New Zealand and Samoa have reached a compensation agreement stemming from the Manawanui disaster, with Samoa's government set to announce the details imminently.
Monday 6 October marks one year since the navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui ran aground on a reef off the south coast of Upolu and sank. In the time since, village elders have consistently pressed for compensation covering damage to the reef as well as losses to local fishing and tourism.
The settlement details have been left for Samoa's government to disclose. When approached for comment, Defence Minister Judith Collins' office directed questions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. An MFAT spokesperson indicated the ministry would respond on Monday.
Speaking to RNZ Pacific last month, Samoa's former prime minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa described the New Zealand government as having been "very forthcoming" in discussions. "We had to do a survey to advise New Zealand in terms of compensation," she said. "That's more or less finalised, so it's just a matter of beginning to do the implementation."
An inquiry whose findings were released in April concluded that the Manawanui's crew was undertrained and that the vessel was not up to the task.
