Organisers of event where Efeso Collins died took adequate measures - coroner

A coroner has found that Fa'anānā Efeso Collins died of heart disease, resulting from complications of diabetes, obesity and hypertension.

By Penny Smith of RNZ

The former Green Party MP died in February 2024 after suffering a cardiac arrest at a charity event in Auckland's Britomart.

In her findings, Coroner Janet Anderson noted that deaths due to natural causes were not normally the subject of a coronial inquiry.

However, the former MP's widow, Vasa Fia Collins, had raised concerns about his death, saying that the event's organisers had failed him.

"Questions have been raised by Fa'anānā's family about the planning undertaken for the WaterRun event, the medical coverage in place, and the response after he collapsed. In my view, the steps taken by the WaterRun organisers were adequate, given the nature of the event.

"There was an experienced surf lifesaver on hand, and there were a number of AEDs in the vicinity. The health and safety plan for the event identified the location of two AED devices. There were also a number of other AEDs nearby," Coroner Anderson said.

"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 initial clinical readings obtained by the ambulance crew when they arrived on the scene indicate that the CPR carried out after Fa'anānā collapsed was of good quality."

Anderson said Collins' family history and his known medical conditions placed him at increased risk of cardiac death.

She said resuscitation efforts and the use of defibrillators did not guarantee survival after a heart attack.

Anderson said having an ambulance at the event may have provided a small increase in Collins' chance of survival, but this was not certain.

"While it may have been desirable for an ambulance or emergency medical team to be available at the WaterRun, I am not critical of the fact that one was not present.

"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.

However, the coroner said there were some lessons that could be learnt from Collins' death and important public health messages that needed to be highlighted.

She made several recommendations, including that those responsible for developing health and safety plans for public events consider identifying a specific person whose role it is to obtain an AED device in the event of a cardiac emergency.

The coroner also recommended that members of the community, particularly those who live with heart disease and cardiovascular disease risks factors, encouraged family, friends and colleagues to identify the location of AED devices near their homes, schools and workplaces so they could access one quickly in the event of an emergency.