New Zealand’s defence chief has hit out at “misogynistic” criticism directed at the female captain of a navy ship that ran aground and sank off the coast of Samoa.

New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins said on Thursday that “armchair admirals” were promoting the false narrative that the sinking of the vessel was due to the captain’s gender.

“I thought, seriously, in 2024 – what the hell is going on here with people who are sitting there in their armchair operating a keyboard making comments about people that they do not know, about an area they do not know, and they are just vile,” Collins told reporters.

“Where’s a bit of decency?”

Collins said women in uniform had been abused in the street following the loss of the vessel on Sunday.

“This is outrageous behaviour, and New Zealand is not known for this, and we are better than it,” she said.

The HMNZS Manawanui ran aground near the Samoan island of Upolu on Saturday night before catching fire and capsizing. All 75 people on board were evacuated to safety with only minor injuries.

The sinking was the first loss of a New Zealand navy vessel since World War II.

The New Zealand Defence Force has opened an investigation into the cause of the incident.

Collins became New Zealand’s first female defence minister after the centre-right National Party was victorious in last year’s general elections.

In June, Major General Rose King was appointed chief of the country’s army, becoming the first woman to lead a branch of the military.

About 20 percent of New Zealand’s uniformed military personnel are women.

New Zealand is known for its history of promoting gender equality.

The country became the first self-governing jurisdiction to grant women the vote in 1893 and has had three female prime ministers, including Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down in January 2023 after five years in office.