Renewed call for NZ Cross
A soldier who died saving others on Mt Ruapehu could yet have his bravery award upgraded to the highest honour, with the new defence minister to consider the matter.
Private David Stewart died trying to save others when a training exercise on Mt Ruapehu in August 1990 went wrong. Six people, including Stewart, died in the freezing conditions.
He was awarded a posthumous New Zealand Bravery medal in 1999, and since then, retired colonel Bernard Isherwood has been pushing to have Stewart recognised with the New Zealand Cross, the highest honour.
Isherwood has always maintained that Stewart meets the criteria and that the award should be upgraded.
The request was denied by then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins last year, because he believed the decision was best made with the information available at the time.
Now with the change of Government, ACT MP Mark Cameron had taken up the case and asked Defence Minister Judith Collins to consider a review of the award upgrade.
A spokesperson for Collins said the minister was seeking further advice on the matter.
Isherwood did not want to comment much at this stage but said he was still pursuing the case.
Isherwood led the inquiry in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and his report from the inquiry contained the most relevant information.
Cameron’s letter to Collins said Stewart selflessly exposed himself to the elements to help others and shared what little protective supplies he had with them, leading to his own death.
It was his view that Stewart’s actions warranted an upgrade to his award, such as the New Zealand Cross “for acts of great bravery in situations of extreme danger”.
Cameron disagreed with the previous Government’s view that decisions about these awards should be made when all relevant information was available.
He said a precedent had been set when Stewart was awarded the New Zealand Bravery Medal nine years after the event, which showed it could happen. “There have been concerns expressed that reviewing the award will draw attention to an avoidable national tragedy and therefore cause embarrassment to the New Zealand Defence Force.”
He said considering an upgrade to the award was the least the Government could do to “uphold the mana of Stewart, his fellow servicemen who were on Mt Ruapehu, and the brave personnel of NZDF.”