NEW ZEALAND CROSS

The New Zealand Cross, a decoration peculiar to New Zealand and the Second Maori War of 1860–72, ranked in New Zealand next to the Victoria Cross. It is one of the rarest decorations in the world, only 23 having been awarded. Instituted by the Governor of New Zealand by an Order in Council, dated 10 March 1869, it met an urgent need for some decoration equivalent to the Victoria Cross, for which the locally raised forces had been considered ineligible. The Governor, Sir George Bowen, conferred five of the crosses before notifying the Secretary of State for the Colonies of the unprecedented action he had taken. In his dispatch, the Governor pleaded the low morale of the local troops and the need for some tangible form of recognition for bravery in action, which could be awarded immediately and without the inevitable delays should each case be referred to the Home Government for royal approval. The Governor was officially rebuked by the Secretary of State for the Colonies for overstepping the limits of the authority confided to him by the Queen, who was the fountain of all honour. As a number of crosses had already been conferred, Queen Victoria had little option under the circumstances but to ratify the Order in Council, which merely referred to the new award as a “Decorative Distinction” without giving it a name. The title, “New Zealand Cross”, was not adopted for some considerable time. In the intervening period it was vicariously referred to as the New Zealand Cross of Valour, Order of Valour, Order of Merit, Colonial Order of Merit, Order of the Southern Cross, Cross of New Zealand, Colonial Cross, Southern Cross, and Silver Cross. Even after its title had been settled, it was sometimes referred to as the New Zealand Cross or Order of Valour, the latter part of the name no doubt being added to justify the letter “V” used to form a link between the ribbon suspender clasp and the cross.

The institution of the cross can be attributed to the efforts of Colonel G. S. Whitmore who, on 19 November 1868, requested that a sum of money be made available from the Armed Constabulary Reward Fund for the purchase of 20 rosettes and special chevrons to be awarded to members of the Armed Constabulary who distinguished themselves in action and to whom a monetary grant of £5 should be made from the same fund. From this modest request, on behalf of the Armed Constabulary, the idea gradually developed into the New Zealand Cross as instituted. In his letter of 19 November 1868 Whitmore recommended Constable Henare Kepa Te Ahururu for a monetary reward for bravery and, in a further letter dated 14 January 1869, also nominated Constables Benjaman Biddle and Solomon Black for similar awards which they all duly received. These men became the first three upon whom the New Zealand Cross was bestowed.

The decoration could be conferred upon members of the Militia, Volunteers, and Armed Constabulary who, “when serving in the presence of the enemy, shall have performed some signal act of valour or devotion to duty, or who have performed any very intrepid action in the public service, and neither rank, nor long service, nor wounds, nor any other circumstances or condition whatsoever, save merit of conspicuous bravery, shall be held to establish a sufficient claim to the honour”. It was laid down that the decoration should consist of a silver cross with the name of the colony and the name of the recipient engraved thereon, and be suspended from the left breast by a crimson riband. The ribbon, which is 1½ in. wide, is deep crimson, and identical with that of the Victoria Cross. The order also provided for a silver bar to be attached to the riband in the event of a second award, but no such award was ever made.

The order required a Roll of Recipients to be kept with brief descriptions of the acts of valour, and that every inscription on the roll be published in the Government Gazette. The name of any recipient who was convicted of treason, felony, cowardice, or an infamous or disgraceful act, was to be erased forthwith from the roll. Although the first recipient of the cross, a Maori, later deserted, his name was not erased from the roll which was deposited with the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, by the Army Department in 1945.

The New Zealand Cross Endowment Act of 1869 provided for the setting aside of 5,000 acres of land, the revenue from which was to be used to provide pensions for recipients who had become too old or infirm to earn their own livelihood. No action was taken to set aside the land until 1875, when surveys were made of an area of land for this purpose, but it was never proclaimed a reserve. After lengthy discussions, extending over a period of two years, Cabinet decided that the Endowment Act should be repealed and in 1877 the Defence Department was instructed to provide in its annual estimates for a yearly pension of £10 for each recipient as from 1 January 1878.

Designing of the Cross

A Royal Commission was appointed on 12 July 1870 to decide upon a design for the decorative distinction, the selected design being forwarded to England for approval by Queen Victoria in January 1871. On 7 June 1871 the Agent-General of the colony in London was instructed to have 20 crosses made to the approved design, and the work was entrusted to Messrs Phillips Bros. and Son of Cockspur Street, London. The Agent-General, Dr I. E. Featherston (who was later to be awarded the cross), in conjunction with Colonel Whitmore who happened to be in London at the time, authorised various modifications of the design as suggested by the goldsmiths. These included a major change in the shape of the crown and the introduction of a suspender clasp having a V-link that was a direct copy from the Victoria Cross. By the time the Government received notification of the design changes, it was too late to do anything as the crosses were already being struck.

The decoration consists of a silver cross pattée, 1 in. across the limbs, surmounted by a gold crown. In the centre of the cross is “NEW ZEALAND”, surrounded by a gold laurel wreath, and on each limb is a six-pointed star in gold. The reverse of the cross is plain in the centre except for two concentric circles in relief, between which are engraved the recipient's rank, name, and unit. The date of the action is engraved within the inner circle, while some of the crosses also record the place of the action above the date. The silver suspender clasp, ornamented with a sprig of laurel in gold, bears on the lower edge a V-link to which the cross is attached by two gold rings. A two-pronged buckle brooch in gold was provided to attach the decoration to the jacket or coat.

A Royal Commission was appointed on 25 September 1873 to examine a number of recommendations submitted following the award of the first seven crosses, and to make recommendations to the Governor for any further awards. A number of recommendations were rejected on the grounds that the events concerned had taken place prior to the institution of the decoration, and the Commissioners considered that no retrospective authority was contained in the Order in Council. In spite of the fact that the Commissioners were required to report to the Governor within 10 days and a number of recommendations were upheld, no further awards were made for almost two years.

In August 1875 the Governor, on a recommendation forwarded from London by General Sir Trevor Chute, late Imperial General Officer Commanding the Forces in New Zealand, approved of the award of the cross to Dr I. E. Featherston for meritorious and intrepid services rendered in 1865–66. The Governor's action was the subject of considerable discussion in the Legislative Council as some of the members were of the opinion that the General should have recommended Featherston for the Victoria Cross at the time, as he was competent to do so, and not to have waited until the New Zealand Cross was instituted several years later. A special board of officers appointed to review the recommendations of the Commissioners of 1873 reported in April 1876 that all were upheld, as was also the case of some that had been declined by the Commissioners on the grounds that they were time-barred for the award. No doubt this change of view was influenced by the award made to Dr Featherston a few months previously.

Number of Crosses Struck

The dies of the New Zealand Cross had been left in the hands of Phillips the goldsmith who completed an order for a further five crosses in 1886, making a total of 25 struck ostensibly for awards. A few suitably engraved specimens were authorised to be struck for the Royal Mint Museum and eminent medal collectors in England, but the dies passed through two other hands before they were recovered by the Agent-General in 1908. In the intervening years a number of unauthorised specimens were struck, two of which are known to have been engraved so as to appear as the authentic decorations of Constable Black and Trooper Lingard, but are in fact spurious as they do not bear the Phillip's cartouche, and the originals still exist. The Phillip's cartouche was affixed on the reverse of the suspender clasp of the original 20 crosses made in 1871, but was omitted from the five made in 1886. The dies were returned to New Zealand in 1953 and deposited with the Dominion Museum, Wellington.

In 1885 the Premier proposed that the New Zealand Cross be extended for award to those who by outstanding bravery were responsible for saving human life. It was suggested that, to distinguish such awards from the military crosses, the stars be omitted from the cross and the ribbon be of a different colour. This proposal was rejected when it was found that the medal of the Royal Humane Society of Australasia, instituted in 1882, was available for rewarding bravery of this nature.

Although the Order in Council instituting the New Zealand Cross has never been annulled, it is unlikely that it will ever be invoked to make any further awards. Apart from the more general availability of the Victoria Cross since 1881, the various forces upon which the New Zealand Cross could be conferred have all been disbanded, the Armed Constabulary in 1886, and the Militia and the Volunteers in 1911.

New Zealand Crosses, either as genuine awards or specimens, are held by the following museums and notable collections: The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle; The House of Commons, Westminster; The Royal Mint Museum, London; The British Army Medal Office Collection, Droitwich; Dominion Museum, Wellington; Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington; United Services Officers' Club, Wellington; War Memorial Museum, Auckland; Hawke's Bay Museum, Napier; Taranaki Museum, New Plymouth; Otago Museum, Dunedin; Te Awamutu Museum, Te Awamutu; Melbourne Museum, Australia; Los Angeles County Museum, U.S.A.; and the American Numismatic Society's Collection, New York, U.S.A.

List of Recipients

In the ensuing list, recipients are listed in the order in which they appear in the Roll of the New Zealand Cross, and details are recorded in the following order: Rank; Christian and surnames; Unit; Date(s) of the act(s); place(s); and New Zealand Gazette announcement of the award.

1. Constable Henare Kepa Te Ahururu; 1st Div., Armed Constabulary; 7 November 1868; Moturoa; No. 16 of 25 March 1869. He later deserted, but was living at Ruatoki in 1878. Date of death not known.

2. Constable Solomon Black; 1st Div., Armed Constabulary; 8 January 1869; Ngatapa; No. 16 of 25 March 1869. When last heard of he was living in a Glasgow workhouse in 1910 and was then 77 years old.

3. Constable Benjamin Biddle; 1st Div., Armed Constabulary; 8 January 1869; Ngatapa; No. 16 of 25 March 1869. He was the last survivor of the recipients of the N.Z. Cross, and died at Whakatane on 10 March 1933, aged 85 years.

4. Trooper William Lingard; Kai Iwi Cavalry Volunteers; 28 December 1868; Tauranga-ika; No. 31 of 3 June 1869. Died at Wellington in 1922, aged 77 years.

5. Sergeant George (Rowley) Hill; 1st Div., Armed Constabulary; 10 April 1869; Jerusalem Pa; No. 34 of 26 June 1869. He also fought in the Baltic, Crimea, and Indian Mutiny and was awarded two medals by the Royal Humane Society for saving life, one in 1860 and the other in 1896. Tried unsuccessfully to enlist for the South African War at the age of 63. Died in Auckland on 15th February 1930, aged 93 years.

6. Cornet Angus Smith; Bay of Plenty Cavalry Volunteers; 7 June 1869; Opepe; No. 63 of 6 November 1869. Later promoted a captain, he also fought in the Crimea War. Died at Opotiki on 3 April 1902, aged 70 years.

7. Sergeant Arthur Wakefield Carkeek; Armed Constabulary; 8 February 1870; Ohinemutu; No. 36 of 7 July 1870. Died at Otaki on 24 May 1897, aged 54 years.

8. Dr Isaac Earl Featherston; Staff, Native Contingent; 14 January 1866; Otapawa Pa; No. 60 of 28 October 1875. Was a Member of Parliament, 1853–70, and was four times elected Superintendent of Wellington. Appointed Agent-General for New Zealand in London in 1870, where he died on 21 June 1876, aged 63 years.

9. Inspector John Mackintosh Roberts; Armed Constabulary; 7 November 1868; Moturoa; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Appointed the first Officer Commanding the Permanent Militia, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, when that body was formed in 1887 after the disbandment of the Armed Constabulary. Died at Wanganui on 12 October 1928, aged 88 years.

10. Major Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (Kemp); N.Z. Militia (Native Contingent); 7 November 1868, Moturoa; and 13 March 1869, Otauto; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Commanded the Wanganui Native Contingent and received a Sword of Honour from Queen Victoria for his services. Died at Wanganui on 15 April 1898, aged 75 years.

11. Major Ropata Wahawaha; (q.v.) Native Contingent; 5 January 1869; Ngatapa; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. A warrior of renown prior to the First Maori War, he led the Ngati-Porou Native Contingent from 1865 to 1871 and received a Sword of Honour from Queen Victoria for his services. He was a member of the Legislative Council from May 1887 until his death at Gisborne on 1 July 1897, aged 90 years.

12. Captain Francis Joseph Mace; Taranaki Militia; 4 June 1863 at Kaitikara River, 11 March 1864 at Kaitake, and 20 October 1865 at Warea; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Mentioned in dispatches eight times. Died at Oakura on 7 August 1927, aged 90 years.

13. Sub-Inspector George Augustus Preece; Armed Constabulary; 5 January 1869; Ngatapa; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Mentioned in dispatches three times and twice received the special thanks of the Government. Tried to enlist during the First World War in 1914 and again in 1918 when he was 73 years old. Died at Palmerston North on 10 July 1925, aged 80 years.

14. Assistant-Surgeon Samuel Walker; Armed Constabulary; 13 March 1869; Otauto; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Served in 34 engagements against the Maoris. Died at Taupo on 24 December 1880, aged 38 years.

15. Sergeant Christopher Louis Maling; Corps of Guides; 26 February 1868; Tauranga-ika; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Later rose to the rank of Major. His N.Z. Cross is in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. Died at England in February 1917, aged 74 years.

16. Sergeant Richard Shepherd; Armed Constabulary; 13 March 1869; Otauto; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Also served in the Crimean War and in Burma 1855–57. Died at Auckland on 2 November 1913, aged 76 years.

17. Sergeant Samuel Austin; Wanganui Volunteer Contingent; 7 January 1866 at Putahi Pa, and 17 October 1866 at Keteonetea; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Served in the Imperial forces in the First Maori War in 1846–47 and afterwards until 1859. Died at Wanganui on 25 January 1903, aged 74 years.

18. Trooper Antonio Rodriquez de Sardinha; Taranaki Mounted Volunteers; 2 October 1863 at Poutoko, and 11 March 1864 at Kaitake; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Twice mentioned in dispatches. Died at New Plymouth on 12 May 1905, aged 73 years.

19. Private Thomas Adamson; Corps of Guides; 7 May 1869; Ahikereru; No. 27 of 11 May 1876. Took part in 25 engagements against the Maoris. Died at Wanganui on 29 December 1913, aged 67 years.

20. Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas McDonnell; N.Z. Militia; October 1863 at Paparatu, and 7 January 1866 at Putahi Pa; No. 20 of 1 April 1886. Took part in 40 engagements against the Maoris, many times mentioned in dispatches, and wounded four times. Died at Wanganui on 8 November 1899, aged 67 years.

21. Captain Gilbert Mair; N.Z. Militia; 7 February 1870; Rotorua; No. 20 of 1 April 1886. Commanded the Arawa Native Contingent and enjoyed the full rank and status of a chief of the Arawa. Later was native interpreter to the House of Representatives and a Magistrate of the Native Court. Died in the Bay of Plenty on 29 November 1923, aged 80 years.

22. Cornet Harry Charles William Wrigg; Bay of Plenty Cavalry Volunteers; 29 June 1867; Opotiki; No. 18 of 18 March 1898. Died at Auckland on 30 June 1924, aged 82 years.

23. Ensign Henry William Northcroft; Patea Rangers; 2 October 1866 at Pungarehu, and 5 November 1866 at Tirotiro Moana; No. 67 of 7 July 1910. Fought in 49 engagements against the Maoris. He was appointed Chief Justice and Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands in 1912. Died in Auckland in December 1923, aged 79 years.

• Order in Council, New Zealand Cross, 10 March 1869
• The New Zealand Gazette (Various dates as quoted in text)
• Army Records: File N.Z. Cross and Recipients' personal files
• Roll of Recipients of the N.Z. Cross (Turnbull Library)
• NZPD, Vol. XX, (L.C.) 13 Jul 1876 and 27 Jul 1876
• Appendix to Journal of the House of Representatives H. 31 and H. 31A, 1898.

by Capt. Geoffrey Troughear Stagg, F.R.N.S.N.Z., R.N.Z.A. (retired), formerly President of the Royal Numismatic Society of New Zealand, Wellington.