Hei mahi pānui 10-1

Pānuitia te kōrero mō Willie Apiata e whai ake nei, kātahi ka whakautu ai i ngā pātai.

Ko Bill Henry Willie Apiata tōna ingoa, engari ko te ingoa i mōhiotia whānuitia ko Willie, i whānau mai ia i te tau 1972 i Mangakino. Ahakoa nō Ngā Puhi tōna matua, e whai hononga ana ia ki te iwi o Te Whānau-ā-Apanui. Kei raro i whai ake nei, tētehi kōrero mō tāna mahi māia i Āwhenetāna, whakaingoatia ai ki te V.C.

I Āwhenetāna i te tau 2004 i kōkiritia e ngā hoariri, tata ki te rua tekau o rātou, ki te New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS). I taua wā, he kāpara iti noa iho a Willie Apiata, ko ia tētehi o te ope i whakakōkiritia ai. I whiua atu ngā pohū ki te ope nō Aotearoa i te toru karaka i te ata, ā, i pakaru ai tētehi o ō rātou waka, i whakatū ai tētehi atu. Whai rawa atu i ngā pohū, ka puhia e te hoariri i ngā pū mīhini me ngā pū rāiwhara e tata ana ki a rātou. Nā tētehi pohū i pūhi ai a Apiata mai i tōna moenga, te wāhanga o mua i tōna taraka. Kua taotū ōna hoa mahi tokorua mā te matā korara, kotahi e tino taotū ana. Ahakoa, kua puhia e Apiata i tōna taraka, kīhai ia e paku taotū ana, nā tāna kitenga i te āhua o tōna hoa, kua riro i a ia te rangatatiratanga o taua tūāhua. Kāore e roa, ā, kua puhia tonutia e te hoariri, ki tō Apiata whakaaro me oma atu ki te wāhi e haumaru ana, tata ki te whitu tekau mita te tawhiti. Ahakoa te pōrangi o tēnei whakatau, e hari ana a Apiata i tōna hoa mai i te wāhi e puhia ana tae noa ki te wāhi e haumaru ana, ki tō rātou mīharo, kīhai tētehi tangata i paku taotū i taua haerenga. Ā muri i tā rātou taenga pai, ka whakahokia e Apiata ki te wāhi i tīmata ai ki te whawhai.

I whiwhi a Apiata i te V.C nā tōna māia, nā tōna toa hoki i te 2 o Hōngongoi i te tau 2007. He mea motuhake nā te mea ko ia anake i whiwhi ai i tēnei tūmomo taonga e ora tonu ana, ā, kāore tēnei taonga i hoatu anō ki tētehi tangata nō Aotearoa mai i te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao.