Two governments, two stories: Sāmoa families caught between Manawanui claims

Safata residents will receive less compensation than first promised for the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui, the Sāmoan government has confirmed.

Each eligible resident will now receive about ST$800 (NZ$500), down from the ST$1100 (NZ$700) originally announced. The change comes as the number of people eligible has grown past what the ST$10 million (NZ$6m) New Zealand settlement can cover at the original rate.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Ale Vena Ale confirmed the reduction in comments to TV1 Sāmoa on Thursday.

"The amount of ST$1100 was originally planned, but now that more people have been added, the amount will be recalculated based on that adjusted number," he said. "It will be about ST$800 per person."

Earlier this month, officials revised the recipient count up to 10,457, from an original estimate of 8,989. The settlement is fixed, so each addition to the list reduces what everyone receives.

The decreased payment has sparked more questions that have hung over the settlement since it was paid: whether more money could follow or that the two governments have given different answers.

Safata communities are questioning the compensation process as the per-person payment is reduced. Photo/Junior S Ami.

When PMN News approached the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) to clarify, the ministry pointed to its December 2025 Official Information Act (OIA) response, which shows the payment was agreed government-to-government through an exchange of letters in May 2025.

MFAT says the agreement settles all issues arising from the sinking between the two governments, except for ongoing work on the wreck and reef assessments. Under the agreement, Sāmoa also undertook not to seek further payment for those resolved matters.

During a visit to Apia in March this year, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called the NZ$6m payment a "full and final settlement." Sāmoa's Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt has called it "the start of New Zealand's compensation for us," telling Parliament this month: "There are ongoing discussions right now, between the heads of government agencies and the government of New Zealand. There isn't just one claim."

Prime Ministers Laaulialeamalietoa and Luxon in Apia in March. Photo/File.

Ale's comments point to one of those claims. He said the ST$10 million was for Safata alone, with the neighbouring district of Siumu treated separately and "discussions happening with the government of New Zealand." That appears to contrast with MFAT's position that the payment resolved all issues between the two governments and that Sāmoa agreed not to seek further payment.

Residents are also questioning how the settlement figure was reached.

Safata resident Lemi Taufao told the Sāmoa Observer many villagers would accept the amount if it had been properly negotiated.

An aerial view of the HMNZS Manawanui wreck site off Tafitoala, Safata, where the sinking reportedly released more than 200,000 litres of diesel. Photo/File.

"If this were the amount requested and agreed to by both sides, then people will accept that," he said. "But residents still want to understand how that figure was reached and whether all the losses suffered by villages were taken into account."

Sina Vaeluaga said the confirmation was likely to renew calls for the negotiations to be made public. "People have been waiting for answers since the ship sank," she said.

Ale told TV1 Sāmoa that payments had begun reaching recipients. "The compensation has already started to be paid out, and some people have already received the money in their accounts." That account has not been independently confirmed, and residents had reported earlier in June that no money had arrived.

Watch (Sāmoan) Ale Vena Ale's comments on the progress of the Manawanui compensation fund.

PMN News asked former Safata II MP Tuia Logoiai Pu'a Leota, who is contesting next month's by-election for the seat, whether any payments had reached the district. He did not respond before publication.

Questions also remain over a separate environmental funding package. In October 2025, Savali News reported that Finance Minister Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molioo said New Zealand was working on an additional ST$14 million (NZ$9m) for coral reef restoration at Tafitoala and other damage. The tranche has not been publicly confirmed since.

PMN News sought comment from the government press office on the per-person amount and number of recipients paid to date, the focus of the Siumu discussions with New Zealand, and the status of the environmental funding. No response had been received by the time of publication.

The Manawanui grounded on the Tafitoala reef in October 2024 and sank the next day. All 75 people on board reached shore safely. According to the Sāmoa Observer, the sinking released more than 200,000 litres of diesel and damaged about 50,000 square metres of reef, and led to a fishing ban that lasted more than five months.

For Safata residents, the immediate reality is simpler: the compensation they were expecting has been reduced, even as New Zealand and Sāmoa continue to differ over whether further compensation is still on the table.