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Niue gets down to business

From S. L. K. GUEST on Niue After four months of paddling their own canoe, the tiny, self governing nation of Niue, 300 miles north-east of Tonga, has shown its willingness to introduce and accept liberalised social policies which were noticeably lacking when the island was administered by the protective NZ Government Maori and Island Affairs Department.

Within hours of becoming self governing (the official takeover was on October 19) in free association with New Zealand, the Niue Govern ment announced a $2 per week pension scheme for those over 65 years of age. Two weeks later a bill introducing dramatic changes to the liquor laws was put before the Assembly and for the first time islanders could make submissions on a bill before it was made law.

The bill, generally, provides for the lowering of the legal drinking age from 21 to 18; eliminates restrictions on the sale of spirits and provides for a more even distribution of selling points for liquor. At present, the government bond store controls the sale of beer.

In the pipeline are plans to develop the Hanan International Airport so that pure jet aircraft can use the run way, the widening of access channels to the Alofi wharf, the development of tourism—a new 40-bed hotel is due to be opened later this year— and the reticulation of electric power around the 100 square mile island.

Under the leadership of “gentleman politician” Robert R. Rex, a local trader, the new government cabinet comprised of Mr F. F. Lui (Works and Police), Dr Enetama (Justice, Health and Telecommunications), and Mr Young Vivian (Education, Agriculture and Development) is welding itself into an active group keen to see plenty of practical de velopment before the next general election scheduled for early this year.

A major headache facing the young politicians is the dwindling popula tion (total 3,700) which has resulted in the lack of manpower and the slowing down of development within

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the budding limes and passionfruit in dustry.

A pilot scheme set up last July to influence Niuean residents in Auck land to return has had little success.

It is obvious islanders living in New Zealand are not prepared to work for local wages here or live in village settings without power and commodities readily available in New Zealand.

While it certainly has its problems, Niue is in the envious position of having self-government, guaranteed financial and administrative assist ance from the “mother country” and right of free entry into New Zealand.

Last year New Zealand granted 52.3 million to Niue with additional massive grants for power reticulation and development. Many opponents of self-government who feel true self government is economic and financial independence, consider the island government will always be a puppet administration on the end of a very thick string.

Niue enjoys a special kind of re lationship with New Zealand that has resulted in one or two unique features in the island’s new Constitution, Mr Young Vivian told the United Nations Fourth Committee at a sitting in New York recently.

Reporting on the development of self-government in Niue, Mr Vivian said the NZ Government had placed itself under a legal obligation to con tinue to provide the Niuean people with economic support and with ad

ministrative and other forms of assistance.

“As far as I know this is probably the first time a country has under taken, in a Constitution, to give legal guarantees of this nature,” said Mr Vivian.

“I think you will agree that the NZ Government has been most con siderate in agreeing to the demands made by my people for such guaran tees and also for agreeing to allow my people to take complete charge of their own affairs while at the same time remaining New Zealand citizens,” the minister said.

Another distinct feature of Niue’s self-governing arrangements was that the control of government is now effectively in the hands of the islanders.

In some countries, Mr Vivian said, this is only a theory but “in my country it is a given fact that people not only have the control of the government but also maximum par ticipation in government.”

The government was told that Niue’s Constitution could not be changed in any way without the voting population’s participation in a referendum.

To ensure the independence of the Niue Public Service a commission has been established and located in New Zealand, the membership of which includes the chairman of the NZ State Services Commission.

Samoa Switch

Mr Paul Cotton, the New Zealand Consul-General in New York, has been appointed NZ High Com missioner in Western Samoa. He will have a concurrent accreditation to Tonga.