View source for Niue

{{Short description|Island country}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Niue
| common_name            = Niue
| native_name            = {{native name|niu|Niuē}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Niue.svg
| image_symbol           = Public Seal of Niue.svg
| symbol_type            = [[Seal of Niue|Seal]]
| motto                  = Atua, Niue Tukulagi (Niuean)
| national_anthem        = {{lang|niu|[[Ko e Iki he Lagi]]|italic=no}} (Niuean)<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012|title=Complete National Anthems of the World: 2013 Edition|url=https://www.eclassical.com/shop/17115/art76/4800276-83a3be-636943100110.pdf|website=www.eclassical.com|access-date=29 August 2025|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915021153/http://www.eclassical.com/shop/17115/art76/4800276-83a3be-636943100110.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><br/>"The Lord in Heaven"<br/>{{lower|0.2em|
[[File:Ko e Iki he Lagi - Anthem of Niue (Instrumental).ogg]]}}
| royal_anthem           = "[[God Save the King]]"
{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:U.S. Navy Band - God Save the King.oga]]}}
| image_map              = Niue on the globe (Polynesia centered).svg
| image_map2             = Niue ISS004.jpg
| map_caption2           = Satellite image of Niue
| capital                = [[Alofi]]
| coordinates            = {{Coord|19|03|14|S|169|55|12|W|type:city_region:NU}}
| largest_settlement     = capital
| largest_settlement_type = largest village
| official_languages     = {{unbulleted list |[[Niuean language|Niuean]] | [[New Zealand English| English]]}}
| ethnic_groups          = {{unbulleted list |68.4% Niuean |5.3% Part-Niuean |29.3% Other}}
| englishmotto           = "God, Niue Eternally"
| demonym                = Niuean
| government_type        = Unitary [[non-partisan democracy|non-partisan]] parliamentary [[constitutional monarchy]]
| leader_title1          = [[List of Niuean monarchs|Monarch]]
| leader_name1           = {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|nameonly=*}}
| leader_title2          = [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Representative of the {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|title=*}}]]{{efn|The {{Monarch of New Zealand, current|title=*}} in right of New Zealand is represented by the Governor-General of New Zealand in relation to Niue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Niue National Strategic Plan 2016–2026 |url=http://www.gov.nu/wb/media/NNSP%202016-2026/Ko%20e%20Tohi%20Fakatokatoka%20Gahua%20ha%20Niue%202016%20-%202026.pdf |publisher=Government of Niue |pages=35 |date=2016 |access-date=14 November 2020 |archive-date=8 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708162818/http://www.gov.nu/wb/media/NNSP%202016-2026/Ko%20e%20Tohi%20Fakatokatoka%20Gahua%20ha%20Niue%202016%20-%202026.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
| leader_name2           = Dame [[Cindy Kiro]]
| leader_title3          = [[Prime Minister of Niue|Prime Minister]]{{efn|The Prime Minister is still referred to as the "[[Premier of Niue]]" in most governmental pages and entities, and retains the title ''Premier'' as an alternate, transitional, or quasi-official name despite the [[2024 Niuean constitutional referendum|recent referendum]].}}
| leader_name3           = [[Dalton Tagelagi]]
| legislature            = [[Niue Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[Associated state]] of New Zealand
| established_event1     = [[Niue Constitution Act|Self-government in free association]] with New Zealand
| established_date1      = 19 October 1974
| established_event2     = Independence in foreign relations recognised by the UN<ref name="legal"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://legal.un.org/repertory/art102/english/rep_supp8_vol6-art102_e_advance.pdf |title=Repertory of Practice – Organs Supplement |publisher=UN |page=10 |issue=8 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019223055/http://legal.un.org/repertory/art102/english/rep_supp8_vol6-art102_e_advance.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2013 }}</ref>
| established_date2      = 1994
| area_km2               = 261.46
| area_rank              = 
| area_sq_mi             = 
| percent_water          = negligible
| population_estimate    = {{UN_Population|Niue}}{{UN_Population|ref}}
| population_census      = 1,681<ref name="2022census"/>
| population_estimate_year = {{UN_Population|Year}}
| population_estimate_rank = not ranked
| population_census_year = 2022
| population_density_km2 = {{#invoke:Math|divide|1620|241.46|precision=2}}
| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- automatically calculated -->
| population_density_rank = not ranked
| GDP_PPP                = $18.7&nbsp;million<ref name="factbook">{{cite book |section-url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/niue/ |section=Niue |title=[[CIA World Factbook]] |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2021
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 220th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = $11,100<ref name="factbook"/>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 140th
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} US$43,000,000<ref>{{cite web |url=https://niue.prism.spc.int/category/economic/ |title=Niue National Accounts estimates |publisher=Niue Statistics Office|website=niue.prism.spc.int |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2021
| Gini                   = <!--number only-->
| Gini_year              = 
| Gini_change            = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref               = 
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = <!--number only-->
| HDI_year               = 
| HDI_change             = <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI_ref                = 
| HDI_rank               = 
| currency               = New Zealand dollar{{Ref label|a|a}}
| currency_code          = NZD
| time_zone              = 
| utc_offset             = −11
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| time_zone_DST          = 
| drives_on              = left
| calling_code           = [[+683]]
| cctld                  = [[.nu]]
| footnote_a             = {{Note|a}} The [[Niue dollar]], [[fixed exchange-rate system|pegged with]] the New Zealand dollar at par, is also official legal tender, although is mainly used for issuing [[coin collecting|collector's coins]] and [[non-circulating legal tender|does not circulate widely]].
}}

'''Niue'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|nj|uː|eɪ|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Niue.wav}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Niue |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001/m-en_nz-msdict-00001-0036228 |access-date=18 February 2022 |website=The New Zealand Oxford Dictionary |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195584516.001.0001 | editor-first1=Tony| editor-last1=Deverson | editor-first2=Graeme| editor-last2=Kennedy |year=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn = 978-0-19-558451-6}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|n|iː|ˈ|juː|eɪ}}; {{langx|niu|Niuē}}}} is a [[Self-governance|self-governing]] [[island country]] in [[associated state|free association]] with [[New Zealand]]. It is situated in the [[South Pacific Ocean]], is part of [[Polynesia]], and is predominantly inhabited by [[Polynesians]]. As one of the world's largest [[coral island]]s, Niue is commonly referred to as "The Rock", which comes from the traditional name "Rock of Polynesia".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/niue/introduction |title=Introducing Niue |website=[[Lonely Planet]] |access-date=24 October 2016 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025052944/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/niue/introduction |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Niue's position is inside a triangle drawn between [[Tonga]], [[Samoa]], and the [[Cook Islands]]. It is {{convert|2400|km|mi}} northeast of New Zealand, and {{convert|604|km}} northeast of Tonga. Niue's land area is about {{convert|261.46|km2|mi2}} and its population was 1,689 at the Census in 2022.

The terrain of the island has two noticeable levels. The higher level is made up of a [[limestone]] cliff running along the coast, with a plateau in the centre of the island reaching approximately {{convert|60|m}} above sea level. The lower level is a coastal terrace approximately 0.5&nbsp;km (0.3 miles) wide and about 25–27 metres (80–90 feet) high, which slopes down and meets the sea in small cliffs. A [[coral reef]] surrounds the island; the only major break in the reef is in the central western coast, close to the capital, [[Alofi]].

Niue is [[list of villages in Niue|subdivided into 14 ''villages'']] (municipalities). Each village has a council that elects its chairperson; they are also electoral districts, and each sends an assemblyperson to the [[Niue Assembly]] (parliament).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paclii.org/nu/legis/num_act/nivco1967321/ |title=Niue Islands Village Council Ordinance 1967 |access-date=28 October 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228174814/http://www.paclii.org/nu/legis/num_act/nivco1967321/ |archive-date=28 December 2016 }}</ref>

Since Niue is part of the [[Realm of New Zealand]], most diplomatic relations on behalf of Niue are conducted by New Zealand. Niueans are citizens of New Zealand, and [[Charles III]] is Niue's [[head of state]] in his capacity as [[King of New Zealand]]. 

Between 90% and 95% of Niuean people live in New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/pacific-peoples/pacific-people-population.aspx |title=QuickStats About Pacific Peoples |publisher=[[Statistics New Zealand]] |year=2006 |access-date=28 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111119141308/http://stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/quickstats-about-a-subject/pacific-peoples/pacific-people-population.aspx |archive-date=19 November 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> along with about 70% of the speakers of the [[Niuean language]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Moseley |editor1-first=Christopher |editor2=R. E. Asher |title=Atlas of the World's Languages |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=1994 |page=100 |isbn=978-0-4150-1925-5}}</ref> Niue is a [[bilingual country]]: 30% of the population speak both Niuean and English; 11% speak only English; and 46% speak only Niuean.

Niue is a [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]]; [[elections in Niue|legislative elections]] are held every three years. Niue is not a member of the [[United Nations]] (UN); however, UN organisations accept its status as a freely associated state, equivalent to an independent state for the purposes of international law.<ref name="legal">{{cite web |url=http://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/publications-archived/2000/pacific-peoples-constitution-report-september-2000/documents/Bibliography.doc |title=Legal Instruments and Documents Relevant to the Relationship Between New Zealand and Six Pacific Nations |publisher=[[New Zealand Ministry of Justice]] |access-date=25 July 2013 |archive-date=29 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429042126/http://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/publications-archived/2000/pacific-peoples-constitution-report-september-2000/documents/Bibliography.doc |url-status=dead }}</ref> As such, Niue is a member of some [[List of specialized agencies of the United Nations|UN specialised agencies]] (such as [[UNESCO]] and the [[WHO]]),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/countries/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040821102654/http://www.who.int/countries/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 August 2004 |title=List of member countries |publisher=[[World Health Organization]]}}</ref> and is invited, along with the other non-UN member state, the [[Cook Islands]], to attend United Nations conferences open to "all states". Niue has been a member of the [[Pacific Community]] since 1980.

==History==
{{Main|History of Niue|British Western Pacific Territories}}
Archaeological evidence suggests that [[Polynesians]] from [[Samoa]] settled on Niue around {{CE|900}}. Further settlers arrived from [[Tonga]] in the form of a war party in the 16th century, according to Niuean tradition.<ref name="brit">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Foster |first=Sophie |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Niue |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |title=Niue |orig-date=First published 20 July 1998 |date=11 July 2025 |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>

Until the beginning of the 18th century, Niue appears to have had no national government or national leader; chiefs and heads of families exercised authority over segments of the population. [[List of Niuean monarchs|A succession of ''patu-iki'' (kings) ruled]], beginning with Puni-mata. Tui-toga, who reigned from 1875 to 1887, was the first of the country's kings to adopt Christianity.<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Stephenson Percy |author-link=Percy Smith (ethnologist) |date=1903 |title=Niue-fekai (or Savage) Island and its People |url=https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/webarchive/20210104000423/http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-SmiNiu.html |location=Wellington |publisher=Whitcombe & Tombs |pages=36-34 |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>

The first Europeans to sight Niue sailed under Captain [[James Cook]] in 1774. Cook made three attempts to land, but the inhabitants refused to grant permission to do so. He named the island "Savage Island" because, as legend has it, the natives who "greeted" him were painted in what appeared to be blood. The substance on their teeth was hulahula, a native red [[fe'i banana]].<ref>{{Cite book |first=Anthony |last=Horowitz |title=Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before |year=2002 |chapter=8}}</ref> For the next couple of centuries, Niue was known as "Savage Island" until its original name, "Niue", which translates as "behold the coconut",<ref name=independent>{{cite news |first=Kathy |last=Marks |title= World's smallest state aims to become the first smoke-free paradise island |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/worlds-smallest-state-aims-to-become-the-first-smokefree-paradise-island-862977.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/worlds-smallest-state-aims-to-become-the-first-smokefree-paradise-island-862977.html |archive-date=21 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[The Independent]] |date=9 July 2008 |access-date=21 July 2008 |location=London}}</ref> regained use.

Whaling vessels were some of the most regular visitors to the island in the nineteenth century. The first on record was the ''Fanny'' in February 1824. The last known whaler to visit was the ''Albatross'' in November 1899.<ref>{{cite book |last=Langdon |first=Robert |date=1984 |title=Where the whalers went: an index to the Pacific ports visited by American whalers (and some other ships) in the 19th century |location=Canberra |publisher=Pacific Manuscripts Bureau |pages=192-193 |isbn=0-8678-4471-X}}</ref>

===Religious colonialism===
The next documented European visitors represented the [[London Missionary Society]], who arrived on the ''Messenger of Peace''. After many years of trying to land a European missionary, they abducted a Niuean named [[Nukai Peniamina]] and trained him as a pastor at the [[Malua]] Theological College in Samoa.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor1-last=Juergensmeyer |editor1-first=Mark |editor2-last=Roof |editor2-first=Wade C.|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Global Religion |title=Nukai Peniamina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ |date=18 October 2011 |publisher=Sage Publishing|isbn=978-1-4522-6656-5|page=925}}</ref>

Peniamina returned in 1846 on the ''[[John Williams (ship)|John Williams]]'' as a missionary with the help of Toimata Fakafitifonua. He was finally allowed to land in Uluvehi [[Mutalau]] after a number of attempts in other villages had failed. The chiefs of Mutalau village allowed him to land and protected him day and night at the fort in Fupiu.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://niuepocketguide.com/a-brief-history-of-niue/ |title=A Brief History of Niue |date=14 July 2023 |publisher=Niue Pocket Guide |access-date=19 December 2023}}</ref>

Christianity was first taught to the people of [[Mutalau]] before it spread to all the villages.<ref name="loeb">{{cite book |last=Loeb |first=Edwin M. |date=1926 |title=History and Traditions of Niue |url=https://archive.org/details/historytradition0000unse/ |location=Honolulu, Hawaii |publisher=Bernice P. Bishop Museum |oclc=5251439}}</ref>{{rp|34}} Originally other major villages opposed the introduction of Christianity and had sought to kill Peniamina.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} The people from the village of Hakupu, although the last village to receive Christianity, came and asked for a "word of God"; hence, their village was renamed "Ha Kupu Atua" meaning "any word of God", or "Hakupu" for short.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

In July 1849, [[John Erskine (Royal Navy officer)|Captain John Erskine]] visited the island in [[HMS Havannah (1811)|HMS ''Havannah'']].<ref name="Oct1853">{{cite web |title=The Church Missionary Gleaner, October 1853 |work=Savage Island |access-date=18 October 2015 |url=http://www.churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Images/CMS_OX_Gleaner_1853_10/5 |publisher=[[Adam Matthew Digital]] |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===Request for colony status===
[[File:Richard Seddon and the King of Niue.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister of New Zealand [[Richard Seddon]] and the [[Patu-iki]] (King) of Niue, [[Togia-Pulu-toaki]], {{circa|1900}}.]]

In 1889, the chiefs and rulers of Niue, in a letter to [[Queen Victoria]], asked her "to stretch out towards us your mighty hand, that Niue may hide herself in it and be safe".<ref name="Colonial Law">{{cite book |last=Roberts-Wray |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Roberts-Wray |date=1966 |title=Commonwealth and Colonial Law |url=https://archive.org/details/commonwealthcolo0000sirk |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Stevens & Sons |page=897 |isbn= |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref> After expressing anxiety lest some other nation should take possession of the island, the letter continued: "We leave it with you to do as seems best to you. If you send the flag of Britain that is well; or if you send a Commissioner to reside among us, that will be well".<ref name="Colonial Law"/> The British did not initially take up the offer. In 1900 a petition by the Cook Islanders asking for annexation included Niue "if possible".<ref name="Colonial Law"/>

In a document dated 19 October 1900, the King and Chiefs of Niue consented to "Queen Victoria taking possession of this island". A despatch to the [[Secretary of State for the Colonies]] from the [[Governor of New Zealand]] referred to the views expressed by the Chiefs in favour of "annexation" and to this document as "the deed of cession". A British Protectorate was declared, but it remained short-lived. Niue was brought within the boundaries of New Zealand on 11 June 1901 by the same Order and Proclamation as the Cook Islands. The Order limited the islands to which it related by reference to an area in the Pacific described by co-ordinates, and Niue, at 19.02 S., 169.55 W, lies within that area.<ref name="Colonial Law"/>

===Modern period===
[[File:Niue2022OSM.png|thumb|250px|Detailed map of Niue]]

[[Niue International Airport]] was established in 1970 and opened to commercial flight passengers in November 1971.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19701202.2.190 |title=Isolation Ends |work=The Press |page=28 |date=2 December 1970 |access-date=29 August 2025 |via=Papers Past}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19711127.2.103 |title=Russia has more subs |work=The Press |page=15 |date=27 November 1971 |access-date=29 August 2025 |via=Papers Past}}</ref>

The [[New Zealand Parliament]] restored self-government in Niue with the 1974 [[Niue Constitution Act 1974 (NZ)|Niue Constitution Act]], following the [[1974 Niuean constitutional referendum]] in which Niueans had three options: independence, self-government, or continuation as a New Zealand territory. The majority selected self-government, and Niue's written constitution<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paclii.org/nu/legis/num_act/ca1974188/index.html |title=Niue Constitution Act 1974 |publisher=Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> was promulgated as supreme law.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} [[Robert Rex]] was elected by the [[Niue Assembly]] as the first [[Premier of Niue]] in 1974, a position he held until his death 18 years later.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bain |first=Kenneth |date=16 December 1992 |title=Obituary: Sir Robert Rex |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-sir-robert-rex-1563769.html |work=[[The Independent]] |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=1977 |title=Interview with Sir Robert Rex |url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/35843060 |publisher=[[National Library of New Zealand]] |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref> In 1984, Rex became the first Niuean to receive a knighthood.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 June 2022 |title=Sir Collin Tukuitonga: the newest Niuean Knight |url=https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2022/06/06/sir-collin-tukuitonga--the-newest-niuean-knight.html |publisher=[[University of Auckland]] |department=Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref>

In January 2004, [[Cyclone Heta]] hit Niue, killing one person and causing extensive damage to the entire island, including wiping out most of the south of the capital, Alofi.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/146866/niue-mourns-the-death-of-a-young-woman |title=Niue mourns the death of a young woman |date=8 January 2004 |access-date=20 January 2024 |website=[[Radio New Zealand]]}}</ref>

On 7 March 2020, the [[International Dark-Sky Association]] announced that Niue had become the first entire country to be designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.darksky.org/niue-is-worlds-first-country-to-become-a-dark-sky-place/ |title=Niue is World's First Country to Become a Dark Sky Place |date= 7 March 2020 |publisher=International Dark Sky Association |access-date=9 March 2020}}</ref> On 29 September 2022, President [[Joe Biden]] announced that the United States would recognise Niue as a sovereign nation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 September 2022 |title=Remarks by President Biden at the U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit |url=https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/09/29/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-u-s-pacific-island-country-summit/ |access-date=2 October 2022 |publisher=[[The White House]] |language=en-US}}</ref> On 25 September 2023, recognition was declared by President Biden and diplomatic relations were established.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/365589 |title=Statement on the Recognition of Niue and the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations |date=25 September 2023 |publisher=The American Presidency Project |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Niue}}
{{See also|List of villages in Niue}}
[[File:Limu Pools towards rock arch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Natural stone arch at the [[Limu Pools]] along the coast of Niue]]

Niue is a {{Convert|261.46|km2|abbr=on|adj=on}} [[raised coral atoll]] in the southern Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga.<ref name="Jacobson">Jacobson G, Hill PJ (1980) Hydrogeology of a raised coral atoll, Niue Island, South Pacific Ocean. ''Journal of Australian Geology and Geophysics'', '''5''' 271–278.</ref> There are three outlying [[coral]] [[reef]]s within the [[exclusive economic zone]], with no land area:
#[[Beveridge Reef]], {{Convert|240|km|abbr=on}} southeast, submerged [[atoll]] drying during low tide, {{Convert|9.5|km|abbr=on}} north-south, {{Convert|7.5|km|abbr=on}} East-West, total area&nbsp;{{Convert|56|km2|abbr=on}}, no land area, lagoon {{Convert|11|m}} deep.
#Antiope Reef, {{Convert|180|km|abbr=on}} northeast, a circular plateau approximately {{Convert|400|m}} in diameter, with a least depth of {{Convert|9.5|m}}.
#Haran Reef (also known as Harans Reef), {{Convert|294|km|abbr=on}} southeast.

Besides these, Albert Meyer Reef (almost {{Convert|5|km|abbr=on}} long and wide, least depth {{Convert|3|m|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|326|km|abbr=on}} southwest) is not officially claimed by Niue; further, the existence of [[Haymet Rocks]] ({{Convert|1273|km|abbr=on}} east-southeast) is in doubt.

Niue is one of the world's largest [[coral]] islands. The terrain consists of steep [[limestone]] cliffs along the coast with a central [[plateau]] rising to about {{Convert|60|m}} above sea level. A [[coral reef]] surrounds the island, with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast, close to the capital, Alofi. A number of limestone caves occur near the coast.

The island is roughly oval in shape (with a [[diameter]] of about {{Convert|18|km}}, with two large bays indenting the western coast, Alofi Bay in the centre and [[Avatele]] Bay in the south. Between these is the promontory of Halagigie Point. A small peninsula, TePā Point (Blowhole Point), is close to the settlement of Avatele in the southwest. Most of the population resides close to the west coast, around the capital, and in the northwest.

===Geology===
[[File:Fossilized coral pinnacles at Togo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Jagged fossilized coral pinnacles at Togo]]
Some Niue soils are geochemically very unusual. They are extremely weathered tropical soils, with high levels of iron and aluminium oxides ([[oxisol]]) and mercury, and they contain high levels of [[Background radiation|natural radioactivity]], with [[thorium|Thorium-230]] and [[protoactinium|Protactinium-231]] heading the [[decay chain]]s. This distribution of elements is found naturally on very deep seabeds, but the geochemical evidence suggests that the origin of these elements is extreme [[weathering]] of coral and brief sea submergence [[Pleistocene|120,000 years ago]]. Endothermal upwelling, by which mild volcanic heat draws deep seawater up through the porous coral, almost certainly contributes.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Whitehead |first=N. E. |author2=J. Hunt |author3=D. Leslie |author4=P. Rankin |date=June 1993 |title=The elemental content of Niue Island soils as an indicator of their origin |journal=New Zealand Journal of Geology & Geophysics |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=243–255 |bibcode=1993NZJGG..36..243W |url=http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjgg/1993/24.pdf |access-date=3 December 2007 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071202044236/http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjgg/1993/24.pdf |archive-date=2 December 2007 |doi=10.1080/00288306.1993.9514572 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

No adverse health effects from the radioactivity or the other trace elements have been demonstrated, and calculations show that the level of radioactivity is probably much too low to be detected in the population. These unusual soils are very rich in [[phosphate]], but it is not accessible to plants, being in the very insoluble form of [[iron phosphate]], or crandallite. It is thought that similar radioactive soils may exist on [[Lifou]] and [[Mare (island)|Mare]] near [[New Caledonia]], and [[Rennell Island|Rennell]] in the [[Solomon Islands]], but no other locations are known.

===Climate===
The island has a [[tropical rainforest climate]] (''Af'') according to the [[Köppen climate classification]] with high temperatures and rainfall throughout the year.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} The wet season runs from November to April, and the dry season runs from May to October.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 2021 |title='NextGen' Projections for the Western Tropical Pacific: Current and Future Climate for Niue |url=https://www.rccap.org/uploads/files/f80a6b9d-a126-4e5b-af6f-e732937e98ab/Niue%20Country%20Report_Updated.pdf |publisher=[[CSIRO]] |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref>
{{Weather box
|location = Alofi
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan record high C = 38
|Feb record high C = 38
|Mar record high C = 32
|Apr record high C = 36
|May record high C = 30
|Jun record high C = 32
|Jul record high C = 35
|Aug record high C = 37
|Sep record high C = 36
|Oct record high C = 31
|Nov record high C = 37
|Dec record high C = 36
|year record high C = 38
|Jan high C = 28
|Feb high C = 29
|Mar high C = 28
|Apr high C = 27
|May high C = 26
|Jun high C = 26
|Jul high C = 25
|Aug high C = 25
|Sep high C = 26
|Oct high C = 26
|Nov high C = 27
|Dec high C = 28
|year high C = 27
|Jan mean C = 26
|Feb mean C = 27
|Mar mean C = 26
|Apr mean C = 25
|May mean C = 25
|Jun mean C = 23
|Jul mean C = 22
|Aug mean C = 23
|Sep mean C = 23
|Oct mean C = 24
|Nov mean C = 25
|Dec mean C = 26
|year mean C = 25
|Jan low C = 23
|Feb low C = 24
|Mar low C = 24
|Apr low C = 23
|May low C = 22
|Jun low C = 21
|Jul low C = 20
|Aug low C = 20
|Sep low C = 21
|Oct low C = 21
|Nov low C = 22
|Dec low C = 23
|year low C = 22
|Jan record low C = 20
|Feb record low C = 20
|Mar record low C = 20
|Apr record low C = 14
|May record low C = 15
|Jun record low C = 13
|Jul record low C = 11
|Aug record low C = 9
|Sep record low C = 15
|Oct record low C = 15
|Nov record low C = 11
|Dec record low C = 17
|year record low C = 9
|Jan precipitation mm = 261.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 253.6
|Mar precipitation mm = 305.6
|Apr precipitation mm = 202.6
|May precipitation mm = 138.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 88.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 96.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 105.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 102.4
|Oct precipitation mm = 123.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 145.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 196.2
|year precipitation mm = 2018.4
|year precipitation days = 0
|year rain days = 2
|year snow days = 0
|source 1 = Weatherbase<ref name=weather>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=22819&refer=&units=metric |title=Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Alofi, Niue |access-date=3 August 2009 |publisher=Weatherbase}}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

===Environment===
[[File:Waves crashing on reef edge at Tuhia-atua.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Niue's coastline]]
Niue is attempting to pursue a policy of "[[green growth]]". The Niue Island Organic Farmers Association is currently paving way to a [[Multilateral Environmental Agreement]] (MEA) committed to making Niue the world's first fully [[Organic farming|organic]] nation by 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/acp-meas/document/niue-island-organic-farmers-association |title=Capacity Building related to Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries: Niue Island Organic Farmers Association |publisher=European Union |access-date=10 December 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220115352/http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu/acp-meas/document/niue-island-organic-farmers-association |archive-date=20 December 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pafpnet.spc.int/attachments/article/776/Niue-Agriculture-Sector-Plan-2015-19.pdf |title=Niue Agriculture Sector Plan 2015–2019 |publisher=Niue Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.organicpasifika.com/poetcom/for-farmers-and-growers/members/niue-island-organic-farmers-association/ |title=Niue Island Organic Farmers Association – PoetCom |website=www.organicpasifika.com |access-date=8 September 2017 |archive-date=9 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909004443/http://www.organicpasifika.com/poetcom/for-farmers-and-growers/members/niue-island-organic-farmers-association/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

As of 2012, Niue had one of the highest rates of [[list of countries by greenhouse gas emissions per capita|greenhouse gas emissions per capita]] in the world,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Simon |title=World carbon emissions: the league table of every country |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2012/jun/21/world-carbon-emissions-league-table-country |access-date=29 January 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=21 June 2012 |language=en}}</ref> due to the small population of the country.<ref name="EEAS2017">{{cite web |url=http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/niue.htm |title=Niue |website=[[European External Action Service]] |access-date=23 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226001636/http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/niue.htm |archive-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=08532994-451b-4b3b-a530-ca48b6ea4537&splang=en-US |title=Niue – Tuila Office Tuila overview |website=Sunnyportal.com |access-date=23 August 2017 }}</ref> Niue aimed to use 80% renewable energy by 2025.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www4.unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/Niue/1/Niue%20INDC%20Final.pdf |title=Niue: Intended Nationally Determined Contributions |publisher=[[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://prdrse4all.spc.int/system/files/niue_strategic_energy_road_map_2015-2025_updated_3.pdf|title=Niue Strategic Energy Road Map 2015–2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/288763/niue-to-embrace-more-solar-and-wind-power |title=Niue to embrace more solar and wind power |date=3 November 2015 |publisher=[[Radio New Zealand]]}}</ref> In July 2025, the target was shifted to early 2026.<ref>{{cite news |author=((UNDP)) |author-mask=[UNDP] |date=9 July 2025 |title=Niue Shapes a New Decade of Sustainable Energy Leadership at National Energy Summit 2025 |url=https://www.undp.org/samoa/press-releases/niue-shapes-new-decade-sustainable-energy-leadership-national-energy-summit-2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |access-date=31 August 2025}}</ref>

In July 2009, a [[solar panel]] system was installed, injecting about 50&nbsp;kW into the Niue national power grid. This is nominally 6% of the average 833&nbsp;kW electricity production. The solar panels are at [[Niue High School]] (20&nbsp;kW), [[Niue Power Corporation]] office, (1.7&nbsp;kW)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sunnyportal.com/Templates/PublicPageOverview.aspx?plant=08532994-451b-4b3b-a530-ca48b6ea4537&splang=en-US |title=Niue – Tuila Office – Tuila overview |publisher=Sunny Portal |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref> and the [[Niue Foou Hospital]] (30&nbsp;kW). The EU-funded grid-connected [[photovoltaic system]]s are supplied under the REP-5 programme and were installed recently by the Niue Power Corporation on the roofs of the high school and the power station office and on ground-mounted support structures in front of the hospital. They will be monitored and maintained by the NPC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/niue.htm |title=Achievements for Niue |publisher=The European Commission's Delegation to the Pacific |access-date=31 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226001636/http://www.delfji.ec.europa.eu/en/achievements/niue.htm |archive-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Photovoltaic power station near Alofi South.jpg|thumb|Niue has established several solar power installations, including one near the [[Niue International Airport]].]]

In 2014, two additional solar power installations were added to the Niue national power grid. One was funded under [[PALM5]] of Japan and is located outside the Tuila power station; so far, only this has battery storage. The second power station is under European Union funding; it is located opposite the [[Niue International Airport]] Terminal.

In 2023, the governments of Niue and other island states at risk from climate change ([[Fiji]], the [[Solomon Islands]], [[Tuvalu]], [[Tonga]] and [[Vanuatu]]) launched the "Port Vila Call for a Just Transition to a Fossil Fuel Free Pacific", calling for the phasing out of [[fossil fuel]]s; a "rapid and [[just transition]]" to [[renewable energy]]; and a strengthening of [[environmental law]], including introducing the crime of [[ecocide]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Six Island Nations Commit to 'Fossil Fuel-Free Pacific,' Demand Global Just Transition |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/fossil-fuel-free-pacific |access-date=2023-07-01 |website=www.commondreams.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2023 |title=Port Vila call to phase out fossil fuels |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/486463/port-vila-call-to-phase-out-fossil-fuels |access-date=1 July 2023 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ligaiula |first=Pita |date=17 March 2023 |title=Port Vila call for a just transition to a fossil fuel free Pacific |publisher=PINA |url=https://pina.com.fj/2023/03/17/port-vila-call-for-a-just-transition-to-a-fossil-fuel-free-pacific/ |access-date=1 July 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=1 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701175216/https://pina.com.fj/2023/03/17/port-vila-call-for-a-just-transition-to-a-fossil-fuel-free-pacific/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2022, Niue declared its entire [[EEZ]] to be a [[Niue Nukutuluea Multiple-Use Marine Park|marine park]], though enforcement of that declaration would be a challenge. The entire Fisheries Division was reported to have only five staff and there were no locally based patrol boats. Enforcement would depend on stronger support from the [[New Zealand Defence Forces]], though its ability to maintain a continuous presence was limited.<ref name="news_mongabay_com">{{cite web|url=https://news.mongabay.com/2022/11/small-island-big-ocean-niue-makes-its-entire-eez-a-marine-park/ |title=Small island, big ocean: Niue makes its entire EEZ a marine park |access-date=22 August 2023 |last=Evans |first=Monica |website=Mongabay |date=3 November 2022}}</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
{{See also|Niue Nukutuluea Multiple-Use Marine Park}}
[[File:Hakupu-Liku Road through Huvalu Forest.jpg|thumb|Niue is part of the [[Tongan tropical moist forests]] terrestrial ecoregion.]]
Niue is part of the [[Tongan tropical moist forests]] terrestrial ecoregion.<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> The island is home to approximately 60 native or pre-European plants, and approximately 160 naturalised flowering plant species.<ref name="Gardner">{{Cite Q|Q106828180}}</ref> Compared to other Polynesian islands, Niue has sparse documentation for what plants were traditionally found on the island (almost no records are found between the documentation by James Cook's crew in 1774, and [[Truman G. Yuncker]]'s botanical survey of the island in 1940).<ref name="Gardner"/>

The '''Huvalu Forest Conservation Area''' is a 5,400&nbsp;hectare (20 sq. mi.) site on the eastern side of the island. It was established in 1992 and protects the largest area of [[primary forest]] in Niue.<ref name=sprep>{{cite web|url= https://pipap.sprep.org/content/huvalu-forest-conservation-area-niue|title= Huvalu Forest Conservation Area (Niue)|author= <!--Not stated-->|date= 2021|website= Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal|publisher= Pacific Regional Environment Programme|access-date= 6 March 2021|archive-date= 1 January 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220101070738/https://pipap.sprep.org/content/huvalu-forest-conservation-area-niue|url-status= dead}}</ref> It has been designated an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because it supports populations of [[crimson-crowned fruit dove]]s, [[blue-crowned lorikeet]]s, [[Polynesian triller]]s and [[Polynesian starling]]s.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/huvalu-and-environs-iba-niue-(to-new-zealand) |title= Huvalu and environs |date=2021 |website=BirdLife Data Zone |publisher=BirdLife International |access-date=6 March 2021}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Niue}}
[[File:Dalton Tagelagi.jpg|thumb|[[Dalton Tagelagi]] has served as [[Prime Minister of Niue]] since 2020.]]
The [[Niue Constitution Act 1974 (NZ)|Niue Constitution Act]] of 1974 vests executive authority in [[Monarchy in New Zealand|His Majesty the King in Right of New Zealand]] and in the [[Governor-General of New Zealand]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1974/0042/latest/DLM412797.html |title=Niue Constitution Act 1974: Schedule 2: The Constitution of Niue (English language version), s1 |publisher=legislation.govt.nz |date=29 August 1974 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> The Constitution specifies that everyday practice involves the exercise of sovereignty by [[Cabinet of Niue|Cabinet]], composed of the [[Prime Minister of Niue|Prime Minister]] (currently [[Dalton Tagelagi]] since 11 June 2020) and of three other ministers. The Prime Minister and ministers are members of the [[Niue Assembly]], the nation's parliament.

The Assembly consists of 20 members, 14 of them elected by the electors of each village [[constituency]], and six by all registered voters in all constituencies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.niuegov.com/ |title=Niue's Government and Politics |publisher=Government of Niue |access-date=19 October 2017}}</ref> Electors must be New Zealand citizens, resident for at least three months, and candidates must be electors and resident for 12 months. Everyone born in Niue must register on the electoral roll.<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 June 2020 |title=Enroll to vote |url=https://www.govt.nz/browse/engaging-with-government/enrol-and-vote-in-an-election/enrol-to-vote/ |access-date=18 June 2020 |website=New Zealand Government}}</ref>

[[Politics of Niue#Political parties and elections|Niue has no political parties]]; all Assembly members are [[Non-partisan|independents]]. The only [[Politics of Niue#Political parties and elections|Niuean political party]] to have ever existed, the [[Niue People's Party]] (1987–2003), [[2002 Niuean general election|won once]] (in 2002) before disbanding the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/144344/niue%27s-only-party-dissolved |title=Niue's only party dissolved |date=21 July 2003 |publisher=[[RNZ]] |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

The Legislative Assembly elects a Speaker as its first official in the first sitting of the Assembly following an election. The speaker calls for nominations for prime minister; the candidate with the most votes from the 20 members is elected. The prime minister selects three other members to form a Cabinet, the executive arm of government.<ref>Constitution of Niue, s2.</ref> [[2023 Niuean general election|General elections]] take place every three years, most recently on 29 April 2023.

The judiciary, independent of the executive and the legislature, includes a [[Court system of Niue#High Court|High Court]] and a [[Court system of Niue#Court of Appeal|Court of Appeal]], with appeals to the [[Judicial Committee of the Privy Council]] in London.<ref name="Niue criminal court system">{{cite web |url=http://www.acclawyers.org/resources/niue/ |title=Niuean criminal court system |publisher=Association of Commonwealth Criminal Lawyers |access-date=29 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223409/http://www.acclawyers.org/resources/niue/ |archive-date=24 July 2011 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

===Defence and foreign affairs===
{{Main article|Foreign relations of Niue}}
{{See also|Political status of the Cook Islands and Niue}}

Niue has operated as a [[Self-governance|self-governing]] state in [[associated state|free association]] with New Zealand since 3 September 1974, when the people endorsed the Constitution in a plebiscite.<ref>Masahiro Igarashi, ''Associated Statehood in International Law'', p. 167</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-333490132/view?sectionId=nla.obj-338833420 |title=Towards self-government, or something |work=Pacific Islands Monthly |volume=45 |issue=10 |page=7 |date=1 October 1974 |access-date=19 June 2022 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Niue is fully responsible for its internal affairs. Niue's position concerning its external relations is less clear-cut. Section 6 of the [[Niue Constitution Act]] provides that: "Nothing in this Act or in the Constitution shall affect the responsibilities of Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand for the external affairs and defence of Niue." Section 8 elaborates but still leaves the position unclear: <blockquote>Effect shall be given to the provisions of sections 6 and 7 [concerning external affairs and defence and economic and administrative assistance respectively] of this Act, and to any other aspect of the relationship between New Zealand and Niue which may from time to time call for positive co-operation between New Zealand and Niue after consultation between the Prime Minister of New Zealand and the [[Prime Minister of Niue]], and in accordance with the policies of their respective Governments; and, if it appears desirable that any provision be made in the law of Niue to carry out these policies, that provision may be made in the manner prescribed in the Constitution, but not otherwise."</blockquote>

Niue has a representative mission ([[High Commission]]) in [[Wellington]], New Zealand.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.gov.nu/wb/pages/niue-new-zealand-high-commission.php |title=Government of Niue – Niue & New Zealand High Commission – Komisina Tokoluga Niue mo Niu Silani |website=www.gov.nu |access-date=7 August 2021 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807130914/https://www.gov.nu/wb/pages/niue-new-zealand-high-commission.php |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Initially, Niue's foreign relations and defence were the responsibility of New Zealand.<ref name=McDonald2018>{{cite thesis |url=https://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10063/6941/thesis_access.pdf?sequence=1 |title=Decolonisation and Free Association: The Relationships of the Cook Islands and Niue with New Zealand |last=McDonald |first=Caroline |publisher=Victoria University of Wellington |date=2018 |type=PhD |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>{{rp|207}} However, Niue gradually began to develop its own foreign relations, independently of New Zealand.<ref name=McDonald2018/>{{rp|208}} It is a member of the [[Pacific Islands Forum]] and of a number of regional and international agencies. It is not a member of the United Nations, but is a state party to the [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea]], the [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]], the [[Ottawa Treaty]] and the [[Treaty of Rarotonga]]. The country became a member state of [[UNESCO]] on 26 October 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://erc.unesco.org/portal/UNESCOMemberStates.asp?language=en |title=Member States |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |date=October 2009 |access-date=20 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728143254/http://erc.unesco.org/portal/UNESCOMemberStates.asp?language=en |archive-date=28 July 2011}}</ref> It established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China on 12 December 2007.<ref name=xinhua2007>{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/12/content_7236560.htm |title=Full text of joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Niue |publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency]] |date=12 December 2007 |access-date= 6 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212547/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/12/content_7236560.htm |archive-date= 3 March 2016}}</ref> The joint communique signed by Niue and China differs in its treatment of the [[Political status of Taiwan|Taiwan question]] from that agreed by New Zealand and China. New Zealand "acknowledged" China's position on [[Taiwan]] but has never expressly agreed with it, but Niue "recognises that there is only one China in the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of China."<ref name=xinhua2007/> Niue established diplomatic relations with India on 30 August 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mea.gov.in/mystart.php?id=190019985 |title=India establishes Diplomatic Relations with Niue |publisher=Ministry of External Affairs of India |date=4 September 2012 |access-date=4 September 2012}}</ref> On 10 June 2014, the Government of Niue announced that Niue had established diplomatic relations with Turkey. The Honourable Minister of Infrastructure [[Dalton Tagelagi]] formalised the agreement at the Pacific Small Island States Foreign Ministers meeting in Istanbul, Turkey.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mfa.gov.tr/foreign-minister-davutoglu-in-the-last-six-years-we-have-taken-significant.en.mfa |title=Foreign Minister Davutoğlu "In the last six years, we have taken significant steps to strengthen our relations with Pacific Island States" |publisher=Republic of Türkiye |date= |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

People of Niue have fought as part of the New Zealand military. During [[World War I]] (1914–1918), Niue sent about 200 soldiers as part of the [[New Zealand (Māori) Pioneer Battalion]] in the New Zealand forces.<ref name=Tagi_tote>{{cite book |last1=Pointer |first1=Margaret |last2=Folau |first2=Kalaisi |date=2000 |title=Tagi Tote e Loto Haaku, My Heart Is Crying a Little: Niue Island Involvement in the Great War, 1914–1918 |location=Suva, Fiji |publisher=[[University of the South Pacific]] |department=Institute of Pacific Studies |isbn=978-9-8202-0157-6}}</ref>

Niue is not a republic, but for a number of years the ISO list of country names ([[ISO 3166-1]]) listed its full name as "the Republic of Niue". In its newsletter of 14 July 2011, the ISO acknowledged that this was a mistake and the words "the Republic of" were deleted from the ISO list of country names.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iso.org/iso/newsletter_vi-9_fiji-myanmar_and_other_minor_corrections-incl_bulgaria_corrected_2011-07-14_e_.pdf |title=ISO 3166-1 Newsletter VI-9 "Name changes for Fiji, Myanmar as well as other minor corrections" |date=14 July 2011 |access-date=9 August 2020 |quote=Correct the long name which was incorrect[.]}}</ref>

Niue has no regular indigenous military forces; defence is the responsibility of New Zealand.<ref name="factbook"/> The [[New Zealand Defence Force]] has responsibilities for protecting the territory as well as its offshore exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The total offshore EEZ is about {{convert|317500|km2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/30/the-ocean-is-everything-pacific-state-of-niue-declares-all-of-its-waters-protected |title=Tiny Pacific island nation declares bold plan to protect 100% of its ocean |access-date=22 August 2023|website=[[The Guardian]] |date=30 May 2022 |last=Turrell |first=Claire}}</ref> Vessels of the [[Royal New Zealand Navy]] can be employed for this task including its {{sclass|Protector|offshore patrol vessel|1}}s.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/assets/Uploads/DocumentLibrary/NavyToday_Issue261.pdf |title=Illegal Fishing Targeted |access-date=21 August 2023 |magazine=Navy Today |publisher=[[Royal New Zealand Navy]] |issue=261 |date=December 2021}}</ref> These naval forces may also be supported by [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] aircraft, including [[Boeing P-8 Poseidon|P-8 Poseidons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mpi.govt.nz/news/media-releases/more-than-20-fishing-vessels-inspected-during-new-zealand-led-south-pacific-fisheries-patrol/ |title=More than 20 fishing vessels inspected during New Zealand-led South Pacific fisheries patrol |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=New Zealand – Ministry for Primary Industries |date=11 August 2023}}</ref> New Zealand forces also provide additional logistics and specialized support for Niue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/media-centre/news/nz-navy-hydrographers-get-to-work-mapping-niues-unique-landscape/ |title=NZ Navy Hydrographers get to work mapping Niue's unique landscape |access-date=22 August 2023 |website=New Zealand Defence Force |date=28 July 2022}}</ref>

However, these forces are limited in size with, for instance, only infrequent air force overflights of the EEZ.<ref name="news_mongabay_com"/> In 2023 New Zealand's forces were described by the Government as "not in a fit state" to respond to regional challenges.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/08/04/new-zealand-military-not-fit/ |title=New Zealand Military 'Not in a Fit State,' Government Says |access-date=21 August 2023 |website=The Defence Post |date=4 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/cutting-edge-new-aircraft-have-increased-nzs-surveillance-capacity-but-are-they-enough-in-a-changing-world-209495 |title=Cutting-edge new aircraft have increased NZ's surveillance capacity – but are they enough in a changing world? |access-date=22 August 2023 |website=The Conversation |date=26 July 2023}}</ref> New Zealand's subsequently announced "Defence Policy and Strategy Statement" noted that shaping the security environment, "focusing in particular on supporting security in and for the Pacific" would receive enhanced attention.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defence.govt.nz/assets/publication/file/23-0195-Defence-Policy-and-Strategy-Statement-WEB.PDF |title=Defence Policy and Strategy Statement 2023 |access-date=21 August 2023|website=New Zealand Government |date=August 2023}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Niue}}
[[File:Main street of Alofi.jpg|thumb|[[Alofi]] is the capital of Niue.]]
Niue's gross domestic product (GDP) was NZ$17&nbsp;million in 2003,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Countries/Pacific/Niue.php |title=Country Information Paper – Niue |publisher=[[New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] |date=8 April 2009 |access-date=17 April 2009 |archive-date=21 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721040820/http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Countries/Pacific/Niue.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> or US$10&nbsp;million at [[purchasing power parity]].<ref name="factbook"/> Its GDP had increased to US$24.9&nbsp;million by 2016.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Niue uses the [[New Zealand dollar]].

The [[Niue Integrated Strategic Plan]] (NISP) is the national development plan, setting national priorities for development. [[Cyclone Heta]] set the island back about two years from its planned timeline to implement the NISP, since national efforts concentrated on recovery efforts. In 2008, Niue had yet to fully recover. After Heta, the government made a major commitment to rehabilitate and develop the private sector.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reliefweb.int/attachments/fdae701c-1758-3f48-b1e5-d44421a52e78/NIUE_HETA2004_Recovery%20Plan.pdf |title=Niue Foou - A New Niue: Cyclone Heta Recovery Plan |publisher=Government of Niue |date=April 2004 |access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref> In 2004, the New Zealand government allocated $1&nbsp;million for the private sector,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/nz-gives-5-million-help-rebuild-niue |title=NZ gives $5 million to help rebuild Niue |publisher=New Zealand Government |date=21 January 2004 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> and spent it on helping businesses devastated by the cyclone, and on construction of the Fonuakula Industrial Park.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} This [[industrial park]] is now completed and some businesses are already operating from there. The Fonuakula Industrial Park is managed by the Niue Chamber of Commerce, a not-for-profit organisation providing advisory services to businesses.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

===Joint ventures===
The government and the Reef Group from New Zealand started two joint ventures in 2003 and 2004 to develop fisheries and a 120-hectare (300 acre) [[noni]] juice operation.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Reef Group looks to NZ for help Niue projects
|work=Radio New Zealand
|url=http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/175984/reef-group-looks-to-nz-for-help-niue-projects
|date=13 March 2008
}}</ref> Noni fruit comes from ''Morinda citrifolia'', a small tree with edible fruit. Niue Fish Processors Ltd (NFP) is a joint venture company processing fresh fish, mainly tuna (yellowfin, big eye and albacore), for export to overseas markets. NFP operates out of a fish plant in Amanau Alofi South, completed and opened in October 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/151228/two-new-processing-plants-officially-opened-on-niue |title=Two new processing plants officially opened on Niue |publisher=[[RNZ]] |date=18 October 2004 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

===Mining===
In August 2005, an Australian mining company, Yamarna Goldfields, suggested that Niue might have the world's largest deposit of uranium. By early September these hopes were seen as overoptimistic,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/yamarna-loses-passion-for-niues-uranium/2005/09/05/1125772467540.html |title=Yamarna loses passion for Niue's uranium |work=The Age |date=6 September 2005 |access-date=24 December 2007}}</ref> and in late October the company cancelled its plans, announcing that exploratory drilling had identified nothing of commercial value.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=3 November 2005 |title=NIUE: No Mineable Uranium, Says Exploration Company |url=http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2005/11/03/niue-no-mineable-uranium-says-exploration-company |website=Pacific Magazine |access-date=24 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070614094204/http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2005/11/03/niue-no-mineable-uranium-says-exploration-company |archive-date=14 June 2007}}</ref> The [[Australian Securities and Investments Commission]] filed charges in January 2007 against two directors of the company, now called Mining Projects Group Ltd, alleging that their conduct had been deceptive and that they engaged in [[insider trading]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/07-13+ASIC+takes+action+against+directors+of+melbourne+mining+company?openDocument |title=ASIC takes action against directors of Melbourne mining company |publisher=[[Australian Securities and Investments Commission]] |date=23 January 2007 |access-date=24 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323114336/http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/07-13+ASIC+takes+action+against+directors+of+melbourne+mining+company?openDocument |archive-date=23 March 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> This case was settled out of court in July 2008, both sides withdrawing their claims.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/08-148+ASIC+discontinues+proceedings+against+directors+of+Melbourne+mining+company?openDocument |title=ASIC discontinues proceedings against directors of Melbourne mining company |publisher=[[Australian Securities and Investments Commission]] |date=4 July 2008 |access-date=4 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323111231/http://www.asic.gov.au/asic/asic.nsf/byheadline/08-148+ASIC+discontinues+proceedings+against+directors+of+Melbourne+mining+company?openDocument |archive-date=23 March 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Debt===
On 27 October 2016, Niue officially declared that all its [[national debt]] was paid off.<ref name="no interest">{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/27/land-that-debt-forgot-tiny-pacific-country-of-niue-has-no-interest-in-loans |title=Land that debt forgot: tiny Pacific country of Niue has no interest in loans |first=Eleanor |last=Ainge Roy |date=27 October 2016 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=23 August 2017}}</ref> The government plans to spend money saved from servicing loans on increasing pensions and offering incentives to lure expatriates back home. However, Niue is not entirely independent. New Zealand pays $14&nbsp;million in aid each year and Niue still depends on New Zealand economically. Premier [[Toke Talagi]] said Niue managed to pay off US$4&nbsp;million of debt and had "no interest" in borrowing again, particularly from countries such as China that offered "huge sums that other Pacific islands find too tempting to resist".<ref name="no interest"/>

===Revenue===
[[Remittance]]s from expatriates were a major source of foreign exchange in the 1970s and early 1980s. Continuous [[Human migration|migration]] to New Zealand has shifted most members of nuclear and [[Extended family|extended families]] there, removing the need to send remittances back home. In the late 1990s, PFTAC conducted studies on the [[balance of payments]], which confirmed that Niueans are receiving few remittances but are sending more money overseas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pftac.org |title=Pacific Financial Technical Assistance Centre |publisher=PFTAC |access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref>

====Foreign aid====
Foreign aid is a significant source of income, accounting for approximately a third of Niue's annual government revenue.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.nu/wb/media/2021/GON%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20the%20Niue%20National%20Economy-%2031Jan21.pdf |title=Financial Snapshot: 1 July 2020 – 31 January 2021 |publisher=Department of Finance and Planning |date=1 April 2021 |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=7 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707230627/https://www.gov.nu/wb/media/2021/GON%20Snapshot%20Report%20of%20the%20Niue%20National%20Economy-%2031Jan21.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Most aid comes from New Zealand,<ref name="factbook"/> which has a legal obligation to provide economic and administrative assistance.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1974/0042/latest/DLM412788.html |title=Niue Constitution Act 1974: section 7 |publisher=legislation.govt.nz|access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> Other sources of revenue for the government are taxation and trading activities, such as philatelic services and the lease of phone lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/752631/niue-country-classification.pdf |title=Niue: Country Classification |publisher=Asian Development Bank |date=October 2021 |page=9 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

====Offshore banking====
The government briefly considered offshore banking. Under pressure from the [[United States Department of the Treasury|U.S. Treasury]], Niue agreed to end its support for schemes designed to minimise tax in countries like New Zealand. Niue provides automated Companies Registration, administered by the [[New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development]]. The [[Niue Legislative Assembly]] passed the [[Niue Consumption Tax]] Act in the first week of February 2009, and the 12.5% tax on goods and services was expected to take effect on 1 April 2009. Income tax has been lowered, and import tax may be reset to zero except for "sin" items like tobacco, alcohol and soft drinks. Tax on secondary income has been lowered from 35% to 10%, with the stated goal of fostering increased labour productivity.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.niuebusinessnews.com/ |title=12.5% Niue Consumption Tax from 1 April |date=26 February 2009 |publisher=Niue Business News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116001713/http://www.niuebusinessnews.com/ |archive-date=16 January 2009}}</ref>

====Internet====
In 1997, the [[Internet Assigned Numbers Authority]] (IANA), under contract with the U.S. Department of Commerce, assigned the Internet Users Society-Niue (IUS-N), a private non-profit, as manager of the [[.nu]] [[top-level domain]] on the Internet. The stated purpose of IUS-N was to use revenue from .nu domain registrations to support Internet services for Niue. According to a letter to [[ICANN]] in 2007, IUS-N's auditors reported an investment of US$3 million in Niue's Internet services between 1999 and 2005, funded by domain registration revenue. In 1999, an agreement was reached between IUS-N and the Government of Niue, recognizing IUS-N's management of the .nu ccTLD under IANA's authority. This agreement included commitments to provide free Internet services to government departments and citizens.

A subsequent government disputed this agreement and sought compensation from IUS-N.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06088/677770-96.stm |title=On a tiny island, catchy Web name sparks a battle |publisher=Post-gazette.com |date=29 March 2006 |access-date=26 June 2010 |first=Christopher |last=Rhoads}}</ref> A Commission of Inquiry in 2005 found no merit in these claims, which were dismissed by the government in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=36393 |title=Niue government criticised over internet stance |publisher=RNZI |date=13 November 2007 |access-date=26 June 2010}}</ref> Starting in 2003, IUS-N began expanding [[Wi-Fi]] coverage throughout the capital village of [[Alofi]] and in several nearby villages and schools, and has been expanding Wi-Fi coverage into the outer villages since then, making Niue the first Wi-Fi nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wifination.org/ |title=WiFi Nation |publisher=WiFi Nation |access-date=12 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227093347/http://wifination.org/ |archive-date=27 December 2018}}</ref> Additionally, IUS-N provides secure DSL connections for government departments at no cost.

On December 16, 2020, the Government of Niue initiated proceedings to reassign control of its national webspace, .nu, from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to itself. This action reflects ongoing efforts by Niue to assert control over its digital assets amid concerns about national sovereignty and economic benefits associated with the .nu domain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com.au/niue-nu-internet-domain-reclaim-2020-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216002622/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/niue-nu-internet-domain-reclaim-2020-12 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 December 2020 |title='Digital colonisation': A tiny island nation just launched a major effort to win back control of its top-level internet domain |date=16 December 2020}}</ref>

===Agriculture===
{{See also|Coconut production in Niue}}
[[File:Taro plant.JPG|thumb|[[Taro]] is a staple food exported to New Zealand.]]
Agriculture is very important to the lifestyle of Niueans and the economy, and around {{convert|204|km2}} of the land area are available for agriculture.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2009 |title=Country Pasture/Forage Resource Profiles: Niue |url=http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Counprof/southpacific/niue.htm |publisher=United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization |access-date=29 August 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204110210/http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/agpc/doc/counprof/southpacific/niue.htm |archive-date=4 December 2017}}</ref> [[Subsistence agriculture]] is very much part of Niue's culture, where nearly all the households have plantations of [[taro]].<ref name="pollock">{{cite journal |last1=Pollock |first1=Nancy J. |year=1979 |title=Work, wages, and shifting cultivation on Niue |journal=Journal of Pacific Studies |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=132–43 |publisher=Pacific Institute}}</ref> Taro is a [[staple food]], and the pink taro now dominant in the taro markets in New Zealand and Australia is a product of Niue. This is one of the naturally occurring taro varieties on Niue, and has a strong resistance to pests. The Niue [[taro]] is known in Samoa as "talo Niue" and in international markets as pink taro. Niue exports taro to New Zealand.
[[Tapioca]] or cassava, [[yam (vegetable)|yams]] and [[sweet potato|kumara]] also grow very well,<ref name="factbook"/> as do different varieties of bananas. [[Copra|Coconut meat]], [[passionfruit]] and [[lime (fruit)|limes]] dominated exports in the 1970s, but in 2008 [[vanilla]], [[Morinda citrifolia|noni]] and taro were the main export crops.

Most families grow their own food crops for subsistence and sell their surplus at the Niue Makete in Alofi, or export to New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pafpnet.spc.int/attachments/article/776/Niue-Agriculture-Sector-Plan-2015-19.pdf |title=Niue Agriculture Sector Plan 2015–2019 |publisher=Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |page=12 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref> [[Coconut crab]], or uga, is also part of the [[food chain]]; it lives in the forest and coastal areas.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10675036">{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10675036 |title=Niue: Hunting the uga |author=Eagles, Jim |date=23 September 2010 |work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |access-date=30 October 2011}}</ref>

In 2003, the government made a commitment to develop and expand [[vanilla]] production with the support of [[NZAID]]. Vanilla has grown wild on Niue for a long time. The industry was devastated by [[Cyclone Heta]] in early 2004, but has since recovered.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pacifictradeinvest.com/explore-our-work/insights/pacific-success-niue-vanilla-international |title=Pacific Success – Niue Vanilla International |publisher=Pacific Trade Invest Australia |date=8 January 2019 |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=18 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718150411/https://www.pacifictradeinvest.com/explore-our-work/insights/pacific-success-niue-vanilla-international |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The last agricultural census was in 1989.<ref>{{cite web |date=1989 |title=Niue Agricultural Census 1989 – Main Results |url=https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/ess/documents/world_census_of_agriculture/main_results_by_country/Niue_1989.pdf |publisher=United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:Avatele Beach, looking southwest.jpg|thumb|[[Avatele]] Beach]]
Along with fisheries and agriculture, tourism is one of the three priority [[Economy (activity)|economic sectors]] for economic development. In 2006, estimated visitor expenditure reached {{US$|1.6 million}} (equivalent to about ${{inflation|US|1.6|2006}}M in {{inflation/year|US}}).  The only airport is [[Niue International Airport]], and  [[Air New Zealand]] is the sole airline, flying twice a week from [[Auckland]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/pacific-islands/301015868/tiny-pacific-nation-thrilled-as-air-new-zealand-adds-flight-in-2024?cx_testId=12&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=2&cx_experienceId=EXE6G6ISTGR0#cxrecs_s |title=Air NZ flights in 2024 |publisher=Stuff (Fairfax) |date=2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Niue Tourism |url=http://www.niueisland.com/getting-niue |access-date=4 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824231422/http://www.niueisland.com/getting-niue |archive-date=24 August 2014}}</ref> In the early 1990s Niue International Airport was served by a local airline, [[Niue Airlines]], but it closed in 1992.

The sailing season begins in May. [[Alofi Bay]] has many mooring buoys and yacht crews can lodge at Niue Backpackers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.niueisland.com/content/sailing-season-commences-niue |title=Sailing Season Commences on Niue – Niue |website=Niueisland.com |access-date=23 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828050155/http://www.niueisland.com/content/sailing-season-commences-niue |archive-date=28 August 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The anchorage in Niue is one of the least protected in the South Pacific. Other challenges of the anchorage are a primarily coral bottom and many deep spots.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sailwhisper.com/logs/news_20040913.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120035724/http://www.sailwhisper.com/logs/news_20040913.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 November 2008 |title=The Rock of the Pacific – Niue |date=20 November 2008}}</ref>

Niue became the world's first [[Dark-sky movement|dark-sky country]] in March [[2020 in Oceania|2020]]. The entire island maintains standards of light development and keeps light pollution limited. Guided Astro-tours will be offered for tourists, led by trained Niuean community members.<ref>{{cite web |website=Forbes |title=Pacific Island Niue Becomes The World's First Dark Sky Nation |author=Valerie Stimack |date=March 10, 2020 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/valeriestimac/2020/03/10/pacific-island-niue-to-become-worlds-first-dark-sky-nation/#35ef6c334067 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311002331/https://www.forbes.com/sites/valeriestimac/2020/03/10/pacific-island-niue-to-become-worlds-first-dark-sky-nation/#35ef6c334067 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 March 2020}}</ref>

====Matavai Resort controversy====
New Zealand businessman [[Earl Hagaman]], founder of Scenic Hotel Group, was awarded a contract in 2014 to manage the Matavai Resort in Niue after he made a $101,000 political donation to the [[New Zealand National Party]], which at that time led a minority government in New Zealand. The resort is subsidized by New Zealand, which wants to bolster tourism there. In 2015, New Zealand announced $7.5m in additional funding for expansion of the resort.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

The selection of the Matavai contractor was made by the Niue Tourism Property Trust, whose trustees are appointed by New Zealand Foreign Affairs minister [[Murray McCully]]. Prime Minister [[John Key]] said he did not handle campaign donations, and that Niue premier [[Toke Talagi]] has long pursued tourism as a growth strategy. McCully denied any link between the donation, the foreign aid and the contractor selection.<ref>{{cite news |title=Foreign Affairs minister Murray McCully denies link between party donation and Niue contract |author=Jo Moir |date=18 April 2016 |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/79029273/foreign-affairs-minister-murray-mccully-denies-link-between-party-donation-and-niue-contract |work=Stuff}}</ref>

===Information technology===
[[File:Children in playground.jpg|thumb|Students using their [[OLPC XO-1|OLPC]] laptops in the schoolyard.]]
The Census of Households and Population in 1986 was the first to be processed using a personal computer with the assistance of David Marshall, FAO adviser on agricultural statistics, advising [[UNFPA]] demographer Lawrence Lewis and Niue government statistician [[Bill Vakaafi Motufoou]] to switch from using manual tabulation cards. In 1987, Statistics Niue got its new personal computer NEC PC AT use for processing the 1986 census data; personnel were sent on training in Japan and New Zealand to use the new computer. The first Computer Policy was developed and adopted in 1988.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forumsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NIUE-ECommerce-Assessment.pdf |title=National E-commerce Assessment: Niue |publisher=Pacific Islands Forum |date=2020 |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=2 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102060647/https://www.forumsec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NIUE-ECommerce-Assessment.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2003, Niue became the first country in the world to provide state-funded [[wireless internet]] to all inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=35876 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030721030739/http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=35876 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 July 2003 |title=Light Reading – Networking the Telecom Industry |publisher=Unstrung.com |access-date=20 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=July 2003 |title=Creating a Wireless Nation |url=http://nunames.nu/about/Niuepaper2.pdf |publisher=IUSN White Paper |access-date=29 August 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510134257/http://nunames.nu/about/Niuepaper2.pdf |archive-date=10 May 2012}}</ref>

In August 2008, it has been reported that all school students have what is known as the [[OLPC XO-1]], a specialised laptop by the [[One Laptop per Child]] project designed for children in the developing world.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7576573.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |title=One laptop for every Niuean child |date=22 August 2008 |access-date=27 March 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/178910/niue-schoolchildren-all-have-laptops |title=Niue schoolchildren all have laptops |publisher=[[RNZ]] |date=22 August 2008 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

In July 2011, Telecom Niue launched pre-paid mobile services (Voice/EDGE – 2.5G) as Rokcell Mobile based on the commercial GSM product of vendor Lemko. Three BTS sites will cover the nation. International roaming is not currently available.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In January 2015, Telecom Niue completed the laying of the fibre optic cable around Niue connecting all the 14 villages, making land line phones and ADSL internet connection available to households.<ref>{{cite web |author=((GB Worldwide)) |author-mask=[GB Worldwide] |date=2015 |title=Spotlight on G.B. Niue |url=https://gbworldwide.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Spotlight-Niue.pdf |publisher=Girls' Brigade International |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>

Niue was connected to the [[Manatua Fibre Cable]] in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pacificonline.org/niues-manatua-cable-goes-live-and-delivers-world-class-ultra-fast-fibre-internet/ |title=NIUE'S MANATUA CABLE GOES LIVE AND DELIVERS WORLD CLASS ULTRA FAST FIBRE INTERNET |publisher=Pacific Online |date=24 May 2021 |access-date=19 June 2022 |archive-date=8 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708162825/https://pacificonline.org/niues-manatua-cable-goes-live-and-delivers-world-class-ultra-fast-fibre-internet/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Demographics==
===Population===
{{Historical population 
|type =
|footnote = Source:<ref name="hiscen">{{cite web |date=2022 |title=Population |url=https://niuestatistics.nu/category/population/ |publisher=Statistics Niue |access-date=4 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="2022census"/>
|1900 | 4015
|1911 | 3943
|1921 | 3750
|1931 | 3797
|1945 | 4253
|1951 | 4553
|1961 | 4864
|1971 | 4990
|1981 | 3281
|1991 | 2239
|2001 | 1788
|2011 | 1611
|2022 | 1681
}}
The 2022 Niue Census of Population and Housing enumerated a population of 1,681, a decrease of around 2.2 percent over the 2017 figure. Of this, 1,564 (93 percent) considered Niue to be their place of usual residence, a decrease of 27 from 2017. Migration is a significant driver of population change, with 221 residents aged 5 and over not living in Niue five years prior to the census, suggesting substantial immigration.<ref name="2022census">{{cite web |last1=Flanagan |first1=Matt |last2=Sioneholo |first2=Fanuma |url=https://niuestatistics.nu/population/niue-census-of-population-and-housing-2022/ |title=2022 Niue Census of Population and Housing Report |publisher=Statistics Niue |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref> Niue has a population density of {{convert|6.0|PD/km2}}. The majority of the population is located in the villages of [[Alofi South]] (25.2 percent), [[Alofi North]] (11.1 percent), [[Hakupu]], and [[Tamakautoga]] (both 10.7 percent).<ref name="2022census"/>

===Ethnicity===
According to the 2022 census, 1,153 (73.7 percent) of residents identified of Niuean ethnicity. Of this, 1070 (68.4 percent) identified as Niuean and 83 (5.3 percent) identified as part-Niuean.<ref name="2022census"/> 411 residents identified as other ethnic groups, among them 68 Tuvaluans, 76 Samoans, 77 Tongans, 63 Fijians, and 27 Filipinos.<ref name="2022census"/>

===Languages===
The official languages of Niue are [[New Zealand English|English]] and [[Niuean language|Niuean]], a Polynesian language related to [[Tongan language|Tongan]] and [[Samoan language|Samoan]].<ref name="factbook"/> As of 2022, 1,014 (69.7 percent) of residents reported proficiency in speaking Niuean. The number of residents who speak Niuean has been in decline since 2006.<ref name="2022census"/>

===Religion===
According to the 2022 census, the majority of Niueans are religious, with only 112 (7.2 percent) of residents reporting no religion. 961 (61.4 percent) of Niueans are affiliated with the [[Congregational Christian Church of Niue|Ekalesia Niue Church]], a Christian denomination. 137 (8.8 percent) are affiliated with the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]], and 114 (7.3 percent) are affiliated with the [[Catholic Church]].<ref name="2022census"/>

===Health===
Healthcare in Niue is administered by the Niue Department of Health (NDOH), with the Niue Foou Hospital serving as a hub for the majority of the country's healthcare services. The hospital provides only primary and secondary care, and patients requiring tertiary care are sent to hospitals in New Zealand. Specialist healthcare providers from New Zealand visit Niue regularly to provide clinics.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Government of Niue Health Strategic Plan 2011–2021 |url=https://extranet.who.int/countryplanningcycles/sites/default/files/planning_cycle_repository/niue/niue_health_strategic_plan_2011-2021.pdf |publisher=Government of Niue |access-date=29 August 2025}}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:Niue Primary School, 2011. Photo- Kye Taylor - DFAT (13253017543).jpg|thumb|alt=School building|The Niue Primary School is one of two public schools in the country.]]
Niue has two public schools: the Niue Primary School and the Niue High School. The primary school serves students from years one to six, and the high school from years seven to 13. Enrolment is mandatory for children ages five to 16. Students in Niue have the opportunity to earn scholarships or a university entrance certificate to further their education in New Zealand or other countries.<ref name="2022census"/>

According to the 2022 census, trade certifications or diplomas are the highest formal education attained by men in Niue at 19.5 percent, a decrease from 22 percent in 2017. Female Niueans have a higher likelihood of acquiring a university education, with 25.9 percent of females completing a degree compared to 22.1 percent of males. 28.7 percent of the Niueans aged 60 and above had no qualifications.<ref name="2022census"/>

==Culture==
{{See also|Music of Niue|Niuean mythology}}
[[File:Niuean dancing.jpg|thumb|Niuean dancers at the [[Pasifika Festival]]]]

Niue is the birthplace of New Zealand artist and writer [[John Pule]]. Author of ''The Shark That Ate the Sun'', he also paints [[tapa cloth]] inspired designs on canvas.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.pacificmagazine.net/issue/2002/07/01/the-bifocal-world-of-john-pule |title=The Bifocal World of John Pule: This Niuean Writer and Painter Is Still Searching for a Place To Call Home |first=Scott |last=Whitney |newspaper=Pacific Magazine |date=1 July 2002 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006204951/http://www.pacificmagazine.net/issue/2002/07/01/the-bifocal-world-of-john-pule |archive-date=6 October 2008 |df = dmy-all }}.</ref> In 2005, he co-wrote ''Hiapo: Past and Present in Niuean Barkcloth'', a study of a traditional Niuean artform, with Australian writer and anthropologist Nicholas Thomas.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.otago.ac.nz/press/booksauthors/2005/pulethomas.html |title=John Pule and Nicholas Thomas. Hiapo: Past and present in Niuean barkcloth |publisher=Otago University Press |location=New Zealand |access-date=20 November 2012 |archive-date=18 October 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081018181047/http://www.otago.ac.nz/press/booksauthors/2005/pulethomas.html |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Taoga Niue]] is a new Government Department responsible for the preservation of culture, tradition and heritage. Recognising its importance, the Government has added Taoga Niue as the sixth pillar of the [[Niue Integrated Strategic Plan]] (NISP).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pafpnet.spc.int/pafpnet/attachments/article/226/Niue%20%20NNSP%202009%202013%20(2).pdf |title=Niue National Strategic Plan 2009 – 2013 |publisher=Government of Niue |page=4 |access-date=19 June 2022}}</ref>

===Media===
Niue has two broadcast outlets, [[Television Niue]] and [[Radio Sunshine]], managed and operated by the [[Broadcasting Corporation of Niue]], and one newspaper, the ''[[Niue Star]]''.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2002 |title=Le Programme international pour le développement de la communication de l'UNESCO soutient le journal de Niue |language=fr |url=http://www.unesco.org/webworld/fr/news/2002/020118_pina.shtml |publisher=[[UNESCO]] |access-date=29 August 2025 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021211025/http://www.unesco.org/webworld/fr/news/2002/020118_pina.shtml |archive-date=21 October 2016}}</ref>

===Arts and culture===
Hiapo is a traditional art form in Niue, it is considered similar to Siapo or Ngatu Tonga. Hiapo is made by beating the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree until it becomes a pliable [[tapa cloth]], which is then decorated using natural dyes and stencils. Some Niuean hiapo artists include [[John Pule]] and [[Cora-Allan Wickliffe]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pule |first1=John |last2=Thomas |first2=Nicholas |date=2005 |title=Hiapo: Past and present in Niuean barkcloth |publisher=[[University of Otago Press]] |isbn=978-1-8773-7200-1}}</ref>

[[Takalo]] is a Niuean war dance traditionally performed prior to engaging the enemy in battle, later being performed at formal occasions.<ref>{{cite book |last=McLean |first=Mervyn |date=1999 |title=Weavers of Song: Polynesian Music and Dance|publisher=[[Auckland University Press]] |page= |isbn=978-1-8694-0212-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Ponataki-Niue-Education-Resource-.pdf |title=Ponataki |page=14 |location=New Zealand |publisher=Ministry of Pacific Peoples |date=2020 |access-date=29 August 2025 |archive-date=1 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201135540/https://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Ponataki-Niue-Education-Resource-.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Museums ===
{{See also|List of museums in Niue}}
In 2004, [[Cyclone Heta]] destroyed the [[Huanaki Cultural Centre & Museum]]. The damage resulted in the destruction of the buildings, but also the loss of over 90% of the museum's collections.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barnett |first1=Jon |last2=Ellemor |first2=Heidi |date=2007 |title=Niue after Cyclone Heta |url=https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/ielapa.839358863015639 |journal=Australian Journal of Emergency Management |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=3–4 |language=EN |issn=1324-1540}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Barnett |first=Jon |date=1 June 2008 |title=The Effect of Aid On Capacity To Adapt To Climate Change: Insights From Niue |journal=Political Science |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=31–45 |doi=10.1177/003231870806000104 |s2cid=155080576 |issn=0032-3187}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Kitiaga mo fakamahani e hikihikiaga matagi he tau fifine Niue: tau pūhala he tau hiapo Niue women's perspectives and experiences of climate change: a hiapo approach |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10289/13380 |publisher=The University of Waikato |date=2020 |degree=PhD |language=en |first=Jessica Lili |last=Pasisi|hdl=10289/13380 }}</ref> In 2018 [[Tāoga Niue Museum|Fale Tau Tāoga Museum]] opened, a new national museum for Niue.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Art & Culture |url=https://www.niueisland.com/art-culture|access-date=2021-08-24 |website=Niue Tourism |language=en-NZ}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
Due to the island's location and the fact that the Niue produce a significant array of fruits and vegetables, natural local produce, especially coconut, features in many of the dishes of the islands, as does fresh seafood. [[Takihi]], the national dish, is made from coconut cream and thinly sliced [[taro]] and [[papaya]] layered on top of each other until it forms a cake like structure. Traditionally and popularly it is wrapped in taro leaves and is cooked in an Umu ([[earth oven]]), but nowadays people cook their takihi in their ovens at home.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Sport===
{{See also|Rugby union in Niue}}
[[File:Niuean haka.jpg|thumb|The Niue sevens team performing a [[takalo]]]]

Despite being a small country, a number of sports are popular. [[Rugby union]] is the most popular sport, played by both men and women; Niue was the 2008 [[FORU Oceania Cup]] champions.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200809/s2352343.htm?tab=sport |title=Niue take Oceania Cup rugby union final |publisher=Radio Australia |date=1 September 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916221921/http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200809/s2352343.htm?tab=sport |archive-date=16 September 2008}}</ref> [[Netball]] is played only by women. There is a nine-hole [[golf course]] at Fonuakula and a single lawn [[bowling green]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/commonwealth-games/129520042/commonwealth-games-how-a-frankly-embarrassing-selection-dispute-soured-niues-shot-at-lawn-bowls-success |title=Commonwealth Games: How a 'frankly embarrassing' selection dispute soured Niue's shot at lawn bowls success |publisher=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=10 August 2022 |access-date=14 March 2023}}</ref> Association football is a popular sport, as evidenced by the [[Niue Soccer Tournament]], though the [[Niue national football team]] has played only [[Football at the 1983 South Pacific Games#Group B|two matches]]. [[Rugby league]] is also a popular sport.

Niue participates in the [[Commonwealth Games]], but unlike the [[Cook Islands]], it is not a member of the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC) and does not compete in the [[Olympic Games]].<ref name="insidethegames.biz 2012">{{cite web | title=Niue | website=insidethegames.biz | date=2012-10-30 | url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1125846/niue-chef-de-mission | access-date=2023-10-16}}</ref> Per IOC rules, participation in the Olympics requires being "an independent State recognised by the international community".<ref name=IOC-09Dec2014a>{{cite web |url=http://www.olympic.org/news/127th-ioc-session-comes-to-close-in-monaco/242155|title=127th IOC Session comes to close in Monaco|publisher=International Olympic Committee|date=9 December 2014|access-date=6 August 2016|quote=The NOC of Kosovo met the requirements for recognition as outlined in the Olympic Charter. These include the sport and technical requirements as well as the definition of "country" as defined in Rule 30.1 – "an independent State recognised by the international community". Kosovo is recognised as a country by 108 of the 193 UN Member States.}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|border=no|Oceania|Countries}}
*[[Outline of Niue]]
*[[Bibliography of Niue]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Main article|Bibliography of Niue}}
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite thesis |last=Chapman |first=Terry |author-link=Terry Magaoa Chapman |date=1976 |title=The Decolonisation of Niue |location=Wellington |publisher=[[Victoria University Press]] |department=New Zealand Institute of International Affairs |oclc=3749817}}
* {{cite book |last=Pointer |first=Margaret |date=2015 |title=Niue 1774–1974: 200 Years of Contact and Change |location=Honolulu |publisher=[[University of Hawaiʻi Press]] |isbn=978-0-8248-5586-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Pointer |first=Margaret |date=2018 |title=Niue and the Great War |location=Dunedin, New Zealand |publisher=[[Otago University Press]] |isbn=978-1-9885-3123-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Terry |first1=James P. |last2=Murray |first2=Warwick E. |author-link2=Warwick Murray |date=2004 |title=Niue Island: Geographical Perspectives on the Rock of Polynesia |url= |location= |publisher=International Scientific Council for Island Development |isbn=9-2990-0230-4}}
* {{cite wikisource |last=Thomson |first=Basil C. |date=1902 |title=Savage Island |location=London |publisher=J. Murray}}
* {{cite journal |last=Tregear |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Tregear |date=March 1893 |title=Niue: or Savage Island |url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_2_1893/Volume_2%2C_No.1%2C_March_1893/Niue%3A_or_Savage_Island%2C_by_Edward_Tregear%2C_p_11-16/p1 |journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society |volume=2 |pages=11-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100626041724/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_2_1893/Volume_2%2C_No.1%2C_March_1893/Niue%3A_or_Savage_Island%2C_by_Edward_Tregear%2C_p_11-16/p1?action=null |archive-date=26 June 2010}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Niue|collapsible=collapsed}}
* [https://www.gov.nu/ Government of Niue]
*[http://www.niueisland.com Niue Tourism Office]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080607085350/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/niue.htm Niue] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
*{{wikiatlas|Niue}}

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