The widow of late Green Party MP Fa'anānā Efeso Collins is calling for an inquest into his death, accusing the organisers of the charity event he was attending at the time of failing him.
Fa'anānā Efeso Collins died in February last year after suffering a cardiac arrest at a charity event in Auckland's Britomart.
He, along with other celebrities, had spent the morning racing with water buckets to raise awareness of clean drinking water in the Pacific, for ChildFund.
A case management conference was held on Wednesday, at the Auckland Specialist Courts and Tribunals, to consider whether there should be an inquest.
Vasa Fia Collins told the hearing she had many questions about the circumstances surrounding her husband's death.
Vasa said she does not believe that everything possible was done to protect and save him, and asked that the unanswered questions be addressed with a thorough in-person coronial inquest.
"I've carried this weight, responsibility, silently for 399 days.
"One of the most piercing parts of Efeso's death is knowing that he didn't die amongst family or friends. I wish we had been there to love him, to protect his dignity and wairua the way he deserved and the way he would have done for others.
"At the very least, if we could be assured that everything possible had been done to protect and save Efeso, it would bring our family some peace and closure.
"But from what I have heard from recent eyewitnesses. I do not believe that was the case. That is why I'm here. I'm here today to ask that these unanswered questions be addressed. I ask for your help by conducting a thorough in person inquest.
Vasa Fia Collins speaks to media on Wednesday, after a coronial conference into Fa'anānā Efeso Collins' death. Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Coroner Janet Anderson said there were uncertainties regarding the response to Collins' collapse, stating:
"Essentially there is some uncertainty around whether (a) perhaps where the defibrillator came from, (b) whether the timing we're talking about is two minutes or five minutes.
"I think there's an essential question that's very relevant to my ability to even consider making recommendations or inquiring into some of these issues in more detail about whether, what the significance of those potential time frames are," Anderson said.
Counsel for Vasa Collins, Dr Max Harris, indicated they possess footage and eyewitness statements which may shed light on these uncertainties.
Anderson acknowledged she was not aware that they existed until receiving the submissions.
"So I think it's very important at this point that you and other interested parties have an opportunity to provide me with any further information that addresses these issues that have been identified, then my thoughts are that I would probably seek expert cardiology and resuscitation advice on the relevance of those points, before considering we might go further," Anderson said.
She wanted that information by the end of April.
Photo: NZME/Michael Craig
Counsel for ChildFund NZ, Tania Goatley, said they appreciated the coroner's decision to seek further clarification but were confident all necessary health and safety measures were put in place on the day.
"Although Child Fund had not itself run this particular version of this event prior, it did hire Campbell and Co, which is an extremely experienced event management company, to ensure that everything was done as it should have been," Goatley said.
"We had thought it was clear that in fact what happened on the day was that the chain of command was followed as it should have been. There was a standard protocol in place."
Campbell and Company, the events company who worked with ChildFund on this event, said they did not have anything to add at this point.
In the conference Vasa Collins criticised the charity, arguing: "ChildFund took their eye off health and safety because they assumed the run was harmless.
"Yet medical experts have since advised that carrying 10 litres of water in buckets consistently was neither minimal nor risk free. Especially for someone like Efeso.
"ChildFunds' blase attitude toward the physical demands of the race resulted in too few or no safeguards being put in place," she told the coroner.
On the day Collins died, six celebrities, including Hilary Barry and Dave Letele, competed in a race to support efforts for safe drinking water for Pacific children.
Each participant carried two buckets of water, each containing 5 litres, while having to run or walk 15 laps.
The winner was the one with the most water left at the finish line.
Collins completed the course and at the end stood in a corner where he was then seen to have collapsed.
Photo: RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Collins was elected chairperson of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board in 2013 and became one of two councillors for the Manukau ward on the Auckland Council in 2016.
He was chairperson of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board, a councillor for the Manukau ward, and a recently elected member of Parliament for the Green Party.
As part of Samoan tradition, families typically conduct an unveiling ceremony a year after a loved one's passing.
Vasa Collins expressed her desire to wait until they achieved closure and answers regarding Fa'anānā's death before proceeding with the ceremony.
"I think once we turn a leaf and we have that closure and those answers, then we'll be able to plan for an unveiling and to give him the ma'a (headstone) that he deserves and celebrate his life wholly," she said.
"It is about restoring trust in our institutions, providing cultural and community closure, allowing my family to heal, and ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again. I do not want anyone else to suffer the way my children and I have suffered."
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