Niueans call for greater autonomy

Press, 26 June 1989, Page 2

Niueans call for greater autonomy

PA Wellington A select committee review in Niue of the country’s constitution is recommending more autonomy for the tiny island country. The committee’s report to the Niue Parliament suggests that a local commission administer the public service and that a Niuean be appointed as Queen’s representative of the coral island’s 2000 residents. At the moment, the New Zealand GovernorGeneral is also the Queen’s representative of Niue, and the New Zealand Government has some control over the island’s affairs. The select committee’s recommendations go before Parliament as a draft bill, and full consultation would take place with the people before they were voted on.

The Speaker of the Niue Parliament, Mr Sam Tagelagi, said that the recommendations were unrelated to the recent New Zealand Government Audit Office report on Niue’s financial affairs. Niue was told this year to follow the New Zealand Government policy of privatisation and reduce the State sector, even though the country now has only 2000 inhabitants. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marshall, who visited Niue in mid-April, said the island had been given a stern message to introduce user-pays and reduce Government influence in the economy.

New Zealand last year gave $lO million in aid to Niue, 85 per cent being

used to fund the overstaffed civil service. Mr Marshall said the Niue civil service could be reduced by two-thirds, but in an economy where residents were used to State dependence, the Government was the largest employer. Everyone in Niue was related to everyone else and change was difficult. He said he told the Government change must occur.

An Audit Office report described the Government as negligent with taxpayers’ money, but Mr Marshall played down the criticisms.

One year has elapsed in a three-year concerted action programme to better use aid in Niue but Mr Marshall said the island Government had not come far enough.

Inhabitants were still “coddled” by the Government.

They did not pay medical fees and “I’m not sure they pay for power.” One of the country’s problems was that its citizens were also New Zealand citizens.

There are up to 12,000 Niueans living in New Zealand and Mr Marshall said those who argued against privatisation of the Niue economy feared more people would leave the country. He believed that if there was redundancy pay some people laid off by the Government might start their own businesses

—- but only if the State was not giving handouts to the extent that private competition would have no chance.