Bill Apiata
Encyclopedia
Bill Henry "Willie" Apiata VC
(born 28 June 1972 in Mangakino
, New Zealand
) is a Corporal
in the New Zealand Special Air Service and the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand
. He received the award on 2 July 2007 for bravery under fire during the Afghanistan conflict
in 2004, after carrying a gravely wounded comrade across a battlefield, under fire, to safety.
Apiata is the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, as opposed to the Victoria Cross
previously awarded. There are no living New Zealand recipients of the (Imperial) Victoria Cross, which was last awarded to a New Zealander for actions in the Second World War. Between 1864 and 1943, 21 members of the New Zealand forces were awarded the Victoria Cross including Captain Charles Upham
, awarded a bar to the Victoria Cross in 1945 for gallantry in Egypt in 1942.
Apiata has donated all of his medals, including his VC, to New Zealand.
In 2008 he succeeded Sir Edmund Hillary
as the "most trusted New Zealander".
, His parents separated, and he has not had contact with his father for several years. His early childhood was spent at Waima
in Northland before the family moved to Te Kaha
when he was seven. He attended Te Whanau-a-Apanui Area School in Te Kaha, which he left at the age of 15.
He enlisted in the New Zealand Army
on 6 October 1989 in the Territorial Force
Hauraki Regiment
of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
. He unsuccessfully attempted to join the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1996. From July 2000 to April 2001 he served in East Timor
as a member of New Zealand's third Battalion Group as part of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
. On his return he became a full-time soldier. His second attempt to join the SAS in November 2001 was successful.
He is separated from his partner, the mother of their son that was born in 2003.
Apiata affiliates to the Ngāpuhi
iwi
(tribe) through his father, but also has a very strong affiliation to Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
(the iwi of his partner) from his time in the eastern Bay of Plenty. Apiata's home marae
are Tukaki Marae at Te Kaha and Ngati Kawa Marae at Oromahoe
, just south of Kerikeri
.
Apiata was re-deployed to Afghanistan with the NZSAS in 2009 when the New Zealand government opted to return troops to that country. Responding in the aftermath of the January 2010 attacks
in Kabul Apiata was photographed by French photojournalist Philip Poupin. Poupin, who did not know Apiata, photographed Apiata and two companions as they were leaving the "thick of the fight" because "They looked like foreign troops and they were tall and had a specific face, they looked tough and strong".
One photo was widely reproduced in New Zealand newspapers, prompting Prime Minister John Key
to publicly acknowledge that Apiata was one of the soldiers depicted. The publication has also reopened the debate on the publication of images identifying New Zealand Special Forces personnel with some concerns that in doing so Apiata may now become a target for insurgents.
) was part of a New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) Troop in Afghanistan
in 2004 which was attacked by about 20 enemy fighters while holed-up for the night in a rocky rural area. Enemy rocket propelled grenade
s destroyed one of the troop's vehicles and immobilised another. This was followed by sustained machine gun and automatic rifle fire from close range.
A grenade explosion blew Apiata off the bonnet of his vehicle, where he had been sleeping. Two other soldiers in or near the vehicle were wounded by shrapnel, one of them seriously (Corporal D). After finding cover, it was seen that Corporal D had life-threatening arterial bleeding and was deteriorating rapidly.
Apiata assumed command of the situation, deciding all three would need to rejoin the troop which was about 70 metres to the rear. Apiata decided his only option was to carry Corporal D to safety, and none of the three were hit during the retreat. After getting Corporal D to shelter, Apiata rejoined the firefight.
The announcement that Apiata was to receive the award was made on 2 July 2007. In part the citation reads:
Three other SAS soldiers also received bravery awards for actions during the same mission. Two received the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration
and one the New Zealand Gallantry Medal
.
, Wellington
. The ceremony was presided over by Anand Satyanand
, the Governor-General of New Zealand
, with the Prime Minister
Helen Clark
, and Apiata's army colleagues, in attendance. A separate homecoming ceremony was held in his home town of Te Kaha.
_ribbon_bar.png)
, 11 November 2007, Apiata was presented with the Badge in Gold, the highest honour awarded by the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association
(RSA).
The award was made in the Gallipoli Room at ANZAC House by the Governor-General Anand Satyanand who also presented him with life membership of the RSA.
Victoria Cross for New Zealand
The Victoria Cross for New Zealand is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the New Zealand Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command, and is presented to the recipient by the...
(born 28 June 1972 in Mangakino
Mangakino
Mangakino is a small town on the banks of the Waikato River in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the hydroelectric power station at Lake Maraetai, southeast of Hamilton. Its population in 2001 was 1257...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) is a Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
in the New Zealand Special Air Service and the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand
Victoria Cross for New Zealand
The Victoria Cross for New Zealand is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the New Zealand Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command, and is presented to the recipient by the...
. He received the award on 2 July 2007 for bravery under fire during the Afghanistan conflict
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in 2004, after carrying a gravely wounded comrade across a battlefield, under fire, to safety.
Apiata is the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand, as opposed to the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
previously awarded. There are no living New Zealand recipients of the (Imperial) Victoria Cross, which was last awarded to a New Zealander for actions in the Second World War. Between 1864 and 1943, 21 members of the New Zealand forces were awarded the Victoria Cross including Captain Charles Upham
Charles Upham
Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham VC and Bar was a New Zealand soldier who earned the Victoria Cross twice during the Second World War: in Crete in May 1941, and at Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in July 1942...
, awarded a bar to the Victoria Cross in 1945 for gallantry in Egypt in 1942.
Apiata has donated all of his medals, including his VC, to New Zealand.
In 2008 he succeeded Sir Edmund Hillary
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE , was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest – see Timeline of climbing Mount Everest...
as the "most trusted New Zealander".
Biography
Third youngest of four children, Apiata has three sisters. His father is Maori and his mother is PakehaPakeha
Pākehā is a Māori language word for New Zealanders who are "of European descent". They are mostly descended from British and to a lesser extent Irish settlers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, although some Pākehā have Dutch, Scandinavian, German, Yugoslav or other ancestry...
, His parents separated, and he has not had contact with his father for several years. His early childhood was spent at Waima
Waima, Northland
Waima is a community in the south Hokianga area of Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 runs through the area. The Waima River flows through the Waima Valley into the Hokianga Harbour. Rawene is to the north west, and Kaikohe is to the north east....
in Northland before the family moved to Te Kaha
Te Kaha
Te Kaha is a small New Zealand community situated in the Bay of Plenty near Opotiki. It has a population of about 375, approximately 70 percent of Māori descent....
when he was seven. He attended Te Whanau-a-Apanui Area School in Te Kaha, which he left at the age of 15.
He enlisted in the New Zealand Army
New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...
on 6 October 1989 in the Territorial Force
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was the volunteer reserve component of the British Army from 1908 to 1920, when it became the Territorial Army.-Origins:...
Hauraki Regiment
Hauraki Regiment
The Hauraki Regiment is a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. The regiment is unique among the TF units in that it has never been amalgamated, and thus can trace its history directly back to its formation in 1898. The regiment was formed as the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Rifle Volunteers...
of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the main combat unit in the regular New Zealand Army. It was formed 9 January 1947 as the New Zealand Regiment with a single infantry battalion as part of the newly created infantry corps....
. He unsuccessfully attempted to join the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1996. From July 2000 to April 2001 he served in East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
as a member of New Zealand's third Battalion Group as part of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor provided an interim civil administration and a peacekeeping mission in the territory of East Timor, from its establishment on October 25, 1999 until its independence on May 20, 2002 following the outcome of the East Timor Special...
. On his return he became a full-time soldier. His second attempt to join the SAS in November 2001 was successful.
He is separated from his partner, the mother of their son that was born in 2003.
Apiata affiliates to the Ngāpuhi
Ngapuhi
Ngāpuhi is a Māori iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand, and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands and Whāngārei.Ngāpuhi has the largest affiliation of any New Zealand iwi, with 122,214 people registered , and formed from 150 hapu, with 55 marae.-Foundations:The founding...
iwi
Iwi
In New Zealand society, iwi form the largest everyday social units in Māori culture. The word iwi means "'peoples' or 'nations'. In "the work of European writers which treat iwi and hapū as parts of a hierarchical structure", it has been used to mean "tribe" , or confederation of tribes,...
(tribe) through his father, but also has a very strong affiliation to Te Whānau-ā-Apanui
Te Whanau-a-Apanui
Te Whānau-ā-Apanui is a Māori iwi located in the eastern Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions of New Zealand's North Island. In 2006, the iwi registered 11,808 members, representing 13 hapu.-Early history:Apanui Ringamutu is the founding ancestor of the iwi...
(the iwi of his partner) from his time in the eastern Bay of Plenty. Apiata's home marae
Marae
A marae malae , malae , is a communal or sacred place which serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies...
are Tukaki Marae at Te Kaha and Ngati Kawa Marae at Oromahoe
Oromahoe
Oromahoe is a locality in Northland, New Zealand. It lies on Highway 10.-Education:Oromahoe School is a coeducational full primary school with a decile rating of 6 and a roll of 58 in 2009. It was established as a mission school in the 1870s, and later became a Native School...
, just south of Kerikeri
Kerikeri
Kerikeri, the largest town in the Northland Region of New Zealand, is a popular tourist destination about three hours drive north of Auckland, and 80 km north of Whangarei...
.
Apiata was re-deployed to Afghanistan with the NZSAS in 2009 when the New Zealand government opted to return troops to that country. Responding in the aftermath of the January 2010 attacks
January 2010 attack in central Kabul
The January 2010 attack in central Kabul was a suicide attack which occurred in central Kabul, Afghanistan on January 18, 2010 when Taliban gunmen attacked the presidential palace and several government buildings. Also a shopping complex and a cinema in the city was targeted by the attackers....
in Kabul Apiata was photographed by French photojournalist Philip Poupin. Poupin, who did not know Apiata, photographed Apiata and two companions as they were leaving the "thick of the fight" because "They looked like foreign troops and they were tall and had a specific face, they looked tough and strong".
One photo was widely reproduced in New Zealand newspapers, prompting Prime Minister John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
to publicly acknowledge that Apiata was one of the soldiers depicted. The publication has also reopened the debate on the publication of images identifying New Zealand Special Forces personnel with some concerns that in doing so Apiata may now become a target for insurgents.
Citation
Apiata (then a Lance CorporalLance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
) was part of a New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) Troop in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
in 2004 which was attacked by about 20 enemy fighters while holed-up for the night in a rocky rural area. Enemy rocket propelled grenade
Rocket propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system which fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable while others are single-use. RPGs, with the exception of...
s destroyed one of the troop's vehicles and immobilised another. This was followed by sustained machine gun and automatic rifle fire from close range.
A grenade explosion blew Apiata off the bonnet of his vehicle, where he had been sleeping. Two other soldiers in or near the vehicle were wounded by shrapnel, one of them seriously (Corporal D). After finding cover, it was seen that Corporal D had life-threatening arterial bleeding and was deteriorating rapidly.
Apiata assumed command of the situation, deciding all three would need to rejoin the troop which was about 70 metres to the rear. Apiata decided his only option was to carry Corporal D to safety, and none of the three were hit during the retreat. After getting Corporal D to shelter, Apiata rejoined the firefight.
The announcement that Apiata was to receive the award was made on 2 July 2007. In part the citation reads:
"In total disregard of his own safety, Lance Corporal Apiata stood up and lifted his comrade bodily. He then carried him across the seventy metres of broken, rocky and fire swept ground, fully exposed in the glare of battle to heavy enemy fire and into the face of returning fire from the main Troop position. That neither he nor his colleague were hit is scarcely possible. Having delivered his wounded companion to relative shelter with the remainder of the patrol, Lance Corporal Apiata re-armed himself and rejoined the fight in counter-attack."
Three other SAS soldiers also received bravery awards for actions during the same mission. Two received the New Zealand Gallantry Decoration
New Zealand Gallantry Decoration
The New Zealand Gallantry Decoration is the third level military decoration of the New Zealand armed forces.It was instituted by Royal Warrant on 20 September 1999 as part of the new indigenous New Zealand Gallantry system...
and one the New Zealand Gallantry Medal
New Zealand Gallantry Medal
The New Zealand Gallantry Medal is the fourth level military decoration of the New Zealand armed forces.It was instituted by Royal Warrant on 20 September 1999 as part of the new indigenous New Zealand Gallantry system...
.
Ceremonies
Official presentation of the medal took place on 26 July 2007 at Government HouseGovernment House, Wellington
Government House in Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand is the principal residence of the Governor-General of New Zealand. It was designed by Claude Paton in the office of John Campbell, Government Architect. Built between 1908 and 1910, the house's grounds total 12 ha, and the house is 4200 m²...
, Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
. The ceremony was presided over by Anand Satyanand
Anand Satyanand
Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ was the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand. He previously worked as a lawyer, judge and ombudsman.-Early life and family:...
, the Governor-General of New Zealand
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
, with the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
, and Apiata's army colleagues, in attendance. A separate homecoming ceremony was held in his home town of Te Kaha.
Medal ribbons
Apiata's medal ribbons, as they would appear on the left breast of a uniform, are:- Top row: The Victoria Cross for New ZealandVictoria Cross for New ZealandThe Victoria Cross for New Zealand is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the New Zealand Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command, and is presented to the recipient by the...
, the New Zealand Operational Service MedalNew Zealand Operational Service MedalThe New Zealand Operational Service Medal is a New Zealand campaign medal for award to New Zealanders who have served on operations since 3 September 1945. The medal was instituted in 2002 to provide specific New Zealand recognition for operational service. It is awarded in addition to any New...
. - Bottom row: The New Zealand East Timor MedalEast Timor MedalThe East Timor Medal is a New Zealand campaign medal, authorised in 2000, for award to New Zealanders who have served in East Timor from the commencement of the New Zealand involvement in June 1999 until 27 April 2006...
, the United Nations Mission in East Timor Medal (UNAMET), the New Zealand General Service Medal for Afghanistan. - Apiata is also entitled to wear the emblem of the US Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation on the right breast of the uniform.
RSA Badge in Gold
On Armistice DayArmistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...
, 11 November 2007, Apiata was presented with the Badge in Gold, the highest honour awarded by the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association
Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association
The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association, often referred to as the Returned Services' Association but best known simply as the RSA, is one of the largest voluntary welfare organisations in New Zealand and one of the oldest ex-service organisations in the world.Wounded soldiers...
(RSA).
The award was made in the Gallipoli Room at ANZAC House by the Governor-General Anand Satyanand who also presented him with life membership of the RSA.
See also
- New Zealand gallantry awardsNew Zealand gallantry awardsPrior to 1999 the New Zealand armed forces received honours of the United Kingdom, including military decorations and campaign medals. Since the end of World War II there have been constant moves towards an independent New Zealand honours system...
- List of New Zealand Victoria Cross recipients