Campaign to get Ruapehu rescue hero the New Zealand Cross

It has been 32 years since Kathleen Kotiro Stewart lost her son. Private David Stewart was just 23 when he died trying to save fellow soldiers from a ferocious blizzard on Mount Ruapehu.

"I heard the newsflash on TV that soldiers were missing," Kathleen recalls. "My heart missed a beat and I knew - I just had a funny feeling that my son was one of them."

Her son was one of 10 soldiers, along with two instructors and a naval rating, who travelled up the North Island's tallest mountain in 1990 for the training exercise.

When the group left the weather was fine, but after a couple of days it turned into a storm. Attempts to find shelter during brief lulls in the wind failed. Eventually it was a matter of digging in, while some of the men went for help. Only seven came down alive.

All accounts of Stewart's actions on the mountain point towards that of a hero. They include giving up his own sleeping bag to help others stay warm, and regularly checking on his fellow soldiers.

"He doesn't care about himself," Kathleen says. "He wanted to save people. That's my son."

Lance Corporal Barry Culloty, now with the Australian Defence Force, was one of the survivors. He says without Stewart and Private Sonny Te Rure (now Tavake), he wouldn't have made it into his survival bag when he began to get hypothermic.

He credits Stewart with saving his life once the snow and ice being dumped on his chest began to hamper his breathing.

"David leaned over, broke his cover, hammered away and got that stuff off my chest so I could breathe," Culloty recalls.

"He did that several times in the night. You can do one thing that is brave, once, and that is pretty significant. But every time he did that, every time he exposed himself to those elements, you are draining your strength."

To this day, the Ruapehu tragedy is the largest loss of life in one event for the 1st Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, which was established in 1947.

It took nine years after the tragedy for the actions of Stewart, Te Rure and another - Private Brendon ​​​​​Burchell - to be formally recognised. All three received the New Zealand Bravery Medal, the fourth-ranked accolade available, out of four.

Now efforts are underway for an upgrade for Stewart.

Retired Army Colonel Bernard Isherwood, who led the court of inquiry into the disaster, is campaigning for him to receive the New Zealand Cross - the highest honour possible, given for acts of great bravery in situations of extreme danger.

"His actions on the mountain meet the criteria," Isherwood says. "Stewart and the rest of the party were effectively abandoned by their two instructors on the last fatal night.

"Private Stewart and Private Te Rure, both private soldiers, who had no training or experience in these conditions, took over the leadership role."

Isherwood says while it has been very difficult to get Stewart's bravery recognised, he has succeeded in getting a meeting with Defence Minister Peeni Henare later this month.

He has also received support from the 1st Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and the New Zealand Army for a dedication ceremony, being held at Linton Army base on Saturday.

The court of inquiry into the tragedy at the time found the instructors were too inexperienced to deal with extreme weather conditions - this was the principal cause of the tragedy.

It also criticised the lack of radio equipment, which could have helped the party call for help once they ran into trouble. It made several recommendations, such as reviewing training practices and how they select staff.

Stewart's actions were praised in the findings too. The inquiry said by leaving his sleeping bag to help others, he knew he was risking his life.

Kathleen says that was the nature of her son.

"He was a daredevil, and I think how he died was the way he wanted to die. That was David."