Technical help

What are the minimum technical requirements?
In order to access and fully use our My Southern Cross services, we recommend the following minimum specifications for your computer’s hardware and software.

If you don’t have one of these supported browser versions, you can download them for free from the Internet – Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari. You will need to choose the correct 128-bit strong encryption version for your operating system.

If you are using a version of Safari less than 5.0.3, you may experience issues viewing My Southern Cross . This is because of an existing issue with versions of Safari less than 5.0.3. We recommend you upgrade your version of Safari to 5.0.3 or higher http://www.apple.com/safari/download/.

*A dial-up Internet connection may mean that you notice some degradation in the performance of My Southern Cross.

If your settings do not meet these minimum requirements, we recommend upgrading the operating system and browser so that you can fully benefit from the use of our Southern Cross website.

Cookies

What is a cookie?
Cookies are small pieces of data, sent to your computer by the Southern Cross web server. We use cookies to help us identify you while you use the Southern Cross website.  

Are cookies bad?
No. A cookie is simply a short piece of data or information which is sent from a website to a web browser when that browser visits the server’s site. The cookie is stored on the user’s machine, but it is not a program and cannot do anything to the machine.

Do I have to allow Southern Cross to send me a cookie?
Yes you do. The Southern Cross cookie uses a unique identifier to ensure that only you can access your membership and policy details once you have signed into the website.

Do I have to enable cookies for ALL websites?
No you don’t. Most browsers allow you to use a “Trusted Sites” option under the security settings tab, to “trust” southerncross.co.nz. Trusting allows you to specify one or more specific websites rather than turning on cookies for all sites.

JavaScript

Do I need JavaScript enable to use the Southern Cross website?
Yes, you do need to use JavaScript to use the full range of features that the Southern Cross site offers.  

Adobe Reader® (PDFs)Do I need Adobe Reader® to use the Southern Cross website?
While you don’t need to use the Adobe Reader® to use the majority of the Southern Cross website, some documents are only available as PDF files and you will need to use either the Adobe Reader® or a compatible programme to view these documents. If you do not have Adobe Reader® installed on your computer, you can download it for free.

Security

We use up-to-date security technology to secure our site:
We take the security of your web site usage and privacy as seriously as the security of our own business. Southern Cross uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 128-bite security, to automatically encrypt and protect all your information. Each of our secure websites has a SSL certificate issued by an industry recognized certificate authority to let you know that the website is genuine and secure. For more information SSL/TLS security, please visit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

We undertake independent security audits of our site:
We take your security and privacy seriously and undertake independent security audits over all Southern Cross websites to minimise any potential risks.

What can you do to protect your privacy?

• Protect your password.
• Check your My Southern Cross portal regularly and report any unauthorised changes.
• Keep Southern Cross notified of any changes to your contact details, including change of address details. To update your details login to the My Southern Cross portal and update your details or contact Southern Cross by phone.
• When disposing of documents containing personal information, ensure they are properly destroyed or shredded.
• Do not include any confidential or sensitive information in emails.
• Be suspicious of telephone calls, emails or letters requesting your PIN or password.
• Do not give strangers personal information about your portal.
• Always visit My Southern Cross by typing www.southerncross.co.nz into the address bar, or by using your bookmarks or favourites.
• If you receive a suspicious email or an email from an unknown or strange sender, consider deleting the email without opening it, and do not open any attachments or follow any links within the email.
• Be cautious when using a computer in public places such as Internet cafes. Check that their anti-virus software and firewalls are up to date. Do not leave the screen idle for long periods or leave the computer unattended at any time.
• Install anti-virus software on your computer, and update the software’s virus definitions frequently.
• Install a personal firewall on your computer.
• Use a reputable Internet Service Provider, and review their policy on spam.