The coat of arms of New Zealand ( mi, Te Tohu Pakanga o Aotearoa) is the

heraldic symbol Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...

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 count ...

. 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 histo ...

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 C ...

rangatira In Māori culture, () are tribal chiefs, the hereditary Māori leaders of a hapū. Ideally, rangatira were people of great practical wisdom who held authority () on behalf of the tribe and maintained boundaries between a tribe's land and that ...

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

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

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 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 constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

With the evolution of New Zealand

self-government __NOTOC__ Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...

, especially the granting of

dominion status The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

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 The ''New Zealand Gazette'' ( mi, Te Kāhiti o Aotearoa), commonly referred to as ''Gazette'', is the official newspaper of record (Government gazette) of the New Zealand Government. Published since 1840, it is the longest-running publication i ...

'' 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 Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...

; 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 The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

, 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. Mot ...

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 Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand La ...

. Responsible for the "redrawing and standardisation of the Coat of Arms", the committee consisted of Alister McIntosh, 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 Frank Henry Corner (17 May 1920 – 27 August 2014) was a New Zealand diplomat. Corner served as New Zealand's Ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, before becoming New Zealand's third Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs (197 ...

Foss Shanahan Foss Shanahan (10 June 1910 – 13 September 1964) was a New Zealand diplomat and public servant. Biography Shanahan was born on 10 June 1910 at Alexandra. He was educated at the Christian Brothers' Boys' School in Dunedin and Waitaki Boys' Hig ...

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 The Anniversary of the First National Government ( es, Primer gobierno patrio) is a public holiday of Argentina, commemorating the May Revolution and the creation of the Primera Junta on May 25, 1810, which is considered the first patriotic govern ...

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 Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. 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 St Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13th cen ...

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 for ...

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

(chief) holding a

taiaha A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand; a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha a ...

(fighting weapon) and wearing a kaitaka (flax cloak). ** The female figure is said to be a depiction of

Zealandia Zealandia (pronounced ), also known as (Māori) or Tasmantis, is an almost entirely submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after breaking away from Gondwanaland 83–79 million years ago.Gurnis, M., Hall, C.E., and Lavier, L.L., ...

, a common national personification 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

, 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 A national symbol is a symbol of any entity considering and manifesting itself to the world as a national community: the sovereign states but also nations and countries in a state of colonial or other dependence, federal integration, or even an e ...

—including the flag, the anthems, and coat of arms—are mentioned in the

Constitution Act 1986 The Constitution Act 1986 is an Act of the New Zealand Parliament that forms a major part of the constitution of New Zealand. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles of governance, and establishes the powers of the ...

. The official use of the coat of arms was mandated by Royal Warrant in 1911. The use of state, royal, and

viceregal A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning "k ...

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 i ...

and Cabinet, and most courts, including the Supreme Court. The coat of arms also feature on all

Acts of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of parliament be ...

; 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 populatio ...

, alongside the

silver fern ''Alsophila dealbata'', synonym ''Cyathea dealbata'', commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga (from Māori or ),The Māori word , pronounced , has been borrowed into New Zealand English as a generic term fo ...

, 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 monarchy of New Zealand is the Constitution of New Zealand, constitutional system of government in which a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch is the sovereign and head of state of New Zealand. The current monarch, King Charles III, as ...

. The

flag of the governor-general of New Zealand The flag of the governor-general of New Zealand is an official flag of New Zealand and is flown continuously on buildings and other locations when a governor-general is present. The flag in its present form was adopted in 2008 and is a blue field ...

has, since 2008, featured the shield of the arms on a blue background. On a few special occasions, such as royal visits or

jubilee A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of y ...

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 Denis James Matthews Glover (9 December 19129 August 1980) was a New Zealand poet and publisher. Born in Dunedin, he attended the University of Canterbury where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts, and subsequently lectured. He worked as a reporte ...

, 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