Manawanui probe 'being done by the wrong people,' Sāmoan expert says

After an interim report found the sinking of the HMNS Manawanui was due to human error, Sāmoans say they are still looking for better answers on the environmental and economic costs of the disaster.

Details from the interim Court of Inquiry report concerning HMNZS Manawanui were released on Friday, and found the ship was grounded and sank off the coast of Sāmoa due to human error.

The Sāmoan community in both Sāmoa and Aotearoa reacted strongly to the report.

The people of Tafitoala, one of the villages in Safata, have already spoken about how their livelihood have been affected by the Manawanui disaster on 5 October.

A meeting was also scheduled to take place last month in Vaiee, another coastal village in the district, to present their case to the Sāmoan government and suggest that New Zealand should be responsible for compensating them.

Tuia Pu'a Leota, a former Sāmoan MP, said their food supplies in the district are low.

"We really don't know where we are between the two governments. Our government hasn't relayed much information.

"Coming to Christmas, this is a sad story for our district, especially for people who fish every day to provide food and income for their families.

"This is bad news for Christmas for Safata."

Tuia told RNZ Pacific he was not surprised that the outcome of the report was finding a human error.

"I knew from the beginning that this was a human error-caused accident, I am happy that the answer has come to light."

The disaster affected Sāmoan fishing and tourism. Photo: Ministry of Works Transport and Infrastructure Samoa

The Royal New Zealand Navy ship hit a reef on the southern side of Sāmoa while conducting survey operations.

Tuia urged the Sāmoan government to face them with answers they are still waiting for.

The impact of the shipwreck at Tafitoala affects everyone, including the neighbouring district of Si'umu, where King Charles stayed during his visit to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Nanai Dr Iati Iati, a Sāmoan international relations expert, called for an international inquiry last month into the sinking of the Manawanui rather than solely relying on the New Zealand investigation.

The senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington said this has posed significant concerns of environmental and economic repercussions.

"I think it's taken too long, and the investigation in what happened in Sāmoa is being done by the wrong people.

"It should not be up to the party that committed the offence to carry out the investigation."

The communities in Sāmoa are still dealing with the impacts of the ship sinking and cleanup from the October disaster. Photo/Sāmoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority

He was also surprised by Sāmoa's government response to the Manawanui.

He said it was ironic that CHOGM was taking place when one of the ships of its founding members, New Zealand, was leaking that much oil into Sāmoa, yet CHOGM was about marine security.

Mary Afemata, a New Zealand-born Sāmoan, is from Sataoa, a village in the district of Safata.

She said she is concerned for her family back home.

"Thinking of my Aiga back home is distressing during this time, especially with Christmas around the corner, my heart sunk when I read about the news about what's happening back in my district, I want it to be over."

"The direct cause of the grounding has been determined as a series of human errors which meant the ship's autopilot was not disengaged when it should have been," Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said on Friday as the interim findings were released.

New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins said the report was "extremely disappointing".

"I think that New Zealanders can know that it was a terrible day. Fortunately, it wasn't a mess [or] a tragic day. Lives were not lost."

This story was first published by RNZ.