies is refunded in full so you can pay again with the commission. We may change or withdraw this offer at any time. It will not change a job you have already agreed if you pay for it within 72 hours of agreeing it.
5.4. How payment is held and released: The Client pays the agreed price (plus any service fee under 5.3) when they confirm the agreed scope. Needsey holds it as the Provider's agent under clause 2.2. Nothing is paid to the Provider, and no fee is kept by Needsey, when a job is accepted or paid. The Provider's share is released when the job is confirmed done and the 24-hour window in clause 6.2 ends without an issue being raised, or earlier stage by stage under clause 5.8, or as an outcome under clause 6 says. Needsey keeps its fee only on money released to the Provider (clause 5.9). The Provider can see in the chat that the job is paid before they start.
5.5. Founding Provider offer: A Service Provider becomes a Founding Provider when they registered their interest as a provider through our waitlist or Founding Provider page, and then finish setting up their account and payouts while places are open. Places close on 1 November 2026 or once 80 providers have become Founding Providers, whichever comes first. Registering alone does not hold a place.
A Founding Provider receives:
A Founding Provider can earn 5 more commission-free jobs for each provider they refer who also finishes setting up their account and payouts. The offer is personal to the account, can't be transferred and has no cash value.
5.6. Starter offer: A Service Provider who is not a Founding Provider and finishes setting up their account and payouts after Founding Provider places close (see 5.5) and no later than the end of 31 January 2027 (New Zealand time) pays no Needsey commission on their first 3 jobs paid through Needsey on which that commission would otherwise be charged to them (see 5.2), so they receive the full agreed price for those jobs. Needsey still covers card processing costs on those jobs. The offer is personal to the account, can't be transferred and has no cash value. We may end or change this offer for Service Providers who have not yet qualified by updating these Terms; this does not affect commission-free jobs already given.
5.7. Fees on changes to a job: The same fees in 5.2 and 5.3 apply to a change made under 4.3, under the same scenario as the original job. If the first-job fee waiver in 5.3 applied to a job, it also covers changes to that same job, including a lower price that takes the job to $100 or less. If a job is commission-free under 5.5 or 5.6, changes to that job are commission-free too, and a change never uses up another commission-free job. On a decrease, the matching part of any fee is refunded with it.
5.8. Stage payments: For a quote over $1,000, the Provider may split the price into up to 4 stages. The stages must add up to the quote total, and the last stage must be at least 20% of it. The first stage may be a materials deposit of up to 30% of the total. The Client pays the whole amount once, and Needsey holds it. The Provider marks each stage done (for a materials deposit, that work has started); the Client checks it and confirms it, or says it isn't done yet and why. A confirmed stage is released to the Provider 24 hours after the Client confirms it, unless an issue is raised under clause 6 in that time. Stages are released in order. The last stage is released when the whole job is confirmed done, under clause 6.2, and carries any changes made under 4.3; a lower price under 4.3 comes off the last stage only. A stage that has been released can't be adjusted by Needsey, but either person can still raise an issue about it under clause 6, and confirming a stage does not take away any right under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.
5.9. Fees when money is refunded: If any part of the money held for a job is refunded to the Client (a lower price under 4.3, or a split or refund under clause 6), the service fee the Client paid on that part is refunded with it, in proportion. The Provider's commission is charged only on the part released to them. Card processing costs are covered by Needsey and are never deducted from a refund.
5.10. Featured listings: A Featured listing is an optional, paid extra for Service Providers who can take bookings. Your basic listing stays free. Featured costs the price shown on the Featured page (currently $10 a month including GST), billed monthly in advance from the day you join until you cancel. Needsey issues a GST invoice for each payment.
While your Featured listing is active, it includes:
Featured is advertising. The label tells Clients that it is a paid placement. It does not mean Needsey recommends you or has checked you beyond the checks shown on your profile. Featured does not guarantee views, requests, jobs or earnings, and Clients still choose who they book.
Spots are limited to a fixed number per main category in each area and are given first come, first served, then to a waitlist. When a spot opens, the next provider on the waitlist is offered it for 48 hours. One Featured listing per Service Provider.
You can cancel at any time from the billing page. Cancelling takes effect at the end of the month you have paid for, and there is no refund for part of a month, except where the law requires one or where Needsey ends your Featured listing for a reason that is not your fault, in which case we refund the unused part of the month. If a payment fails, you have 7 days to update your card; after that, Featured ends. If you can no longer take bookings, the Featured perks pause; if that lasts more than 7 days, Featured ends at the end of your paid month. Needsey may also end Featured if you breach these Terms.
We will give you at least 30 days' notice by email of any change to the price or what Featured includes, and you can cancel before the change applies. Nothing in this section limits your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or the Fair Trading Act 1986.
6.1. Raising an issue: While money for a job is held (from payment until it is released), the Client or the Provider can tell Needsey that something isn't right, using "Something's not right?" in the chat. The issue can be about any part of the job, including a stage that has already been released. While it is open, nothing still held is released and changes to the job are paused. Needsey can only adjust money that is still held: money already released to the Provider is not taken back through this process. This does not affect any other right either person has, including the Client's rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (clause 8.2).
6.2. Twenty-four hour window: Once a job is confirmed done (by both people, or automatically under clause 6.7), the money held is released to the Provider 24 hours later, unless an issue is raised in that time. The same 24-hour window applies after each stage is confirmed under clause 5.8.
6.3. Step 1: sorting it out together: The person raising the issue can propose a fix (for example, the Provider coming back to finish) or a split of the money held (part refunded to the Client and part released to the Provider; the two parts always add up to the amount held), with their reason and anything that shows it, such as the agreed scope, photos and messages. The other person has 3 days to accept, make a counter-proposal, or ask Needsey to step in. If they don't reply within 3 days, Needsey steps in. A proposal is never treated as accepted because someone didn't reply. An accepted split is carried out straight away; an accepted fix keeps the money held until the fix is done and the job is confirmed.
6.4. Step 2: Needsey steps in: Either person can ask Needsey to step in at any time. Both are invited to add their side and their evidence, usually within 3 days. Needsey then looks at the agreed scope, photos, messages and anything else either person shares, and aims to decide within 5 working days of the evidence being in. Needsey can release all of the money held to the Provider, refund all of it to the Client, or split it, and gives both people its reasons. Needsey decides in good faith on what it has been shown, applying the same approach to Clients and Providers; it doesn't charge for this. Needsey's decision is about the money it holds as agent. It is not a court or tribunal decision and doesn't decide anyone's legal rights. Until the money moves, the two people can agree something different, and Needsey will follow what they agree.
6.5. When the money moves, and the Disputes Tribunal: The money moves 3 days after Needsey's decision (sooner if both people say OK). If, within those 3 days, either person tells Needsey they are taking the matter to the Disputes Tribunal (or another court), Needsey keeps the money held for 14 days so they can file. If they show Needsey proof of filing within those 14 days, Needsey keeps holding the money until both people agree in writing, or the Tribunal or court makes an order, and then follows that agreement or order. If Needsey doesn't receive proof within 14 days, its decision stands and the money moves. Needsey can give either person a copy of the job record to take to the Tribunal.
6.6. Refunds: Refunds go back to the card used to pay and usually show within 5 to 10 working days. The service fee on a refunded part is refunded with it (clause 5.9).
6.7. Confirming a Job is Done: When a Service Provider marks a job as finished, the Client is asked to confirm that it is done. Needsey reminds the Client by email 1, 3 and 4 days after the Provider marks the job finished. If the Client has not confirmed the job or pressed "Not done yet" within 5 days of the Provider marking it finished, the job is treated as done, and the 24-hour window in clause 6.2 starts from that automatic confirmation instead of from the Provider marking the job finished. The payment is released to the Provider only after that window ends without an issue being raised. A Client who presses "Not done yet" must briefly say what is missing; the Provider then marks the job finished again once it is fixed, and the 5-day period starts again. If a Client presses "Not done yet" a second time on the same job, Needsey steps in under clause 6.4, with the payment held in the meantime. Treating a job as done only decides when payment is released; it does not mean you have accepted the work for the purposes of the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993. Nothing in this clause limits any right you have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or other law, including your right to ask for a remedy if the service did not meet the guarantees.
6.8. Changes, stages and disputes: The 24-hour window and any issue raised under this clause cover every payment for a job that is still held, including payments for changes made under 4.3 and stages not yet released. While an issue is open, changes to the job are paused and stages are not released. A split, refund or release under this clause covers all the money still held for the job.
6.9. Chargebacks: If a Client asks their card issuer to reverse a payment (a chargeback) instead of using this process, Needsey keeps any money still held for the job until the chargeback is decided, and responds to the card issuer with the job record, including the agreed scope, photos and messages. If a chargeback succeeds after money was released to the Provider for that job, Needsey will tell the Provider, and the Provider must repay the amount reversed, less any part that was Needsey's fee; Needsey may recover it from the Provider's future payouts after telling them. The Provider can raise any disagreement with Needsey first. Nothing in this clause stops a Client using their rights with their card issuer.
6.10. Records: Needsey keeps the agreed scope, photos, messages and the record of any issue for as long as our Privacy Policy says, so either person can refer to them later.
Needsey collects, stores, and processes user personal information in accordance with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020. For full detail on what we collect, why, who it's shared with, and your rights to access, correct, or delete your information, see our Privacy Policy.
8.1. New Zealand Governing Law: This agreement is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New Zealand. Any legal action, proceeding, or dispute resolution must be seated exclusively in the courts of New Zealand.
8.2. Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 (CGA): Where a Client is a "consumer" under the CGA, the statutory guarantees under the CGA are owed by the Service Provider actually performing the work, as the supplier of those services. They are not excluded, restricted, or modified by these Terms, and cannot be. Nothing in clauses 4.4, 5.8 or 6 (including confirming a job or stage, treating a job as done, or any outcome under clause 6) limits those rights or any other right that cannot lawfully be excluded. Where a Client acquires services for business purposes, section 43 of the CGA allows those guarantees to be contracted out of, but only by specific written agreement between the Client and the Provider covering that transaction; use of the Platform alone does not constitute such an agreement.
8.3. Fair Trading Act 1986 (FTA): Users agree to engage in fair, transparent dealings on the Platform and refrain from misleading or deceptive conduct in compliance with the FTA.
8.4. Limitation of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by New Zealand law, and without limiting any guarantee under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 that cannot lawfully be excluded, Needsey shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, loss of revenue, data loss, or property damage arising from interactions between Clients and Service Providers. Subject to that same qualification, Needsey's total aggregate liability in connection with a given transaction is limited to the commission fees actually received by Needsey for that transaction. Nothing in this clause limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under New Zealand law.