Company Overview
Southern Cross opened for business in 1961, introducing health insurance to New Zealanders and laying the foundations for one of New Zealand’s most enduring, best-known, and trusted brands. Southern Cross comprises various legal entities, united by a common brand, a not-for-profit philosophy and the goal of achieving better value healthcare for New Zealanders. Its not-for-profit society arm (The Southern Cross Medical Care Society) provides health insurance for its 900,000 members. It also provides wellness services, life insurance, travel insurance, and pet insurance to New Zealanders via subsidiary companies.
Source: www.southerncross.co.nz/about-southern-cross
Woke Rating
We rate Southern Cross Insurance as Woke.
Woke Summary
- Virtue Signalling – Has goals of embedding Te Ao Maori throughout the organisation and across the various Southern Cross businesses, off which Southern Cross Insurances falls under. Offers Maori cultural competency training and Te Reo Maori classes for employees. Has recently posted on social media a “Happy Ramadan” post.
- Gender Ideology & LGBTQ – Rainbow Tick Certified, and is a big supporter of the LGBQT+ community and events such as Pride Month, Big Gay Out to Global Pride Month.
- Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) – Has DEI policies. Has internal mechanisms for outworking DEI goals like DEI surveys to track its progress related to embedding DEI within the organisation and a DEI Forum.
- Climate Change – It supports the Paris Agreement and UN’s Goals. Is working towards reducing greenhouse gas targets through certification programmes such as Toitu EnviroCare, which are organisations that work in alignment with UN targets around reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Woke Policies
Wokeness and virtue signalling distracts a company from its core business, which is to make a profit for shareholders while delivering excellent, affordable products and services to its customers. Businesses should not be distracted from this core purpose, otherwise there will be unnecessary costs which are ultimately passed onto consumers. Woke ideologies are typically unfriendly towards the traditional family unit.
Below are some woke policies and initiatives from Southern Cross …
Virtue Signalling
Virtue signalling includes:
- Supports the inclusion of Te Ao Maori throughout Southern Cross businesses, including insurance arms of the company. The company also offers Maori cultural competency and Te Reo classes to employees.
- Southern Cross Health Insurance has a governance group focused on embedding Te Ao Maori throughout the insurance arms of the entity and has established several goals including enhancing the use of te reo Māori in the office, supporting the experience for Māori employees and creating a safe space for culturally intelligent leadership.
- Southern Cross Healthcare and Southern Cross Travel Insurance’s executive leadership teams completed a Māori cultural awareness and competency. Southern Cross Health Insurance have been offering this training programme to its senior leaders and people managers since 2020.
Gender Ideology & LGBTQ+
Rainbow Tick Certified, and also a big supporter of Pride Week, the Big Gay Out event, Pink Shirt Day, Global Pride Month, Rainbow Charitable Gala and Sweat with Pride events.
“Southern Cross is proud to be Rainbow Tick certified for eight years and counting. This means we’ve successfully completed a diversity and inclusion assessment, showing that we welcome sexual and gender diversity and have agreed to on-going quality improvement.”
Source: www.southerncross.co.nz/society/buying-health-insurance/diversity-and-inclusion
Souther Cross embraces Gender Ideology:
“We want to talk to you in the way you prefer. That’s why you can choose from various title options, including ‘Mx’ if you don’t want a gender used in correspondence. If you’d like us to update the gender details we have on record, including if you’ve had intersex or gender affirmation surgery, you can do so by contacting us.”
Whilst some of the company’s health insurance policy offerings exclude gender affirmation surgery, they can cover associated costs for consultations and Pharmac subsidised drugs/hormone therapy, providing the policy type has the applicable benefits.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Has DEI policies. Has internal mechanisms for outworking DEI goals like DEI surveys to track its progress related to embedding DEI within the organisation and a DEI Forum.
“Southern Cross looks after more New Zealanders than any other health insurance provider, and that’s why we’re passionate about embracing diversity and inclusivity.”
Source: www.southerncross.co.nz/society/buying-health-insurance/diversity-and-inclusion
Climate Change
Southern Cross supports emissions reduction targets and ESG policies.
“The Southern Cross organisation has an overarching goal of reducing greenhouse gases for all its businesses, however, each business may be at different stages with this particular climate change goal. For Southern Cross Health Insurance, it is Toitū EnviroCare certified and its principal environment-related focus in 2024 was to prepare and release its first set of climate disclosures as required of them under the new mandatory climate reporting regime. This work included updating GHG emissions reduction targets. Southern Cross Travel Insurance and Southern Cross Pet Insurance do not have climate statements but are working towards having Toitū EnviroCare certification.”
Source: https://mc-fec8b19f-c7fd-4e56-8bfe-1850-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/group/community/community-impact-report-2023/community-impact-report-2023-final.pdf?rev=a61987db3e484a2a923f167815f60776&hash=8E1F8B9684243E1B21D08865C6AE6EE8
Positive Policies & Activities
- Supports well-being initiatives like Round the Bays and Pause Breathe Smile, a mind health programme in 440 primary and intermediate schools teaching children skills for navigating life’s ups and down.
- Supports the breast cancer events such as the Pink Ribbon Breakfast & Walk and celebrates NZ sign Language Week.
Note – This page was updated as of 27th March 2025. Please contact us if you’ve discovered other relevant information about Southern Cross or other businesses pushing woke agendas. You should also contact us if you discover some positively woke-free businesses.