News release
27 January 2012
Southern Cross Cements Commitment to Christchurch
Not-for-profit health insurer Southern Cross Health Society has opened a new permanent office in Harewood for its
Canterbury-based sales and support staff, as it looks to support local businesses throughout the rebuild and beyond.
The Society’s Oxford Terrace office was closed indefinitely after the February 22nd 2011 earthquake. Since then the team
has worked out of temporary premises in Hornby.
Southern Cross Health Society Chief Executive Peter Tynan said a local presence was essential in providing the best
possible service to Canterbury businesses long-term.
“Our people understand the issues, and we’ve done our best to provide flexibility for our clients throughout what has
been an incredibly challenging year. But we are also very aware that it’s only just the beginning of a long journey for
the region.”
Tynan said Southern Cross also wished to thank NZ Post-subsidiary Reachmedia for assisting over the last year by making
the temporary office space available in its Hornby property.
There are around 50,000 Southern Cross members in Christchurch. Southern Cross’ Christchurch office provides business
customers with a range of products and services that include health insurance, activa health accounts and workplace
health and wellness programmes. Working alongside the health insurance sales staff will be case managers for Southern
Cross subsidiary Care Advantage, a third party provider for workplace injury management.
The new office sees the Southern Cross Healthcare presence in Christchurch fully restored. Southern Cross Health Society
is part of the Southern Cross Healthcare Group, which also includes Southern Cross Hospitals.
In the aftermath of the February 2011 earthquake, Southern Cross Hospital on Bealey Avenue was used as an acute triage
centre. Available Southern Cross staff volunteered to assist with surgical assessments and, in some cases, surgery. The
hospital was closed for just two weeks and throughout the past year has been able to help the Canterbury DHB meet its
elective surgery targets.
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About Southern Cross:
Southern Cross Health Society is part of the wider Southern Cross Healthcare Group, which also includes the Southern
Cross Health Trust. The Trust owns Southern Cross Hospitals, Southern Cross Travel Insurance and Southern Cross Primary
Care. While the Society and the Trust share a common brand and not-for-profit philosophy, they are separate businesses
that operate independently.