Niue turned it on for Forum

It was the biggest thing that had ever happened on Niue. With out the new Fale Fono this little island nation’s national assembly, a gift from New Zealand and still being painted on the morning it was officially opened Niue could not have volunteered to host the ninth South Pacific Forum.

About 100 outsiders among them national leaders and two deputies came to Niue. There was no way the island’s only hotel as neat and clean and attractive as it was when it opened about three years ago could accom modate everyone. And, though

security was hardly necessary,

it was somehow fitting its 20 rooms should be reserved (with the odd exception) for leaders

only.

For the supporting officials and the small press contingent much better was in store. They were billeted with families in villages, some at the other side of the island and that’s about as far as you can go on Niue.

More embarrassing, but very touching, was the Niuean cus tom of making a gift to their guests on their departure and that after a week of lavish hospitality (two for those in volved in South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation pre-Forum deliberations).

Never at any stage did any one seem short of transport. ‘Official’ drivers often were senior Niuean public servants.

Hosts laid on their own trans port to supplement the govern ment pool of less than 20 cars, pick-ups and four-wheel drives.

If the national leaders and their delegations thought the pace of both a demanding Forum and a seemingly never ending round of fiafia (feast ing) was exhausting, what must those delicious coconut crabs of Niue have thought about it?

They died literally in their hun dreds to adorn pigs backs and to give a pink glow to table upon table of island wealth.

After the crab in the favour stakes came inimitable Niuean raw fish in lime juice and coco nut milk, chickens probably in their thousands, pigs by the score, beef, reef fish, deep fish, taro (which Ratu Sir Kamisese

Mara of Fiji, using the Fijian

word dalo, described as among the best he has tasted), sweet potato, pumpkin, yams, pas

sionfruit juice, lime juice

(Niuean water). ..

Niue’s Premier Robert Rex and its population of less than 4000 living on their lonely 250 square kilometre island, did it in style. Solomon Islands, next year’s host, can view Niue’s

performance with both opti

mism and trepidation. But, as

Solomon’s representative

Minister for Natural Resources Paul Tovua said as he flew out to Pago Pago: Tf Niue can do it, there is no reason why we should not be able to do it.’