UAS footage of RNZN Divers surveying the area around HMNZS Manawanui on the Southern Coast of Upulo as part of Op Resolution. 25 October 2024 Photo: New Zealand Defence Force
There are calls for greater transparency about what the HMNZS Manawanui was doing before it sank in Samoa last October - including whether the New Zealand warship was performing specific security for King Charles and Queen Camilla.
The Manawanui grounded on the reef off the south coast of Upolu in bad weather on 5 October 2024 before catching fire and sinking. Its 75 crew and passengers were safely rescued.
The Court of Inquiry's final report released on 4 April 2025 found human error and a long list of "deficiencies" grounded the $100 million vessel on the Tafitoala Reef south of Upolu, where it caught fire and sank. Equipment including weapons and ammunition continue to be removed from the vessel as its future hangs in the balance.
The Court of Inquiry's report explains the Royal New Zealand Navy was asked by "CHOGM Command" to conduct "a hydrographic survey of the area in the vicinity of Sinalei whilst en route to Samoa". When it grounded on the Tafitoala Reef, the ship was following orders received from Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand. The report incorrectly calls it the "Sinalei Reef".
Sinalei is the name of the resort which hosted King Charles and Queen Camilla for CHOGM - the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - which began in Samoa 19 days after the Manawanui sank from 25-26 October 2024. The Royals arrived two days before CHOGM began.
Speaking at the release of the court's final report, Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding described the Manawanui's activity on the south coast of Upolu.
Sinalei Reef Resort. Photo: Dominic Godfrey / RNZ Pacific
"So the operation was done in support of CHOGM - a very high-profile security activity on behalf of a nation, so it wasn't just a peace time operation," he said.
"It was done in what we call rapid environmental assessment so we were going in and undertaking something that we had to do a quick turn around of that information so it wasn't a deliberate high grade survey. It was a rapid environmental assessment so it does come with additional complexity and it did have an operational outcome. It's just um you know we we are operating in complex environments.
"It doesn't say that we did everything right and that's what the report indicates and we just need to get after fixing those mistakes and improving."
The report explained the Manawanui was tasked with "conducting the Sinalei survey task" "to survey a defined area of uncharted waters." But Pacific Security Fellow at Victoria University's Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University Iati Iati questions what is meant by "in support of the upcoming CHOGM".
"All we've been told in the report is that it was to support CHOGM. What that means is unclear. I think that needs to be explained. I think it also needs to be explained to the Samoan people, who initiated this. Whether it was just a New Zealand initiative. Whether it was done for CHOGM by the CHOGM committee or whether it was something that involved the Samoa government", Iati said.
"So a lot of the, you know, who was behind this and the what-for questions haven't been answered."
Iati said CHOGM's organising committee includes representatives from Samoa as well as New Zealand.
"But who exactly initiated that additional task which I think is on paragraph 37 of the report after the ship had sailed the extra task was then confirmed. Who initiated that I'm not sure and I think that needs to be explained. Why it was confirmed after the sailing that also needs to be explained.
"In terms of security, I guess the closest we can come to is the fact that you know King Charles was staying on that side and Sinalei Reef. It may have something to do with that but this is just really unclear at the moment and I think all those questions need to be addressed."
The wreck of the Manawanui lies 2.1 nautical miles - 3.89km - from the white sandy beach of the presidential suite at Sinalei Resort where King Charles and Queen Camilla stayed during CHOGM.
Just over the fence from the Royals' island residence, Royal New Zealand Navy divers were coming and going from the sunken vessel in the early days of their recovery operation, and now salvors and the navy continue to work from there.
AUT Law School professor Paul Myburgh said the nature of the work the Manawanui was carrying out when it ran aground on the reef has implications for determining compensation for people impacted by its sinking.
"Historically if it was a naval vessel that was the end of the story. You could never be sued in normal courts about anything that happened onboard a naval vessel. But nowadays of course governmental vessels are often involved in commercial activity as well," he said.
"So we now have what we call the restrictive theory of sovereign immunity which states that if you are involved in commercial or ordinary activity that is non-governmental you are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts, so this is why I've been wanting to get to the bottom of exactly what they were doing.
"Who instructed whom and that sort of thing. And it seems to me that in line with the findings of the report all of this seems to have been done on a very adhoc basis."
RNZ first asked the New Zealand Defence Force detailed questions on Friday, 11 April but it declined to respond.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
