History was made on Thursday with the first investiture of a Victoria Cross for a New Zealand soldier since World War Two.
Corporal Bill Henry Apiata won the award for extreme bravery while in Afghanistan with the highly secretive SAS.
As he accepted his award from Governor-General Anand Satyanand at Government House, the 35-year-old Apiata said, "It is a very emotional day, and it is very humbling - I feel very proud and honoured to be able to wear this for my country."
Apiata's identity and role within the SAS had been a closely guarded secret.
But now his Victoria Cross investiture has changed that forever - his name, face and military actions are in the country's history books and across all of the nation's media.
"There will be a change in my life, as you can see, but my employment with the SAS will always be there," he says.
At the ceremony the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, said, "We are very proud of you, your family's very proud of you, your country's very proud of you and it's a fine day to be a New Zealander."
Apiata thanked all the New Zealanders who had supported him and sent him messages of congratulations.
"I'm still reading through them all and I will read them all -
they are very heart warming messages and I thank you for all your
support."
Three of Apiata's SAS colleagues also received gallantry
decorations for their part in the same incident, although their
names were not released for security reasons.
They received the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration and the Gallantry medal.
The rescue mission
It was 3.15am one morning in Afghanistan in 2004 when a troop of SAS soldiers came under fire from 20 enemy fighters with machine and rocket propelled grenades.
Apiata was blown off the bonnet of his vehicle in the attack and one of colleagues was seriously injured. Apiata picked up his colleague and carried him 70 metres in what was described as broken, rocky and fire-swept ground under heavy fire. He placed his colleague into safety and then joined the counter attack.
The government says Corporal Apiata showed little regard for his own life when he saved his colleague who would certainly have died from loss of blood otherwise.
Defence Force chief, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, said awards of this nature were a great honour and serve to highlight the calibre of New Zealand Defence Force personnel.
"Today's announcement is an incredibly proud moment for New Zealand, the New Zealand Defence Force and the NZSAS. All four recipients have shown incredible strength of character in adverse conditions and embody the ethos and values of the New Zealand Defence Force. "
Willy Apiata
Thirty-five-year-old Apiata grew up in the tiny town of Te Kaha in Northland, a world away from Afghanistan where he fought against al Qaeda. And while the Nga Puhi descendent has now joined the ranks of New Zealand's elite war heroes, he sees himself as an ordinary person.
Former Defence Chief Bruce Ferguson recommended Apiata be awarded the VC. Current chief General Jerry Mateparae describes Apiata as both an outstanding soldier and a humble man.
"When he was advised that he had won the Victoria Cross he said...'I was only doing my job boss'," says Mateparae.
Other recipients
The first Kiwi military member to win a Victoria Cross was English born Major Charles Heaphy during the New Zealand wars in 1864.
One of the country's most famous recipients was Captain Charles Upham, the only New Zealand combat soldier to have been awarded the Victoria Cross twice.
For a full list of New Zealand Victoria Cross winners click here .
For the story of the Victoria Cross in New Zealand click here , and you can also learn the origins of the Victoria Cross .
