Latest news with #FiameNaomiMata'afa
1News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- 1News
Samoan government says sunken Manawanui wreck will stay where it is
Samoa's Prime Minister says the wreck of the HMNZS Manawauni vessel can stay exactly where it sank after being presented with options regarding the vessel's future. The Royal New Zealand Navy ship ran aground with 75 people on board whilst conducting a hydrographic survey of a reef last October. All those on board managed to be rescued safely. The ship has remained off the coast near Upolu, Samoa since then. Containers and fuel aboard the ship were recovered, but the vessel was not removed. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa told 1News her cabinet were presented with a list of options regarding the wreck. (Source: 1News) Now, after the Samoan government were presented with a list of options regarding the wreck, it has been decided the vessel safe enough to leave where it is. ADVERTISEMENT "Sometimes events just take over... Nature has taken over and it's become, you know, it's already been incorporated into the reef so to speak," said Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa. Samoa's Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa. (Source: 1News) "I mean all the toxic elements have been removed. So it's become an additional part, I suppose, of the reef," she told 1News. 'There's no accountability' - locals Samoan locals from the village of Tafitoala claim they are still living with the consequences of the ship's sinking and say they want the wreck to be taken away. "There's no accountability for what's going on. No compensation, but we lost a lot of things from here," said Tafitoala resident Faga'ilesau Afaaso Saleupu. Tafitoala resident Faga'ilesau Afaaso Saleupu. (Source: 1News) ADVERTISEMENT Local authorities have maintained a 'no-go zone' around the site of the wreck, making it in inaccessible for fishing. "Eighty percent of our people rely on the sea for food. Where are the fishermen going to go now? "We acknowledge what you did by removing the oil and some of the pollutants materials from the wreck, but the wreck is still there-that's not clean," Faga'ilesau said. Village high chief Tuia Pu'a Leota said the boat has "damaged" the village's shores. "Our shores have been damaged, the coral reef has been damaged, the mangroves have been damaged. "All of these damages need to be considered and need to be taken back to their natural status." he said. Tuia, who is standing as a candidate in the country's general elections next month, said he will be "fighting very hard to ensure our district will get a fair compensation." Despite fierce opposition from locals, the Samoan government disagreed - and said they were happy with the cleanup that had been done. New Zealand Defence said they are still completing technical and environmental analysis of the wreck and surrounding area to inform future decisions of both governments.
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
No extended time for Samoa election prep, court rules
The first day of the first sitting of Samoa's parliament for 2025 Photo: Parliament of Samoa Samoa's Supreme Court has ruled against extra time for the Electoral Commission to complete the electoral rolls ahead of an early election. It follows the formal dissolution of its parliament on 3 June in the wake of several months of political uncertainty. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa had said she would call for the dissolution of parliament if Cabinet did not support her government's budget. MPs from both the opposition Human Rights Protection Party and Fiame's former FAST party joined forces to defeat the budget with the final vote coming in 34 against, 16 in support and 2 abstentions. Samoa's Electoral Commissioner said his office has filed an affidavit to the Supreme Court, seeking legal direction and an extra six weeks to complete the electoral roll ahead of an early election. But the court has ruled there will be no extension. More to come.
ABC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Samoa's first woman prime minister loses power
On the program today: The people of Samoa are heading for an early election, after Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa called for the dissolution of parliament. Drama in Fiji as the head of the country's anti-corruption commission, Barbara Malimali is suspended and her deputy sacked as police investigate her appointment. Tonga's King Tupou VI has called for improvements to the country's democratic system. A new parliamentary committee has been set up in Papua New Guinea to protect children who make up 43 per cent of the nation's population. Farmers in PNG are cashing in and spending big as prices for two of the country's main agricultural exports, coffee and cocoa, hit record highs. The minister for women and youth in Kiribati, Ruth Cross Kwansing, says the nation is facing a kava crisis with imports at record levels. Successful applicants of the Pacific Engagement Visa, have started to settle into their new lives in Australia.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Samoa dissolves parliament after leader unable to pass budget
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Samoa's parliament will dissolve on June 3 and the Pacific Island nation will hold an election at an unspecified date, Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa said on Wednesday. Fiame was unable to gain enough support to pass budget legislation in parliament on Monday and said in a statement that she had advised Samoa's head of state, Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, that parliament should be dissolved. A dissolution notice was signed and gazetted on Wednesday. Fiame was elected in 2021, one of the Pacific's few female leaders, and faced a months-long court battle when the incumbent who had held power for two decades disputed the result. Unlike her predecessor, Fiame was sceptical of Chinese investment, and raised the international profile of the nation of 200,000 people by hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting last year. Fiame was expelled from her political party, FAST, in January in a factional dispute.
ABC News
28-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Samoa to hold snap elections amidst fallout between Fiame and FAST party
Samoans are heading for an early election, after Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa called for the dissolution of parliament. The call came after the her government's budget was voted down by a combination of opposition and FAST party MPs. It's another twist in a long running saga that has seen Fiame survive two votes of no confidence earlier in the year. Many however are not surprised that the budget failed to pass through. "Given the way the parliament has operated over the past year, this is not surprising at all," said Samoan human rights scholar and journalist Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson. "We've never been in a stage before where we have three parties to this degree where it does impact the decisions of parliament."
