Hospital procedures are impacted by Covid-19. Find out more here.

Hospital procedures are impacted by Covid-19. Find out more here.

About Us

About Us

Southern Cross Healthcare - caring
for more New Zealanders

Southern Cross Healthcare, previously known as Southern Cross Hospitals, is the largest private healthcare network in New Zealand.

In the 2022/23 financial year, we provided elective surgery to over 95,000 patients at our wholly owned and joint venture hospitals.

In addition, our subsidiaries and joint venture partnerships in rehabilitation, physiotherapy, mental health and workplace health services further support the health outcomes of New Zealanders.

Southern Cross Healthcare provides services to insurance-funded, ACC, Te Whatu Ora and self-paying patients.

Southern Cross Healthcare is extremely proud to be an integral part of New Zealand’s wider healthcare system.

As a for-purpose organisation that is owned by Southern Cross Health Trust (a Charitable Trust), our profits are reinvested to fulfil our purpose of supporting the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.

Find out more about our network >

Our core services

Southern Cross Healthcare is New Zealand’s largest independent healthcare network. A nationwide family of joint venture and wholly owned hospitals; specialist centres; physiotherapy; rehabilitation; and employer health and wellness providers. From post-operative rehabilitation and pain management, to workplace-based vaccinations and mental health services, Southern Cross Healthcare’s focus is committed to better health for more Kiwis.


Susie Mourton, Gynaecologist at Southern Cross Christchurch Hospital

Private surgical hospitals

Daniel, Southern Endoscopy

Specialist centres

Hannah, TBI Health

Physiotherapy and rehabilitation

Phoebe, Southern Cross Wellness Partners

Workplace health

Southern Cross Health Trust

The Southern Cross Health Trust is a Charitable Trust established almost 50 years ago with a vision to give more New Zealanders access to timely, affordable, and quality private healthcare.

The Trust delivers this vision via its key subsidiary, Southern Cross Healthcare Limited (Southern Cross Healthcare), which has a primary purpose of advancing the provision of quality healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The Southern Cross Health Trust is proud to address unmet health-related needs in many meaningful ways including via the social impact initiatives listed below.


Charitable Surgery Programme

Good health is everyone’s right. Unfortunately, certain elective procedures which help people maintain quality of life can be out of reach due to financial restrictions or prohibitive waiting times for publicly funded surgery. The Trust offers support for some patients in these circumstances in partnership with specialists who offer to undertake these services pro bono. Since 2017, the Trust has provided over $2m towards 430 charitable surgical procedures.

Southern Cross Nursing Scholarships

The Southern Cross Health Trust has partnered with AUT to offer substantial support to nursing students through the Southern Cross Nursing Scholarship programme for 2025. This collaborative initiative addresses the everyday needs of nursing students and supports them into healthcare. The Trust is funding 17 scholarships for AUT nursing students, which include a contribution to course fees, a $500 weekly stipend during clinical placements, and $500 towards general health and wellbeing. The Nursing Council exam fee is paid for in the final year of study. Additionally, scholarship students will benefit from priority clinical placements and part-time work opportunities at Southern Cross hospitals. All first-year students (around 400) will also receive vouchers for nursing uniforms and shoes.

Find out more >

Auckland City Mission

The Auckland City Mission (Te Tāpui Atawhai) is a charitable partner of the Trust. Part of its service to Auckland’s most vulnerable citizens is the Calder Health Centre which provides essential health support to 2,000 patients annually. The Mission’s primary health care model is nurse-led, providing medical care on-site and in the community through an outreach service. Since 2018, the Trust has supported the Calder Health Centre by contributing towards its nurses' salaries.

We are exceptionally proud to have provided care to over 100,000 patients in the last financial year (July 2023 to June 2024) through our network of wholly owned and joint venture hospitals and specialist centres*

*The following facilities in our network cared for 100,000+ patients:
Southern Cross wholly owned hospitals: Southern Cross North Harbour Hospital. Southern Cross Auckland Surgical Centre. Southern Cross Brightside Hospital. Southern Cross Gillies Hospital. Southern Cross Hamilton Hospital. Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital. Southern Cross New Plymouth Hospital. Southern Cross Wellington Hospital. Southern Cross Christchurch Hospital. Southern Cross Invercargill Hospital.
Southern Cross joint venture partner hospitals and specialist centres: Southern Cross Northland Surgical Centre, Whangarei. North Shore Surgical Centre, Auckland. Ormiston Hospital & Healthcare, Auckland. Grace Hospital, Tauranga. Crest Hospital, Palmerston North. Manuka Street Hospital, Nelson. Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital, Queenstown. The Rutherford Clinic, Wellington. Southern Endoscopy, Christchurch.

We are a people business

Care is at the heart of all we do; and as such Southern Cross Healthcare is a 'people business'.

Our hospital and National Support Office teams increasingly work closely with others across the wider Southern Cross Healthcare network; harnessing the collective expertise to support the best health outcomes for our patients.


Our people

Our executive leadership team

Our board

Reflecting Aotearoa

Southern Cross Healthcare is committed at working to develop a culturally safe environment that values manaakitanga and embraces diversity. We aim to be an organisation that is inclusive and reflects the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand. This commitment is part of our core responsible business practices, which include a strong alignment with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te ao Māori, and supporting health equity.

Find out more >

Southern Cross is with New Zealanders to support healthier lives and thriving communities

The Southern Cross branded businesses are a range of insurance and health-related businesses comprising Southern Cross Healthcare, Southern Cross Health Society, Southern Cross Pet Insurance, and Southern Cross Travel Insurance.

While operating independently of each other, we are united by a common brand, a for-purpose ethos, and we pledge to stand alongside our people and communities. We’re champions for improving intergenerational health and wellbeing and creating a flourishing future for Aotearoa New Zealand.

Our latest Community Impact Report highlights the positive ways that Southern Cross contributed to communities in 2023.

Read the Southern Cross 2023 Community Impact Report >


Pause Breathe Smile

Round the Bays

New nurse career pathways

Sustainability

As a leader in healthcare, we strive to make informed decisions about how we embed, integrate, and take into account the community and environment.

With national influence, we know we can positively contribute to climate change by reducing our carbon emissions and working with others to meet our commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Our waste reduction highlights in 2023 include:

  • Over 140,000 PVC IV bags collected for recycling by our network of wholly owned hospitals.
  • Over 107,000kg of paper, plastic, metal, and cardboard were diverted from landfill.
  • Over 30,000 reprocessed single-use devices (such as hover matts, DVT sleeves and blood pressure eco cuffs) saved from being sent to landfill.


Find out more about how we are caring for the environment >

Our history and heritage


The history of Southern Cross Healthcare spans more than 40 years. Our origins in the 1960’s were driven by the need for private hospitals following the introduction of health insurance in New Zealand. In 2020 we changed our name from Southern Cross Hospitals to Southern Cross Healthcare to reflect our broader scope of services we now provide to support the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders.

Learn about our journey >