United Tribes of New Zealand stars. The description was: "A red St. George's Cross on a white ground. In the first quarter, a red St. George's Cross on a blue ground, pierced with four white stars." This version of the flag served as the "de facto" national flag of New Zealand from 1835 until the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in February 1840. The version of the flag with black fimbriation and eight-pointed stars is widely used today as a flag by Māori groups throughout New Zealand, who also refer to it as the He Whakaputanga flag. The flag features on the medals presented
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