New Zealand heraldry refers to the cultural tradition of the use of coats of arms and other heraldic devices within the country. New Zealand largely follows the Gallo-British tradition, a result of the colonisation of the country by the British. MÃÂori cultural elements and native New Zealand flora and fauna are commonly used in New Zealand heraldry.
New Zealand does not have its own heraldic authority, and instead primarily uses the extant British heraldic authorities, namely the English College of Arms and Scottish Lord Lyon King of Arms. A New Zealand-based officer of arms affiliated with the College of Arms does exist, titled the New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary. Phillip O'Shea has been said officer since the creation of the title in 1978.
New Zealand does not presently have its own independent heraldic authority which grants or records arms, though the College of Arms in London claims to be "the official heraldic authority for...New Zealand". According to the guidelines of the Cabinet Manual, the College has been delegated these responsibilities by the Sovereign of New Zealand in their capacity as the "Fount of all Honour". However, the legal basis for this "official" status for the College of Arms is disputed.
On 6 February 1978 Queen Elizabeth II established the New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary as the officer of arms responsible for advising the Crown, New Zealand government and New Zealand Defence Force on heraldic matters, and for liaising between New Zealand and the English College of Arms. Although affiliated with the College of Arms, the New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary lives and works in New Zealand, and is not a member of the College Chapter. The current New Zealand Herald of Arms Extraordinary is Phillip Patrick OâÂÂShea.
The heraldry of New Zealand has added indigenous animals (mostly birds) to the existing heraldic bestiary, along with native flora and traditional MÃÂori motifs.
New Zealand was first granted arms by King George V via royal warrant on 26 August 1911, following a design competition in 1908 which had been won by James McDonald, a draughtsman in the Department of Tourist and Health Resorts. The warrant was published in the New Zealand Gazette of 11 January 1912.
The official blazon for the 1911 arms was:
In 1956, a revised version of the arms was approved by Queen Elizabeth II. The new arms depicted the supporters facing each other rather than facing the viewer, replaced the crest with St Edward's Crown, replaced the scrolls in the compartment with fern branches, and replaced the motto "Onward" with the words "New Zealand". However, the central shield remained unaltered from the 1911 arms.
Some, but not all, local authorities in New Zealand use heraldic arms. The arms of the capital, Wellington, combines elements from the arms of Aurthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington with elements from the national coat of arms. The coat of arms of the City of Christchurch also has charges from the national arms.
Some councils have been granted arms by the College of Arms or the Court of the Lord Lyon, while others have adopted their own arms. While several councils had used similar devices earlier, Auckland City Council was the first council in New Zealand to be granted an "official" coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1911.
Coats of arms are often seen as old-fashioned and are rarely used by councils, who prefer to use brand logos. Auckland Council, representing the largest city in New Zealand, does not currently use any arms. Some local coats of arms, such as those of Hamilton and Palmerston North, have been accused of not accurately or inappropriately reflecting their areas' history and diversity, with suggestions that they should be changed.
The unauthorised use of the coat of arms of a local authority can be an offense.
Some New Zealand corporations and institutions have their own coats-of-arms, including several New Zealand universities such as University of Auckland, Massey University, the University of Waikato, and the University of Otago.
The other countries of the Realm of New Zealand, the associated states of the Cook Islands and Niue and the dependent territory of Tokelau, have their own heraldic emblems. The Cook Islands has their own armorial bearings (coat of arms) using unique local elements, since 2021 Niue has had a seal based on traditional Niuean elements (replacing their previous one based on the New Zealand coat of arms), while Tokelau has a badge based on a traditional Tokelauan tuluma.
Heraldry is discussed and studied by The Heraldry Society of New Zealand, a learned society under the patronage of the governor-general. The society publishes The New Zealand Armorist. Its homepage is called Onward.