This has resulted in a new system of New Zealand honours, military gallantry and civil bravery awards, and campaign medals.
The level of an award is generally determined by the nature of the incident that has resulted in an act of bravery, the degree of risk to the life of the person performing the act and their personal skills or qualifications relevant to the incident, and whether the actions were taken with disregard for their own safety.
The original New Zealand Cross was instituted by an Order in Council, and later sanctioned by Queen Victoria, in 1869.
In 1895, it was proposed that the New Zealand Cross should be extended to cover acts of bravery by civilians, but this did not eventuate.
[1] All awards bear the inscription "For bravery – mō te māia" on the reverse.