Siumu
Village on Upolu island
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Siumu Electoral Constituency
History
Known for its fire dancers,[3] a 5-year-old girl from the village demonstrating a siva afi (or fire stick dance) was one of the principal performers at the opening ceremony to the 2007 Pacific Games at Apia Park.[4]
On 5 October 2024 the Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui ran aground and sunk off the coast of Siumu while surveying a nearby reef during a storm.[5][6] The sinking of the Manawanui has polluted the surrounding sea and disrupted the livelihoods of local Samoan villagers, who were unable to fish.[7][8] The Samoan and New Zealand authorities were criticised by local villagers for a lack of compensation and engagement with local communities.[9] This led local villagers to seek financial assistance from the Chinese Embassy in Apia.[10]
On 12 February 2025 the Samoan Government lifted a "precautionary zone" around the wreckage of HMNZS Manawanui following testing by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS). However, a two km prohibition zone around the sunken ship remained in force.[11]
