Ron Mark links Manawanui sinking to diversity policies

New Zealand First candidate Ron Mark stated that the 2024 sinking of HMNZS Manawanui serves as evidence that diversity, equity, and inclusiveness initiatives have gone too far. The vessel went down off the coast of Samoa. Mark made these claims in a social media campaign advertisement released on October 27, 2026.

The advertisement features Mark using the phrase "woke b******t of diversity, equity and inclusiveness." He argues that this cultural shift contributed to the loss of the ship. Commander Yvonne Gray was the captain of the Manawanui at the time of the incident. She has been charged with the loss of the vessel.

Mark, a former defence minister, told RNZ that he found suggestions linking his comments to the vessel's female captain to be appalling. He stated that Gray has a strong defence and that attention should shift toward the men who made specific decisions regarding the ship's operations. Mark cited his own experience serving alongside outstanding female officers who performed with distinction.

He noted that he appointed a woman to a high-level intelligence job at the request of a foreign nation, a role no man had previously held. New Zealand First's defence policy includes a clause protecting female-specific roles when they are operationally advantageous. Mark described the policy as being rooted in meritocracy. He said it is astonishing that people have overlooked this provision.

Mark added that the military needs to restore its warrior ethos. He mentioned that soldiers with man buns do not scare anybody. He asserted that this is not an attack on women, noting that the people he listens to most in his life are women. He argued that making the issue political does a grave disservice to highly professional women in the defence force.

National leader Christopher Luxon was asked if he would rule Mark out of holding the defence portfolio again. Luxon said he did not know why Mark was commenting on the matter since he was not at the table for the review. Luxon rejected the assertion that Mark should be excluded from the role. He described the men and women of the defence force as incredible people who deserve respect. Luxon did not rule out Mark holding the portfolio in the future.