Every signature captured in SignForm is backed by clear consent with a complete audit trail.
The signer never leaves the form. Behind that simple moment, SignForm records everything needed to later show exactly what was agreed, by whom, and when.
The signer reads a plain language statement of what they're agreeing to, tied to the specific form and its version.
They draw or type their signature and enter their full legal name captured on their own device.
An explicit tick confirms they intend this to be their electronic signature, with the same legal effect as signing by hand.
Name, method, timestamp, ip address, form version and a unique reference are bound together and stored - sealed against later tampering.
New Zealand law has recognised electronic signatures for years. The rules are set out in the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, and SignForm is built to satisfy them by default.
The law asks that a method identifies the person and shows their approval. SignForm captures the signer's full legal name, explicit consent, and device context together, at the point of signing.
Enrolment and consent forms don't need a bank-grade certificate. SignForm's approach is proportionate - robust enough to rely on, simple enough that families finish in seconds.
The Act asks that the parties consent to using electronic signatures. SignForm records that consent explicitly since it's captured on the record.
An electronic signature is treated as valid where it identifies the signer, shows their approval of the information, and is as reliable as the circumstances require.
This is a plain language summary of the principles in the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017, not a quotation. SignForm is designed so each of these conditions is met and evidenced on every record.
SignForm provides tools to help your school or centre capture signatures and consent reliably. This page is general information about how the product works, not legal advice - if you need certainty for a particular use, check with your own legal adviser. For high-value or contested matters, a more formal signing method may be appropriate.
A signature on its own proves little. What makes it defensible is everything captured around it — and held together as one sealed record.
Full legal name and their role — the caregiver, staff member or approver who applied the signature.
The exact document and its version, so there's no ambiguity about which wording was agreed to.
A precise timestamp in New Zealand time, recorded at the moment the signature was applied.
Drawn or typed, and the explicit consent they gave to sign electronically.
A short reference code to find and cite the record instantly, whenever it's needed.
The record is sealed so that any later change to the form is recorded separately, never silently.
Signed records contain some of your community's most sensitive information. They're treated accordingly - encrypted, access-controlled and traceable.
Records are stored on secure managed infrastructure and backed up, so a signed consent is still there — intact — when you need it years later.
Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, so records are protected on the way to us and while they're stored.
Office, leadership and educators each see only what they should, and every access to a record is itself accountable.
In the spirit of the Privacy Act 2020, forms collect only the information they need.
Every signed record is sealed and its form version preserved - so you can always show precisely what was agreed, and when.
Need to show a consent to a reviewer, an auditor or a parent? Any record can be found and produced in seconds by its reference.
We'll take one of your consent forms, rebuild it in SignForm, and show you the whole signature record it produces - end to end, in about twenty minutes.