KEY POINTS:
The Governor-General, the Prime Minister, MPs, members of the armed forces and distinguished guests were there to see a war hero.
However, 4-year-old Barton-Ray Apiata was in no doubt who the tall man in the uniform at the centre of everyone's attention was.
"Dad," Barton-Ray called out as
Corporal Willie Apiata walked into Government House in Wellington.
"He sees me on TV and thinks I am at work," Corporal Apiata said later, as he explained how his son had reacted to his suddenly becoming the country's best-known soldier.
"It's a proud moment every time he calls out to his father."
Yesterday was the culmination of a dizzying three-week journey for Corporal Apiata, who at the start of July was just one of the boys in the Special Air Service.
Then he received news that an act of extreme heroism carried out in Afghanistan in 2004 - when he saved the life of a critically wounded colleague by carrying him to safety while under withering fire - had been regarded as so courageous as to merit his winning the Victoria Cross.
Despite Corporal Apiata's protest that he was only doing his job, yesterday he had the highest award for military bravery pinned on his chest by Governor-General Anand Satyanand.
The simple ceremony saw Corporal Apiata join an elite band of brothers. Only 1356 Victoria Crosses - the Commonwealth's highest military decoration - have been awarded since the order was instituted in 1856 and, of those, 22 men earned their medal serving in the NZ armed forces.
Corporal Apiata became the first Kiwi soldier to earn the decoration since World War II and the first to earn the New Zealand Victoria Cross - a medal instituted in 1995 during a revamp of local honours.
Although there are 13 living VC recipients, Corporal Apiata and British soldier Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry are the only two holders still serving in the military.
"It has been an emotional and humbling experience, right from the Sunday when I first found out," Corporal Apiata said yesterday.
"I just want to say thank you to all the New Zealanders who have supported me and sent me all those messages. I am still reading through them. I will read them all. They are heartwarming messages and I thank you for all your support. It has been an emotional day, very humbling and I feel proud and honoured to be able to wear this for my country."
Prime Minister Helen Clark said seeing Corporal Apiata receive his medal made her proud to be a New Zealander and he had been honoured in a way that paid full tribute to an act of gallantry.
"He could have saved his own life but he elected to save another person's. It is a miracle that both of them weren't killed in the incident.
"It brings a lump to the throat to hear of something like this."
Defence Force chief Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae said news of Corporal Apiata's Victoria Cross had galvanised all three arms of the military.
"I have had tremendous feedback from the sailors, the soldiers and the aviators about the pride they have in Corporal Willie Apiata VC.
"From the Defence Force's point of view, what better recognition can we have of the individual commitment and the collective commitment?" General Mateparae said.
Corporal Apiata said he was honoured to be joining company as distinguished as Lord Bernard Freyberg and double VC winner Charles Upham.
