| Country name | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Niue former: Savage Island etymology: the origin of the name is obscure; in Niuean, the word supposedly translates as "behold the coconut" note: pronunciation falls between nyu-way and new-way, but not like new-wee |
| Dependency status | self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue |
| Government type | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital | name: Alofi geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order |
| Independence | 19 October 1974 (Niue became a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand) |
| National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
| Constitution | history: several previous (New Zealand colonial statutes); latest 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act 1974) amendments: proposed by the Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership in each of three readings and approval by at least two-thirds majority votes in a referendum; passage of amendments to a number of sections, including Niue’s self-governing status, British nationality and New Zealand citizenship, external affairs and defense, economic and administrative assistance by New Zealand, and amendment procedures, requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly and at least two thirds of votes in a referendum; amended 1992, 2007; note - in early 2021, the constitution review committee of the Assembly requested suggestions from the public about changes to the constitution |
| Legal system | English common law |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Patricia Lee REDDY (since 28 September 2016); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner Kirk YATES (since May 2018) head of government: Premier Dalton TAGELAGI (since 10 June 2020) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the premier elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; premier indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly for a 3-year term; election last held on 10 June 2020 (next to be held in 2023) election results: Dalton TAGELAGI elected premier; Legislative Assembly vote - Dalton TAGELAGI (independent) 13, O'Love JACOBSEN (independent) 7; Toke TALAGI lost his seat in election |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral Assembly or Fono Ekepule (20 seats; 14 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 6 directly elected from the National Register or "common roll" by majority vote; members serve 3-year terms) elections: last held on 30 May 2020 (next to be held on 2023) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 20 |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and up to 3 judges); note - the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London) is the final appeal court beyond the Niue Court of Appeal judge selection and term of office: Niue chief justice appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet and tendered by the premier; other judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Cabinet and tendered by the chief justice and the minister of justice; judges serve until age 68 subordinate courts: High Court note: Niue is a participant in the Pacific Judicial Development Program, which is designed to build governance and the rule of law in 15 Pacific island countries |
| Political parties and leaders | Alliance of Independents or AI Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Young VIVIAN] |
| International organization participation | ACP, AOSIS, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | embassy: none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand) |
| Flag description | yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large star on a blue disk in the center and a smaller star on each arm of the bold red cross; the larger star stands for Niue, the smaller stars recall the Southern Cross constellation on the New Zealand flag and symbolize links with that country; yellow represents the bright sunshine of Niue and the warmth and friendship between Niue and New Zealand |
| National anthem | name: "Ko e Iki he Lagi" (The Lord in Heaven) lyrics/music: unknown/unknown, prepared by Sioeli FUSIKATA note: adopted 1974 |
| National symbol(s) | yellow, five-pointed star; national color: yellow |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
