I muri tata mai i te toru karaka i te atatū ka pakū mai ngā pohū tākirirangi me ngā pū mīhini a te hoariri ki runga i te pō māmangu ki te taha o tētahi puke o Afghanistan.

I runga i te wharanga o te wahanga runga o te ringaringa i te maramara pohū, me te rere kaha o ana toto, rite tonu te heke o tētahi hōia taitama o SAS, ki te mate me te ora. I mau ia me ōna hoa, ko Willie Apiata tētahi, ki roto i ngā whakawhitinga rere kariri i runga i te tuawhenua piki, heke, piki, heke, i roto nei rātou e pakanga ana.

Ahakoa kāore a Apiata i whara, i te warea ia i te makanga i a ia mai i tōna waka. Kua oti kē te kī a tōna hoa ka taea e ia te oma whakamuri mō te 70 mita te roanga atu ki te whakamaru o te kapa Kiwi matua me ngā āwhina rongoā hei whakaora mai i a ia. Heoi kua kore te pō māmangu, kua pakaru tētahi o ō rātou waka, i te kā tētahi i te ahi, e whakamārama ana i te huarahi kotahi anake hei takahitanga mā ngā hōia ki te wāhi whakamaru.

I te wā e matemate ana tōna hoa, e rērere ana ngā kariri pū mihini ki a rātou katoa ka whakaaro whakatau a Apiata. I mua hāngai tonu i te mura o ngā pū taumaha hoariri, i mua anō i te kanohi o ngā pū tuku kariri whakautu o tōna ake rōpū hōia, ka hikina e ia tōna hoa kua whara ki runga i tōna tuarā, ka tahuri ki te kawe whakarunga atu ki tō rātou papa hōia. E kore e mōhiotia he aha i kore ai ia e whara, e kore hoki tōna hoa e whara anō.

I runga i ētahi kupu a tētahi tangata mātaki pono, “i te nui me te kaha o ngā mea katoa e rere hāngai ana ki a rāua – ngā pohū tākirirangi, kariri pū mihini, me ngā kariri pakupaku. E pahū ana ngā wāhi katoa, ko rāua e takahi ana ki waenganui tonu – e kore mātou e mōhio nā te aha i puta ora mai rāua.”

I muri i te kawenga i te tangata whara ki te wāhi whakamaru, ka kohia e Apiata he kariri māna ka hoki atu ia ki te wāhi o te pakanga. Kua taea e te rōpū hōia te whakahāngai atu kia wikitōria rātou i tēnei pakanga. Rua tekau miniti rātou e pakanga ana, kātahi anō ka hinga te hoariri, e 20 rātou, 12 ngā hōia SAS o Aotearoa – ka oma whakamuri te hoariri, me te rōpū e whai ana i a rātou.

Ki ngā whakaaro o ngā tākuta, mehemea kahore i tuku tere ngā rongoā ki runga i te hōia whara, tērā ka hemo tonu ia. Kua ora pai mai ia i, kei te mahi tahi tonu ki te taha o SAS. I runga i āna mahinga, i whakarerea e Lance Corporal Apiata ngā tikanga uaua mō tōna rōpū ki te rapu oranga mō rāua.

Kua tino rerekē mō ake tonu ngā āhuatanga whakahaere mō Lance Corporal Apiata e 32 ōna tau, i tōna whakataunga pēnei i waenga i ngā raru pakanga o taua pō, e toru tau ki muri.

Kua whakawhiwhia ki a Willie Apiata, he corporal ināianei, te hōnore tino teitei o Aotearoa, te Victoria Cross, mō āna mahinga i te marama o Aperira 2004. Ko te Victoria Cross te whakamōhiotanga o runga rawa mō te whakaputanga tohu toa ki mua o te aroaro o te hoariri, ka taea te hoatu ki ngā mema o ngā rōpū hōia o ngā whenua kei raro i te Kuini o Ingarangi.

Ko te VC a Corporal Apiata he mea tuatahi kua tohua ki ngā mema hōia e mahi tonu ana ki roto i te SAS ki ngā wāhi katoa kei raro i te Kuini.

Ko te tohu nei, i pānuitia i te 2 o Hurae, koia nei te Victoria Cross tuatahi o Aotearoa kua tukuna, koia nei anake te Victoria Cross kua whakawhiwhia ki tētahi tangata o Aotearoa mai i te Pakanga Tuarua. I te tau 1999 i tīmatatia e Aotearoa tōna ake pūnaha whakahōnore, e wehe ana ki tā te pūnaha whakahōnore o Ingarangi, ka whakatūria ōna ake tohu kia kore ai ngā tohu o Ingarangi. Ahakoa he tohu wehe te VC o Aotearoa, he tino rite tonu ki te tohu o te VC o Ingarangi, tāpiri atu ki te hanga mai i ngā maitai pū ōrite o te Pakanga Crimean.

I rongo a Corporal Apiata, e 35 ōna tau, ka riro mai i a ia te tohu nei, i te neke paku atu o te rua tekau mā whā haora i mua o te pānuitanga a te Pirimia, a Helen Clark. I  tēnei kōrero ki te mōtiti noa iho ngā kupu a te hōia reo ngohengohe nei, mō āna mahi, ki te hui pāho i Te Whanganui ā Tara i te 2 o Hurae, engari ki te kī “i te whakatutuki noa iho ahau i taku mahi, me te tiaki i aku hoa”. I taea e ia tētahi katakata paku, engari tōna āhua i te hiahia kē ia ki tētahi wāhi ake o te ao, kaua ki kōnei i mua o ngā kaipāho me ngā kāmera maha.

“I te whakamahi ahau i ngā akoranga ki ahau”

Kei te noho “hoa pai” tonu ia ki te tangata nāna nei tōna oranga i whakamau.

“Ia rā kite ai ahau i a ia. Ka tūtaki māua ki te inu pia, te kōrero, me te hui tahi.”

I roto i tētahi rūma kei muri o te Whare Take Tiaki, e tawhiti ana ki ngā tikanga pāho, kei reira a Willie Apiata e noho tau ana, e kata ana i a ia e kai taka tōtiti ana, me te whakautu i ngā kupu waea pūkoro mutunga kore mai i ngā tāngata kaiawhi.

Kei roto i āna kupu kōrero i te nuinga o ngā wā, ko “cheers bro” me “I’m a bit overwhelmed”.

Kua tata te wā mō tēnei tangata toa whakaiti ki te hoki ki te mahi, me te “haere ki te paku ngaungau poaka” kia tau ai ia  ki te whakaaro kua riro mai nei tēnei tohu rongonui.

“I te whakamahi noa iho ahau i ngā akoranga ki ahau, Koia nei ngā mahi a ngā hoa, tētahi mō tētahi.”