The coat of arms of New Zealand ( mi, Te Tohu Pakanga o Aotearoa) is the heraldic symbol representing the South Pacific island country of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. Its design reflects New Zealand's history as a

bicultural Biculturalism in sociology describes the co-existence, to varying degrees, of two originally distinct cultures. Official policy recognizing, fostering, or encouraging biculturalism typically emerges in countries that have emerged from a his ...

nation, with a European female figure on one side and a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

rangatira (chief) on the other. The symbols on the central shield represent New Zealand's trade, agriculture and industry, and a Crown represents New Zealand's status as a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. The initial coat of arms was granted by warrant of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

on 26 August 1911, and the current version was granted by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

in 1956. While the use of the coat of arms is restricted to the New Zealand Government, the symbol enjoys wide use on state decorations; it appears on the uniform of the

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

and is on the cover of the national passport.

History

Until 1911, New Zealand used the same royal coat of arms as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. The provinces of New Zealand used their own arms. New Zealand Coat of Arms (9595593076)

With the evolution of New Zealand self-government, especially the granting of dominion status in 1907, it was decided that a new coat of arms was required. An official competition held in 1908 received 78 designs. The winning entry was a design by James McDonald, a draughtsman in the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts. Some minor 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 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 depicted on the national flag, but with the stars in different proportions); in the second quarter, a golden fleece; in the third, a wheat sheaf; and in the fourth, two hammers (see § Symbolism). Over all this is a pale—a broad vertical strip—with three ships representing the importance of maritime trade and "recalling the 19th-century settlement of the country by European migrants".

1956 redesign

In the original design, the crest was a demi-lion (the upper half of a rampant lion) holding the Union Flag, and the scroll at the shield's base featured the then

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

of the country, "Onward". Although the Royal Warrant specified the design of the coat of arms, by the mid-1940s at least 20 variants were in use. One month prior to New Zealand's adoption of the Statute of Westminster (which formally accepted the full external autonomy offered by the British Parliament) on 25 September 1947, a special committee was formed by then Prime Minister Peter Fraser. Responsible for the "redrawing and standardisation of the Coat of Arms", the committee consisted of

Alister McIntosh Sir Alister Donald Miles McIntosh (29 November 1906 – 30 November 1978) was a New Zealand diplomat. McIntosh was New Zealand's first secretary of foreign affairs serving as the principal foreign policy adviser to Prime Ministers Peter Fraser, ...

, Joe Heenan,

Colin Aikman Colin Campbell Aikman (24 August 1919 – 22 December 2002) was a New Zealand public servant, lawyer and diplomat. He was professor of jurisprudence and constitutional law at Victoria University of Wellington between 1955 and 1968; first Vice ...

, Frank Corner, Foss Shanahan and Professor John Cawte Beaglehole. One of the committee's concerns was that the female supporter looked too much like a "Soviet heroine". Following the election of the First National Government in 1949, the new Attorney-General,

Jack Marshall Sir John Ross Marshall New Zealand Army Orders 1952/405 (5 March 1912 – 30 August 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He entered Parliament in 1946 and was first promoted to Cabinet in 1951. After spending twelve years ...

(later Prime Minister) took up responsibility for the committee. Marshall requested the woman to be re-drawn based on the likeness of Grace Kelly, a favourite actress of his. Queen Elizabeth II approved a revised version in 1956; she also expressly authorised the use of the St Edward's Crown in the arms. That design is still in use today.

Symbolism

The coat of arms depicts a shield with four quadrants divided by a central pale: * The first quadrant depicts the four stars on the national flag, representing the asterism within the constellation of

Crux Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin f ...

; the second quadrant depicts a golden fleece, representing the nation's farming industry; the third depicts a sheaf of wheat for agriculture; and the fourth quadrant depicts crossed hammers for mining. * The pale depicts three ships, representing the importance of sea trade, and the immigrant nature of all New Zealanders. * The

dexter Dexter may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Dexter, the main character of the American animated series '' Dexter's Laboratory'' that aired from 1996 to 2003 * Dexter, a fictional character in the British web series ''Diary of a Bad Man'' * Dext ...

supporter is a European woman carrying the flag of New Zealand, while the

sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see de ...

supporter is a Māori rangatira (chief) holding a taiaha (fighting weapon) and wearing a kaitaka (flax cloak). ** The female figure is said to be a depiction of Zealandia, a common

national personification A national personification is an anthropomorphic personification of a state or the people(s) it inhabits. It may appear in political cartoons and propaganda. Some early personifications in the Western world tended to be national manifestation ...

of New Zealand during the first half of the 20th century. It also broadly represents all "non-indigenous citizens of the country". * The shield is surmounted by a rendition of St Edward's Crown, which has been used in the coronations of New Zealand's monarchs. The Crown also represents New Zealand's historic ties to the United Kingdom. * Below is a scroll with "New Zealand" on it, behind which (constituting the "heraldic compartment" on which the supporters stand) are two

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

branches, representing the native vegetation.

Status and uses

New Zealand Official Passport Outside Front Cover

None of New Zealand's national symbols—including the flag, the anthems, and coat of arms—are mentioned in the Constitution Act 1986. The official use of the coat of arms was mandated by Royal Warrant in 1911. The use of state, royal, and viceregal emblems is also protected by the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981. The arms are a symbol of national sovereignty. As such, official usage of the coat of arms is restricted to the New Zealand Government. The symbol is used as a mark of authority by various government agencies and representatives, including the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

and

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

, and most courts, including the Supreme Court. The coat of arms also feature on all Acts of Parliament; and on the cover of the

New Zealand passport New Zealand passports (Māori: ''Uruwhenua Aotearoa'') are issued to New Zealand citizens for the purpose of international travel by the Department of Internal Affairs. New Zealand has a passport possession rate of around 70% of the population ...

, alongside the silver fern, another popular symbol of New Zealand. Since 1962, a

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Als ...

of the arms, defaced with a royal symbol, has formed the sovereign's personal flag for New Zealand, for use by the Queen in her capacity as monarch of New Zealand. The flag of the governor-general of New Zealand has, since 2008, featured the shield of the arms on a blue background. On a few special occasions, such as royal visits or jubilee celebrations, individuals and private organisations can display the coat of arms temporarily. It can only be used or published with the permission of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

References

External links

A National Symbol?
by Denis Glover, about Zealandia, Britannia's daughter: the woman symbolising New Zealand. 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
legislation.govt.nz - Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981

National Arms of New Zealand
(with history and images), at Heraldry of the World {{Coat of arms of Oceania