New Zealand pays Samoa $6m over grounding of Manawanui

Monday, 6 October 2025

The Government has paid $6 million to Samoa's government as compensation following the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui.

Today marks a year since the ship ran aground on a reef off the south coast of Upolu and then sank.

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the payment, worth 10 million Samoan tala, followed a request from the government in Apia.

He said the two governments continue to work together on decisions around the ship's future, including any possible environmental impacts.

An inquiry released in April found the ship's crew was undertrained and the vessel was not up to the task.

'We recognise the impact the sinking has had on local communities and acknowledge the disruption it caused,' Peters said in a statement.

The Manawanui had been conducting hydrographic surveys of the reef ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting when it ran aground.

There was no one on board who was qualified enough to carry out the hydrographic surveying that the ship was tasked with doing and the ship itself was not cleared for that work, the court of inquiry found.

More to come.