He was one of the highest ranking casualties of the New Zealand Wars when he died on 27 May 1864 from wounds received in an attack earlier in the year on a village at Rangiaowhia.

[1] Nixon spent a number of years in British India with the 39th Regiment, serving in the Coorg War of 1834 and was involved in the Battle of Maharajpore during the Gwalior campaign of 1843.

[1] During his service in British India, Nixon made the acquaintance of Theodore Haultain, a fellow officer of the 39th Regiment who later moved to New Zealand.

He was made a lieutenant colonel in the Auckland Militia and formed the Royal Volunteer Cavalry, which had responsibility for the townships at Otahuhu, Panmure, and Howick.

[1] In 1861, he stood for the House of Representatives as the member for the Franklin electorate, which encompassed most of rural South Auckland, and was duly elected on 28 January.

[7] Immediately prior to the invasion, Governor Grey ordered all Māori living in the South Auckland region to evict the area, or to swear fealty to the Queen.

While leaving for the Waikato, Nixon captured Ihaka Takanini, the paramount chief of Te Ākitai Waiohua and his former neighbour at Māngere.

Possibly influenced by the fact that Cameron was observing events, Nixon's leadership of the attack was reckless and he was shot and severely wounded as he approached a hut.

[8] Cameron was later criticised for the Rangiaowhia attack; it was not a fighting pā and the Kingites considered the action contrary to established conduct of warfare.

[9] There were also accusations that one or more whare to which some Māori had fled during the Rangiaowhia attack were set on fire with them inside and that one man attempting to surrender was shot.

Several compromises had been made in its design and construction; it was now much simpler in appearance and stone from Hobart, in Tasmania, was used instead of being sourced from Oamaru, as originally intended.