Fa’anānā Efeso Collins was a devoted husband, a loving father, a community leader and a politician. He died on February 21, 2024, after collapsing at a charity event in central Auckland. His wife, Vasa Fia Collins, says unanswered questions around his death are preventing her family from finding closure. On Wednesday, she asked Coroner Janet Anderson for a full, in-person inquest into his death, hoping it would provide the answers her family are desperately seeking.

It has been 399 days since Faʻanānā Efeso Collins died.

His wife, Fia, has been counting.

“His death shattered me to my core. I have never experienced a pain like this before,” Fia said during a case management conference at the Coroners Court.

“It felt as if my heart had been ripped from my chest.”

But the Collins’ family have been unable to hold a headstone unveiling ceremony – a cultural and spiritual part of the grieving process – for Efeso because too many unanswered questions remain about the circumstances of his death, she says.

Faʻanānā Efeso Collins was a community leader and politician. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Efeso was participating in the ChildFund Water Run event near Britomart in Auckland CBD when he collapsed. The event involved a group of Kiwi celebrities racing while carrying two buckets of water to raise funds for communities in the Pacific.

Despite receiving medical treatment, including CPR and defibrillators, Efeso died at the scene, aged 49.

Fia told the court she received conflicting accounts of what happened that day and was concerned the event’s health and safety strategy was insufficient, particularly regarding access to defibrillators.

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“ChildFund had never organised a Water Run race before, this was their first attempt and they failed,” Fia said.

“Someone died at their event and I have real questions about whether Efeso’s death could have been prevented if more care had been taken in the health and safety planning.”

ChildFund NZ’s lawyer Tania Goatley said “everything was done that should have been done” and the charity welcomed the opportunity to clarify perceived discrepancies. Goatley said ChildFund had hired the company Campbell + Co to run the event.

“The guidelines provided for this kind of event were considered, the categorisation of the event was followed, everything was documented.”

Coroner Janet Anderson at the case management conference..Photo / Michael Craig

Fia says she remained determined to understand what happened that morning in February to “the love of my life and my best friend”.

“We usually unveil a headstone a year after someone has passed. Culturally and spiritually, this unveiling signifies a turning point in the grief journey and moment to reflect, honour and celebrate the life of a loved one.

“We cannot do that. I still do not know what happened to Efeso. A dark cloud follows me everywhere I go.”

Fia’s lawyer Dr Max Harris outlined seven matters the family want addressed by an in-person inquest. These included whether there was an avoidable delay in accessing a defibrillator and whether more consideration should have been given to participants’ medical histories.

Fia said these questions “linger and weigh on us, they demand answers”.

“The burden of seeking those answers has fallen on me, adding immense stress to an already unbearable loss. Having an authoritative, in-person coronial inquest would lift that burden, it means I would no longer have to investigate this on my own.

“At the very least, if we could be assured that everything possible had been done to protect and save Efeso, it would bring our family some peace and closure. But what I have heard from recent eye-witnesses, I do not believe that was case, that is why I am here.”

Dr Max Harris (counsel for Vasa Fia Collins). Photo / Michael Craig

She told the court she wished Efeso had been able to die among his friends and family. She had found out Efeso had died through the media while driving into town to pick him up.

“Instead of picking Efeso up as planned, I was now making my way to the mortuary to identify his body.

“It was unthinkable, to be told of my husband’s passing in such a disrespectful and unethical way, through the media, before our family had even been informed.”

Coroner Anderson did not announce a decision on whether there would be a full, in-person inquest into Efeso’s death. She gave the parties one month to submit further information before she sought advice from the medical expert.

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.