Politics
Niue Heading For a Change
Could it be back to New Zealand?
As a 259 square kilometres slab of limestone rock 400 kilometres from anywhere else, the island of Niue is just the place for people who want to feel alone.
The island's remaining population of under 1800 have felt acutely alone since the discarding by Royal Tongan Airlines last March of Niue¹s only jet service, ending a weekly direct air link Niue had with New Zealand.
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Since then Niueans have been dependent on a couple of Royal Tongan flights a week from Nuku¹alofa to Niue, firstly with a 30-seater Brasilia chartered from Fiji and now with Royal Tongan Airlines¹ own aircraft, a Shorts 360, another 30-seater limited to 20 passengers for the Niue service.
After considerable haggling the Tongan airline has agreed to maintain the service provided it is paid a $100 subsidy for each unfilled seat, and gets duty free fuel and other concessions. But Royal Tongan Airlines' capacity, usually absorbed by Niueans travelling to and from New Zealand, is completely inadequate for delivering tourists in the numbers required by Niue's desperate hotel and motel owners.
The only other air service prospect is Air Rarotonga, which is interested in operating a scheduled service from Rarotonga with a Saab 340, but only if it is guaranteed revenue of NZ$15,000 per flight. Niue¹s transport and economic dilemmas bring near the day when the island may give up its condition of virtual independence from New Zealand and reintegrate politically with it, according to the Niue Economic Review.
New Zealand ran Niue from 1901 to 1974 and, since virtual independence arrived in that year, has retained constitutional responsibility for defence and heavily subsidising the Niue budget. New Zealand officials are part of a joint consultative group that is looking at the question of the island¹s future constitutional status.
Since 1974 the number of Niueans resident in New Zealand has climbed to more than 15,000. The steadily dwindling number left at home is approaching a level at which it will be difficult to keep Niue going as a self-governing state.
A constitutional review committee is expected to urge the scrapping of six common roll seats to cut the number of MPs in the Legislative Assembly to 14 members elected by village constituencies.
This move would mean that Premier Sani Lakatani would lose his seat, as would Associate Minister Michael Jackson and four opposition members. According to the Niue Economic Review the government would then become more efficient and effective. Niue would have four constituencies, each with two assembly members and a premier elected from the common roll. The abolition of village seats constituencies would be justified by depopulation since some now have only 10 to 40 voters.
New Zealand is likely to quietly encourage a smaller assembly, since the current 20-member one costs about $NZ400,000 a year.
New Zealand has officially said it would be willing to discuss integration if the Niuean community favoured the change. Amendments to the constitution will need a two-thirds majority from MPs and the support of two-thirds of the electorate in a national referendum. The Niue Economic Review quoted one political observer as saying: "The hard part will be getting the politicians to vote themselves out of office."
