Niue's Bouquet For New Zealand

The usual brickbats thrown at colonial powers in the United Nations Trusteeship Committee meetings turned into a bouquet for New Zealand when Niue Island’s Leader of Government Business, Mr Robert Rex, appeared before the committee on November 27.

For more than 70 years, Mr Rex said, New Zealand had “treated us Niueans with kindness, respect, generosity and forebearance”. He and his compatriots were very fortunate people in having a friend in New Zealand.

Mr Rex did throw a brickbat, however, when he said: “Many of my people severely criticise New Zealand and the United Nations for de liberately trying to push Niue into self-government.”

But, he said, for practical reasons of survival in a world getting smaller by the day Niue had voluntarily given up independence to be come part of New Zealand.

They had agreed a formal act of self-determination should be con ducted next July or August. The outcome should lead to a self governing Niue in free association with New Zealand by the end of 1974.

The Niueans were looking forward to receiving a United Nations mission to observe the referendum.

Mr Rex and two other members of the Niue mission Mr Young Vivian, of the executive committee, and Mr Terry Chapman, clerk of the Legislative Assembly, were introduced by NZ Ambassador Malcolm Templeton, who told the committee that “Niue has New Zealand’s assurance that Niueans will remain New Zealand citizens and that economic assistance will continue”.