Govt can't block Dambuster's medal auction

The last surviving pilot from the Dambusters raid, Les Munro, pictured at the Bomber Command Memorial, London. Photo/file

Experts have told the New Zealand government that it cannot block Kiwi "Dambusters" veteran Les Munro from selling his war medals offshore.

Mr Munro, 95, is the last survivor of the pilots who took off for the attack on German dams, later immortalised in the film The Dam Busters.

The war veteran has put his medals up for auction in the UK to raise money for the upkeep of the Bomber Command Memorial in London that commemorates his comrades who were killed.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage had sought expert advice on whether the medals are covered by the Protected Objects Act 1975, which would mean they required approval for export if sold to a non-New Zealand buyer.

However, following the confirmation of expert opinion, the ministry has now found that they are not covered by the act.

"We have spoken with Mr Munro and were pleased to share this information with him, and to note no further action by the Ministry is required," said David Butts, manager heritage operations for the Ministry for Culture and Heritage."

The ministry last week said it wanted to clarify the situation before the March 25 auction.

"We have assured Mr Munro we respect this decision, and his generosity," Mr Butts said.

"Our finding in no way diminishes our respect for the significance of the medals earned by Mr Munro. These are important taonga in their own right."

Last week, Labour's Defence spokesman Phil Goff joined the calls of RSA national president BJ Clark and others for the government to try and buy the medals from Mr Munro, but still let him achieve his dream of raising around $100,000 - which London auction house Dix Noonan Webb said they could fetch when they go under the hammer.

Mr Munro, one of only two New Zealanders to take part in the World War II raid - the other being the late Leonard Chambers - wants to donate the money to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. The fund is the guardian of the memorial at Green Park in London that commemorates all the 55,573 dead of Bomber Command, including 1679 New Zealanders.