King Charles, and the Manawanui: PM Christopher Luxon gears up for Samoa for Commonwealth Heads of Government trip

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is adamant the saga surrounding the sunken HMNZS Manawanui off the coast of Samoa won’t overshadow this week’s Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Leaders from around the Commonwealth are gathering in Apia for the biannual gathering – this year, for the first time, attended by King Charles.

“[I’m] looking forward to having an opportunity to spend some time with him and getting a sense of what his vision is for the Commonwealth,” Luxon told the Herald ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) trip.

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It will be the Prime Minister’s first time meeting the King – and Luxon has already issued His Majesty and Queen Camilla an “open invitation” to visit New Zealand – but says “it’s really about their schedule, and his health”.

King Charles (left) and Queen Camilla (right) will be in Samoa, where Christopher Luxon is set to meet the King. Photo / AP

Although much of the hype will be around the presence of the King, the shadow of the wreck of the HMNZS Manawanui will loom large over meetings.

The $100 million specialist survey ship hit a reef earlier this month, subsequently sinking off the southern coast of Upolu.

The Government is in the process of salvaging the vessel – but Luxon said the saga won’t overshadow the CHOGM event “at all”.

“The reality is, it [the Manawanui] is not proving to be a burden on Samoa and its delivery of CHOGM at all.

“We have done everything we can to lean in to make sure Samoa has a very successful CHOGM, and the Manawanui piece is compartmentalised very well.”

Environmental groups have raised concerns around the lingering environmental impact of the wreckage.

But Luxon said that has been somewhat limited.

“There is no pollution, there is no damage to marine life, we have contained and mitigated some of the leaking that was coming out of vents and we have removed three containers which were stuck on the reef.”

He said the next step is figuring out how to extract the diesel out of the main tanks of the ship.

That is one of the jobs for the Manawanui Interagency task force, which has set up off the coast of the wreckage.

And that HQ is Luxon’s first stop after his Defence Force plane arrives in the country.

The stricken HMNZS Manawanui with smoke coming from it. Photo / Profile Boats

Meanwhile, as he and his delegation are flying to Apia this morning, the focus of Parliament will also be on Samoa – specifically, Samoans living in New Zealand.

The Samoan Citizenship Bill’s second reading will be debated in the House and is expected to be unanimously supported.

The Green Party bill provides the right to New Zealand citizenship for people were born in Samoa on, or after, May 13, 1924 and before January 1, 1949, and whose citizenship was removed by the 1982 act.

Green MP Teanau Tuiono said the bill is about Pasifika justice, and trying to right a previous wrong.

National had voted against the bill in the first reading but will this morning be voting for the legislation.

Luxon said after some changes to the legislation at the select committee process – regarding the eligibility of citizenship – National is now happy with the proposed law.

In addition to the Manawanui response, the Prime Minister has a fairly weighty diplomatic agenda over the coming days.

This includes a bilateral meeting with UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer later tonight.

Luxon said the pair will discuss how New Zealand and the UK can make the most of their free-trade agreement, as well as how the two countries can work together in the Pacific.

The situations in Ukraine, and the Middle East are also on the agenda – as well as a discussion on how to “deepen and broaden” the bilateral relationship.

As has become somewhat of a theme when it comes to the Prime Minister’s trips overseas, all eyes ahead of his departure will be on his breakdown-prone Defence Force plane.

But Luxon’s confident the 757 will make it to Samoa and back, with no issues.

Asked if he anticipates any issues, he said: “No, it will be fantastic – you don’t have to worry about that, it will be really good”.