Fa'anānā Efeso Collins widow 'aggrieved' over 'cruel' Coronial process

Fa'anānā Efeso Collins was beloved by his family - a Sāmoan matai, former Green MP and Auckland community leader.

He died on 21 February, 2024 after suffering a cardiac arrest while taking part in a fun run organised by ChildFund.

The findings of a coronial inquiry were released earlier this week and they concluded he died of cardiac arrest.

It was not possible to conclude he would have survived if defibrillation had been applied earlier, the Coroner said, but organisers had taken adequate measures.

"The AED that was obtained and used for Fa'anānā was not one that was included in the event plan, but it was still retrieved, and used, promptly," the Coroner said.

But Vasa Fia Collins told Saturday Morning her family remained devastated and disappointed over the way the Coroner's inquest was handled.

She said the process had been "cruel", and while she was grateful it had occurred, she was hurt that she only had under 24 hours' notice before the findings were released publicly.

"I felt a bit lost, rushed and stuck. It hurt because the team and I have been working for two years, working really hard on our submissions and trying to uncover the truth of what happened on that day."

She felt rushed in trying to come up with a response to what was a long report and she also had to tell her family before she could comment to the media.

"I do feel aggrieved about this part of the process. I don't think there was enough time given to the families of the deceased to really process that information before it went out to the public."

Questions remain, Collins says

Collins said she still had many questions about the response to her husband's collapse. For instance, a doctor on her way to work stopped to offer him assistance.

"That tells me there wasn't a level of preparedness for this type of event."

But Coroner Janet Andrerson earlier said she was not critical of the fact that an ambulance or medical team was not present at the event.

"The event involved a small number of people, over a short time period and the physical activity was not of a particularly dangerous or risky nature," she said.

Collins said she had been shocked when the police told her a defibrillator was obtained from a nearby McDonalds so the Coroner's recommendation that a better emergency response should be in place for future events was some comfort for the family.

However, she wanted an inquest to test the evidence and fully honour her late husband.

It was too "easy and safe" to conclude that he would have died anyway from natural causes, she said.

"For me we really have to scrutinise the evidence of what happened on that day."

She said CCTV showed the debrillator was not used until four minutes after Collins suffered his cardiac arrests so she remained unconvinced that an appropriate emergency response was in place.

"Losing Efeso was hard enough but then having to investigate how he died - that compounded that pain and heartache for me and my family and my team."

She had to relive her husband's final moments "over and over and over again" while listening to witnesses before the coronial inquiry took place.

"I would not wish that on any family."

Mourning your loved one should be enough "and having to do both at the same time has been really tough".

He died among strangers which haunted her.

"I feel so sad. That's why for me the pursuit of truth is important, that's what justice looks like for us. ...My daughters are going to one day ask me how did Daddy die ... there's just so many unanswered questions as a result of this and I can't walk away knowing that we haven't uncovered all of what happened."

Honouring a legacy

Efeso Collins' legacy was the way he lived, the way he loved and cared for people, she said.

"It's one of service, of kindness, he was an amazing leader, orator, charismatic. I cherish those memories."

There had been many acts of remembrance, she said, and she felt blessed to know that many others loved him.

Some days were harder than others and she was still coping with the pain and heartache of her loss.

"I'm grateful that I see pieces of him in our daughters. For me they give me hope so I'm grateful to God for my babies."

Coroner's office responds

Saturday Morning contacted the Coroner's office which said the full findings provided an explanation of the process and reasoning and no request to delay the release of the findings was received.

The event organisers, ChildFund, said it accepted the findings in full, it was relieved to have clarity and the process was complete.

It hoped the process had provided some closure for Collins' widow, its own staff and its partners in the Pacific.