Coat of arms of New Zealand 1908 received 78 designs. The winning entry was a design by James McDonald, a draughtsman in the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts. Some adjustments were made to the design, and the arms were granted by Royal Warrant of King George V on 26 August 1911. The warrant was published in the "New Zealand Gazette" of 11 January 1912. The arms have remained similar to the original design, with minor changes made in 1956. The central shield has remained unaltered since 1911. It comprises a quartered shield containing in the first quarter four stars representing the Southern Cross constellation (as
Southern Cross Healthcare Group (New Zealand) Southern Cross Healthcare Group (New Zealand) Southern Cross Healthcare Group, a collection of independent, health-oriented businesses in New Zealand, operates on not-for-profit principles and is New Zealand's largest non-public health care organisation. The Group's businesses include health insurance, private hospitals, travel insurance and pet insurance. The Group encompasses the Southern Cross Medical Care Society and the Southern Cross Health Trust and their respective subsidiaries. According to Peter A. Smith's "The Private Prescription", which chronicles the history of Southern Cross, the group's origins can be traced back to the 1950s when the New Zealand private healthcare sector became concerned that the