The first New Zealand Cross (New Zealand Cross (1869)), instituted in 1869 to recognise gallantry during the New Zealand Wars of 1860 - 1872.
"Kia mate toa" can be translated as "fight unto death" or "be strong in death", and is the motto of the Otago and Southland Regiment of the New Zealand Army.
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Arthur Wakefield Carkeek (1843 – 1897) was a member of the Armed Constabulary in the New Zealand Wars, and was one of only 23 recipients of the New Zealand Cross for gallantry.
Lewis' father, Edwin Gordon Blackmore (1837–1909), an Englishman from Bath, the son of a doctor, had fought as a volunteer in the "Maori Wars" with the Taranaki Rifle Volunteer Corps from 1863 to 1864, and had moved to South Australia and had established himself in Adelaide.
Arthur Carkeek (1843–1897), member of the Armed Constabulary in the New Zealand Wars