Niue
Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean, is part of Polynesia, and is predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. As one of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is commonly referred to as "The Rock", which comes from the traditional name "Rock of Polynesia".
Niue's position is inside a triangle drawn between Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands. It is northeast of New Zealand, and northeast of Tonga. Niue's land area is about and its population was 1,689 at the Census in 2022.
The terrain of the island has two noticeable levels. The higher level is made up of a limestone cliff running along the coast, with a plateau in the centre of the island reaching approximately above sea level. The lower level is a coastal terrace approximately 0.5 km wide and about 25–27 metres high, which slopes down and meets the sea in small cliffs. A coral reef surrounds the island; the only major break in the reef is in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi.
Niue is subdivided into 14 villages. Each village has a council that elects its chairperson; they are also electoral districts, and each sends an assemblyperson to the Niue Assembly.
Since Niue is part of the Realm of New Zealand, most diplomatic relations on behalf of Niue are conducted by New Zealand. Niueans are citizens of New Zealand, and Charles III is Niue's head of state in his capacity as King of New Zealand.
Between 90% and 95% of Niuean people live in New Zealand, along with about 70% of the speakers of the Niuean language. Niue is a bilingual country: 30% of the population speak both Niuean and English; 11% speak only English; and 46% speak only Niuean.
Niue is a parliamentary democracy; legislative elections are held every three years. Niue is not a member of the United Nations ; however, UN organisations accept its status as a freely associated state, equivalent to an independent state for the purposes of international law. As such, Niue is a member of some UN specialised agencies, and is invited, along with the other non-UN member state, the Cook Islands, to attend United Nations conferences open to "all states". Niue has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1980.
History
Archaeological evidence suggests that Polynesians from Samoa settled on Niue around. Further settlers arrived from Tonga in the form of a war party in the 16th century, according to Niuean tradition.Until the beginning of the 18th century, Niue appears to have had no national government or national leader; chiefs and heads of families exercised authority over segments of the population. A succession of patu-iki ruled, beginning with Puni-mata. Tui-toga, who reigned from 1875 to 1887, was the first of the country's kings to adopt Christianity.
The first Europeans to sight Niue sailed under Captain James Cook in 1774. Cook made three attempts to land, but the inhabitants refused to grant permission to do so. He named the island "Savage Island" because, as legend has it, the natives who "greeted" him were painted in what appeared to be blood. The substance on their teeth was hulahula, a native red fe'i banana. For the next couple of centuries, Niue was known as "Savage Island" until its original name, "Niue", which translates as "behold the coconut", regained use.
Whaling vessels were some of the most regular visitors to the island in the nineteenth century. The first on record was the Fanny in February 1824. The last known whaler to visit was the Albatross in November 1899.
Religious colonialism
The next documented European visitors represented the London Missionary Society, who arrived on the Messenger of Peace. After many years of trying to land a European missionary, they abducted a Niuean named Nukai Peniamina and trained him as a pastor at the Malua Theological College in Samoa.Peniamina returned in 1846 on the John Williams as a missionary with the help of Toimata Fakafitifonua. He was finally allowed to land in Uluvehi Mutalau after a number of attempts in other villages had failed. The chiefs of Mutalau village allowed him to land and protected him day and night at the fort in Fupiu.
Christianity was first taught to the people of Mutalau before it spread to all the villages. Originally other major villages opposed the introduction of Christianity and had sought to kill Peniamina. The people from the village of Hakupu, although the last village to receive Christianity, came and asked for a "word of God"; hence, their village was renamed "Ha Kupu Atua" meaning "any word of God", or "Hakupu" for short.
In July 1849, Captain John Erskine visited the island in HMS Havannah.
Request for colony status
In 1889, the chiefs and rulers of Niue, in a letter to Queen Victoria, asked her "to stretch out towards us your mighty hand, that Niue may hide herself in it and be safe". After expressing anxiety lest some other nation should take possession of the island, the letter continued: "We leave it with you to do as seems best to you. If you send the flag of Britain that is well; or if you send a Commissioner to reside among us, that will be well". The British did not initially take up the offer. In 1900 a petition by the Cook Islanders asking for annexation included Niue "if possible".In a document dated 19 October 1900, the King and Chiefs of Niue consented to "Queen Victoria taking possession of this island". A despatch to the Secretary of State for the Colonies from the Governor of New Zealand referred to the views expressed by the Chiefs in favour of "annexation" and to this document as "the deed of cession". A British Protectorate was declared, but it remained short-lived. Niue was brought within the boundaries of New Zealand on 11 June 1901 by the same Order and Proclamation as the Cook Islands. The Order limited the islands to which it related by reference to an area in the Pacific described by co-ordinates, and Niue, at 19.02 S., 169.55 W, lies within that area.
Modern period
was established in 1970 and opened to commercial flight passengers in November 1971.The New Zealand Parliament restored self-government in Niue with the 1974 Niue Constitution Act, following the 1974 Niuean constitutional referendum in which Niueans had three options: independence, self-government, or continuation as a New Zealand territory. The majority selected self-government, and Niue's written constitution was promulgated as supreme law. Robert Rex was elected by the Niue Assembly as the first Premier of Niue in 1974, a position he held until his death 18 years later. In 1984, Rex became the first Niuean to receive a knighthood.
In January 2004, Cyclone Heta hit Niue, killing one person and causing extensive damage to the entire island, including wiping out most of the south of the capital, Alofi.
On 7 March 2020, the International Dark-Sky Association announced that Niue had become the first entire country to be designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. On 29 September 2022, President Joe Biden announced that the United States would recognise Niue as a sovereign nation. On 25 September 2023, recognition was declared by President Biden and diplomatic relations were established.
Geography
Niue is a raised coral atoll in the southern Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga. There are three outlying coral reefs within the exclusive economic zone, with no land area:- Beveridge Reef, southeast, submerged atoll drying during low tide, north-south, East-West, total area , no land area, lagoon deep.
- Antiope Reef, northeast, a circular plateau approximately in diameter, with a least depth of.
- Haran Reef, southeast.
Niue is one of the world's largest coral islands. The terrain consists of steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about above sea level. A coral reef surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi. A number of limestone caves occur near the coast.
The island is roughly oval in shape, is close to the settlement of Avatele in the southwest. Most of the population resides close to the west coast, around the capital, and in the northwest.
Geology
Some Niue soils are geochemically very unusual. They are extremely weathered tropical soils, with high levels of iron and aluminium oxides and mercury, and they contain high levels of natural radioactivity, with Thorium-230 and Protactinium-231 heading the decay chains. This distribution of elements is found naturally on very deep seabeds, but the geochemical evidence suggests that the origin of these elements is extreme weathering of coral and brief sea submergence 120,000 years ago. Endothermal upwelling, by which mild volcanic heat draws deep seawater up through the porous coral, almost certainly contributes.No adverse health effects from the radioactivity or the other trace elements have been demonstrated, and calculations show that the level of radioactivity is probably much too low to be detected in the population. These unusual soils are very rich in phosphate, but it is not accessible to plants, being in the very insoluble form of iron phosphate, or crandallite. It is thought that similar radioactive soils may exist on Lifou and Mare near New Caledonia, and Rennell in the Solomon Islands, but no other locations are known.
Climate
The island has a tropical rainforest climate according to the Köppen climate classification with high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year. The wet season runs from November to April, and the dry season runs from May to October.Environment
Niue is attempting to pursue a policy of "green growth". The Niue Island Organic Farmers Association is currently paving way to a Multilateral Environmental Agreement committed to making Niue the world's first fully organic nation by 2020.As of 2012, Niue had one of the highest rates of greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the world, due to the small population of the country. Niue aimed to use 80% renewable energy by 2025. In July 2025, the target was shifted to early 2026.
In July 2009, a solar panel system was installed, injecting about 50 kW into the Niue national power grid. This is nominally 6% of the average 833 kW electricity production. The solar panels are at Niue High School, Niue Power Corporation office, and the Niue Foou Hospital. The EU-funded grid-connected photovoltaic systems are supplied under the REP-5 programme and were installed recently by the Niue Power Corporation on the roofs of the high school and the power station office and on ground-mounted support structures in front of the hospital. They will be monitored and maintained by the NPC.
In 2014, two additional solar power installations were added to the Niue national power grid. One was funded under PALM5 of Japan and is located outside the Tuila power station; so far, only this has battery storage. The second power station is under European Union funding; it is located opposite the Niue International Airport Terminal.
In 2023, the governments of Niue and other island states at risk from climate change launched the "Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific", calling for the phasing out of fossil fuels; a "rapid and just transition" to renewable energy; and a strengthening of environmental law, including introducing the crime of ecocide.
In 2022, Niue declared its entire EEZ to be a marine park, though enforcement of that declaration would be a challenge. The entire Fisheries Division was reported to have only five staff and there were no locally based patrol boats. Enforcement would depend on stronger support from the New Zealand Defence Forces, though its ability to maintain a continuous presence was limited.