On 24 July 2004, Council passed a motion to adopt the new College crest to replace the twin crests of the former Australian and New Zealand Colleges. Significant features of the Coat of Arms include: The wattle and silver fern representing Australia and New Zealand respectively The supporters - a younger and an older woman The Ankh - Egyptian symbol of generation or enduring life - retained from the RNZCOG coat of arms 'Ab Umbris Ad Lumina Vitae' (‘From Shadows to the Light of Life') - the original motto of the RACOG - retained for its relevancy and beauty.

Past Crests

The Australian Crest

The College Crest was granted on 11 April 1983.

The central feature of the crest is the shield which has four eight-pointed stars (mullets) representing the Natal Star of Bethlehem and the Southern Cross - the two shades of blue represent night and day (i.e. labour and the work of the obstetrician can occur regardless of the hour). The shield is bordered by the flames of the Australian sun.

The helmet above the shield represents the responsibility of the profession and is capped by a coronet indicating Royal patronage, with the Asian Phoenix rising from the flames, representing the birth of the new College. The Phoenix carries the ancient symbol of healing, the green Rod of Aesculapius.

The two supporters - the platypus on the dexter (right) side of the crest and the ubiquitous kangaroo (female) on the sinister (left) side represent Australia. The platypus is unusual, being one of only two monotremes in the world (the other, also in Australia, is the echidna), and the female kangaroo with joey could not be more apt.

The bed of wattle needs no explanation and the motto 'ab umbris ad lumina vitae' - from shadows to the light of life - symbolises not only the emergence of our new College and the work of the obstetrician, but the miracle of birth.

The New Zealand Crest

The New Zealand College Crest was granted on 4 December 1985.

The central feature of the New Zealand crest is the shield. The tau cross with the loop at the centre of the shield is an Ankh, an Egyptian symbol of generation or enduring life. The four five-pointed stars (mullets) encircling the Ankh represent the Southern Cross, a New Zealand national emblem. The arms of the crest bear the sun and the crescent moon.

The supporters on either side of the shield comprise a caucasian woman on the sinister (left) side, bearing an infant in her arms and a Maori woman in a traditional cloak on the dexter (right) side, with a child wrapped in her shawl. The Maori woman's cloak is of the korowai design (ornamented with black thrums) bordered with a taniko pattern (taniko is the term for the top border design).

The two figures stand united on a grassy mound strewn with fronds of the silver fern leaf, a New Zealand national emblem.

The motto 'accipere fidem' means accept the trust.