NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

NZSAS fake says he was 'stupid' to pose as elite soldier

David Fisher
By David Fisher
Senior writer·NZ Herald·
1 May, 2017 07:28 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Robert Clark admits that he did not serve in the SAS and he was wrong to have worn the medals and beret

The "wannabe" elite soldier who turned up at an Anzac Day as a NZSAS trooper has admitted he is a fake and has spoken about being a military imposter.

"I was very stupid," Rob Clark, 43, told the Herald. "I'm well aware I may be prosecuted."

He also admitted he had allowed people to think for years he was in the elite military unit when his military record was a few years in the NZ Army in the early 1990s and no postings abroad.

Clark, 43, of Kaukapakapa, was photographed attending the Takapuna Grammar dusk service on Anzac Day with a NZSAS beret, regimental tie and a rack of 15 medals showing service around the world.

He also wore a copy of the United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation - upside down.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The award was presented to those members of the NZSAS serving in Afghanistan from October 2001 to March 2002 for "extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty in action".

But the award was as fake as the image Clark portrayed on Anzac Day.

Clark said the presidential citation was knocked up by a mate during a drunken evening.
The friend had said "he could make them in his basement and produced two on the spot".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He claimed the tie had been given to him years ago and other details around the image he presented at the Anzac Day service were able to be bought online.

Clark claimed it was the first time he had turned up wearing the medals and carrying the beret but admitted he had spent years allowing people to think he had service with the NZSAS.

Clark said: "If you say you're a 'trooper' then people automatically assume you're in the SAS."

Rob Clark, 43, of Kaukapakapa, has admitted he wore medals he hadn't earned and - on the left - an award for bravery given by US President George W Bush. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Rob Clark, 43, of Kaukapakapa, has admitted he wore medals he hadn't earned and - on the left - an award for bravery given by US President George W Bush. Photo / Brett Phibbs

He said the term "trooper" was one people associated with NZSAS soldiers and he had done nothing to clear up the confusion "over the years".

Discover more

New Zealand

How four civilians joined NZ's SAS

02 Jan 04:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

A full guide to SAS raid claims, denials

31 Mar 04:00 PM
New Zealand

Man with SAS medals didn't serve in unit

29 Apr 05:00 PM
New Zealand|politics

Convicted over 'war hero' medals

05 May 05:18 AM

"I've never lied about my service. People have just gained an assumption. You say you're a 'trooper' and people go away and that's when the Chinese whispers start."

He said the medals showing his service had cost around $700 and he had bought them from NZ Medals Ltd, which trades in real and replica medals including offering a service to have them correctly mounted.

Clark claimed he presented himself as a NZSAS soldier as part of an elaborate scheme to expose what he called profiteering from the sale of medals and military equipment online.

He said he had eventually intended to write a book about it.

This was a different story than what he told the

Herald

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

on the weekend - that he was entitled to wear the medals and wasn't "at liberty" to reveal details of his service. He went on to insist he had served with the NZSAS.

The NZSAS beret Rob Clark took to the Takapuna Grammar Anzac Day service. Photo / Brett Phibbs
The NZSAS beret Rob Clark took to the Takapuna Grammar Anzac Day service. Photo / Brett Phibbs

By then, NZDF had confirmed his service record as limited to a few years in the early 1990s with no overseas service.

On Saturday, Clark insisted NZDF's records were wrong.

Yesterday, though, he said he was so upset at the medals trade he decided to appear at the parade wearing them and possibly write a book about it in the future.

However, he admitted he had never tried to address the issue by making a complaint to NZDF, the RSA or any other organisation.

"Some people will judge what I've done as being wrong, but sometimes you have to stand up and take some hits on the chin to prove there are others out there that don't have moral fibre in them."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

NZ Medals Ltd owner Aubrey Bairstow identified 15 medals on the fake rack which covered service from Sinai in 1992 to Afghanistan in 2002. The claimed service between times included the former Yugoslavia, Timor, Solomon Islands and Iraq.

He said he couldn't recall selling the rack but generally tried to be "very careful who we supply them to". Older medals and replicas - often sought after by family of those who served - could be checked against online service records.

"Unfortunately, it's not possible to verify modern service, particularly if they say they'd served with the SAS."

The act of wearing medals which have not been earned is prohibited under the Military Decorations and Distinctive Badges Act 1918. The law says a maximum $500 fine and up to one month in prison can be imposed.

There is only one known conviction under the Act and that was former Otaki Returned and Services Association president Don Moselen, who wore three medals he hadn't earned to Anzac Day parades.

Colin Robertson was one of those who drove the 2012 prosecution and said efforts had been made at the time to have the Minister of Defence update the law. Not only does the NZ law have contradictions in it, Australia and the United Kingdom have adopted higher penalties.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

RSA national president Barry "BJ" Clark said the organisation was planning to ask new Defence Minister Mark Mitchell to improve the law.

"I want to see if we can more clearly have it defined as a criminal offence. I find anyone who does this offensive."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Farmers face new court setback in $365m bypass dispute

03 Jul 11:22 PM
New Zealand

Large police operation in Gate Pā

03 Jul 11:12 PM
Premium
Companies

NZ company linked to UK money-laundering probe

03 Jul 11:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Farmers face new court setback in $365m bypass dispute

Farmers face new court setback in $365m bypass dispute

03 Jul 11:22 PM

The Transport Agency wants to acquire 11ha of the Pascoes' cattle farm compulsorily.

Large police operation in Gate Pā

Large police operation in Gate Pā

03 Jul 11:12 PM
Premium
NZ company linked to UK money-laundering probe

NZ company linked to UK money-laundering probe

03 Jul 11:00 PM
Flooding closes BoP road, over 100mm of rain recorded

Flooding closes BoP road, over 100mm of rain recorded

03 Jul 10:55 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP