"Betwixt and between” Niue

faces uncertain future

The problems faced by little Niue as a result of its “betwixt and between” constitutional status were eloquently outlined by Niue’s Leader of Government Business, Mr. R. R. Rex.

Niue is a small uplifted coral island 300 miles east of Tonga. One of its more serious problems, the problem of its “disappearing youth”, was recently the subject of a report by the SPC Youth Work Officer, Mr.

Bazinet, which Mr. Rex said was “probably the most important report”

Niue had received from any overseas expert.

He said the report showed that young Niueans saw their future as residents of Auckland, where they would probably become factory workers. They did not feel strongly attached to Niue, and it was pointless Niue pursuing policies of economic and social development unless this trend was taken into account.

The problem facing Niue was to make life there sufficiently attractive to encourage young people to stay, but he was afraid migration figures were proving that Niue’s efforts “were not too successful”. About 3,000 Niueans now lived in NZ compared with 5,300 in Niue, and Mr. Rex predicted the number in NZ would “increase steadily”.

He said: “As more people leave my island, more will want to go, and we are finding already that whole families are migrating to Auckland.

The interesting factor is that my people are migrating at a time when I believe economic and social oppor tunities in Niue are the most en couraging they have ever been. This whole process is, of course, a com pounding one; the better we make life for Niueans in Niue, the easier it becomes for them to migrate to NZ”.

Additionally, youth, which was now getting a modern secondary education, did not see itself as a maker of copra—although the gov ernment had been concentrating its efforts, “as was its duty”, on improv ing the lot of Niueans on the land.

Many other places in the world had a similar problem, but said Mr, Rex, they were highlighted in a small terri tory.

The big question now was to what degree should Niue be developed for those who genuinely saw their future in Niue? What standard of living should be aimed at? How much

money should be put into agricultural development? What educational stan dards should be set?

Mr. Rex said it was becoming clear that these questions could only be fully answered once a decision had been made about the island’s constitutional status.

“At present, we are somewhat betwixt and between,” he said. “We are New Zealanders, we are also Niueans. In legal terms, we are a part of NZ, but in practice, we are an NZ dependency with a large measure of internal self-government.

Some of our people enjoy the Niuean life and seek nothing else; the majority of our young people seem to see their future as being New Zealanders first.”

Mr. Rex said that because of its problems, Niue had decided to look again at its constitutional future and had asked NZ to provide expert advice. Professor Quentin-Baxter would arrive in Niue later this year or early next year (see details and picture, p. 43).

Mr. Rex did not see tourism as being able to solve Niue’s special problems. He said he hoped that Niue’s first airstrip, 5,400 ft and capable of taking turbo-prop aircraft, could be used for interim passenger services from some time in October, but it could not be used for a full commercial air connection with other territories until early 1971, when aeronautical aids and other services were completed.

There was no hotel on Niue but the government intended building a boarding house until private enter prise could build a hotel. All this was being encouraged by a Tourist Board which had been set up earlier in the year, but, he added: “We do not foresee a great future for tourism in Niue but we do hope that some people who want a somewhat dif ferent holiday in the Pacific for a short period—perhaps as part of a wider tour of the area—might like to come to Niue to soak up some of our sun and enjoy our relaxed atmosphere. We would hope that a commercial air service could link us more frequently than our present sea connection with our neighbours in Tonga, the Samoas and Fiji”.