KEY POINTS:
National Party MP Tau Henare has taken the rare step of accusing the Governor-General's office of being politicised as he fumes about the guest list for Corporal Willie Apiata's Victoria Cross investiture.
Prime Minister Helen Clark and other Government ministers attended the event last month but nobody from National, or Corporal Apiata's local Maori Party MP, Te Ururoa Flavell, was invited.
Mr Henare said yesterday a wider invitation list would have been more appropriate for something the whole country was proud of.
It appeared that Governor-General Anand Satyanand had allowed the ceremony to be politicised, Mr Henare claimed.
Corporal Apiata received his Victoria Cross at Government House in Wellington. Among those at the unique event were members of the SAS, Corporal Apiata's family, Helen Clark, Defence Minister Phil Goff and Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia.
Mr Henare said he held off publicly criticising the guest list until now because he did not want to detract from Corporal Apiata's achievement.
"Now he's got it and he's the man, and like my kids say, 'big ups to Willie Apiata'," Mr Henare said.
The Governor-General's office said the investiture had been treated like any other investiture ceremony for New Year and Queen's Birthday Honours.
The only difference was that one honour was being bestowed and it happened to be New Zealand's highest award.
The invitation list was put together by the Honours Secretariat, which is part of the Cabinet Office within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
It consulted the Governor-General, Government House, the Cabinet Office, the Defence Force and the Prime Minister.
Invitations were confined to the Prime Minister and ministers, people with a direct link to Corporal Apiata, people connected to the military, to the Victoria Cross or the events and process that saw the honour awarded.
That ensured the investiture remained at a relatively modest size, the spokesman said.
But Mr Henare did not accept the explanation that normal protocol was used, arguing that the Victoria Cross was anything but normal.
"To have the Governor-General's office spout on in their upper-class manner that it was protocol - there is no protocol for the VC," Mr Henare said.
"When you win the Victoria Cross you're winning it for every person who's ever walked on this earth in New Zealand."
Mr Flavell said last night he was "not fussed" about not being invited. He had enjoyed hugely attending Corporal Apiata's homecoming in Te Kaha this month.
