Niue

This has been an unprecedented period for Niue, with the global novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic compelling Niue to shut its borders for the first time in contemporary history and the 2020 Niue general election resulting in the ousting of former Premier Sir Toke Talagi. While the former was a significant and unforeseen event, the latter was unsurprising, following concerns regularly raised by opposition members of Parliament (mps) over the former premier’s extended absence from Niue due to ill health and the ensuing calls for his resignation due to his inability to carry out duties expected of him as premier and minister for finance.

First, I extend my condolences to the family of and the people of Niue led by former Premier Sir Toke Talagi, who passed away while this review was being written. While our approaches to politics differed, Sir Toke was an admirable and bold leader who was fiercely proud of Niue and its people and who saw great potential in what Niue could achieve. It is without a doubt that, thanks to his leadership, Niue is now well placed for the new government to carry forward.

There were a number of key items and events worth noting during this period: Niue designated 40 percent of its exclusive economic zone, an equivalent of 127,000 square kilometers (49,035 square miles), as a marine conservation area (Moana Mahu Marine protected area); the country became the world’s first Dark Sky Nation; there was impressive external diplomatic representation at Niue’s forty-fifth constitution celebrations, with representatives from Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and the People’s Republic of China; and Niue was removed from the European Union’s blacklist for tax havens after it implemented all necessary reforms to strengthen good governance and clamp down on tax avoidance (bcn, 25 Feb 2020).

A total of four acts were passed in the Niue Legislative Assembly during this period, and four regulations were introduced (Niue Crown Law Office 2020). Evidently, this period has been quiet on the lawmaking front, with opposition to some extent dominating discussions in the assembly and media, in addition to disruptions caused by covid-19 and the Niue general election. As such, this review focuses on the impacts of covid-19 and the 2020 election.

The covid-19 pandemic saw Niue, which remains one of the world’s few covid-19-free countries, shut its borders to the outside world for the first time in contemporary history. Plagued by disquiet and calls from opposition mps and the local business community to shut Niue’s borders, the government and other relevant agencies’ proactive management of Niue’s response to the virus, including the application of a virus-prevention strategy, has so far been successful. This approach follows the lead of other countries who have been successful in their management of covid-19, such as Tonga and New Zealand.

As the number of cases surged globally, it was evident that Niue’s health-care system, as well as its broader political system, was in no position to handle any case or community outbreak of the virus. The decimating outbreak of measles in Sāmoa in 2019 signaled that island countries like Niue are not immune to such events. Given Niue’s ill-equipped health-care system, which is reliant on New Zealand and other regional and global bodies for support, equipment, and supplies, the best strategy was prevention.

With the establishment of covid-19 as a notifiable disease pursuant to the Public Health Act 1965, travel restrictions and strict quarantine requirements for incoming passengers were implemented (Government of Niue 2020). The first few repatriation flights were not without issues, as many people were confused about the meaning of “quarantine” and “isolation” and the quarantine rules for arrivals were inconsistent. The first covid-19 briefing in Niue for arriving passengers also saw family and community members attend out of interest, raising concerns about the risk of exposure not only to those present but also to the Niue Golf and Sports Club members. Many appeared to struggle to fully grasp and understand the implications of...