Politics of Niue

{{office-table}}

|Monarch

|Charles III

|

|8 September 2022

|-

|Governor-General

|Cindy Kiro

|

|28 September 2021

|-

|Premier

|Dalton Tagelagi

|Independent

|11 June 2020

|}

The monarch is hereditary; his representative in relation to Niue (the Governor-General of New Zealand) is appointed by the monarch. The New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by, and acts solely as a diplomatic agent of, the New Zealand Government. The cabinet is chosen by the premier and appointed by the Speaker of the Niue Assembly and collectively responsible to Parliament.

The Cabinet is made up of four ministers, each overseeing a different portfolio. Each minister, with the exception of the Premier, has another Member of the Assembly assisting him/her in the operations of their portfolio. Each ministry also has Directory Generals serving as permanent employees of the ministries, as well as directors for each division.{{cite web |url=https://www.talaniue.com/new-cabinet-line-up/ |title=New Cabinet Line-up! |publisher=Talaniue |date=11 June 2020 |access-date=25 June 2020}}

The Assembly has 20 members elected for a three-year term, 6 elected on a nationwide list, called the common roll, and 14 representatives of the villages. Electors must be New Zealand citizens, resident for at least three months, and candidates must have been electors, resident for twelve months. The speaker is elected from among the members.

In Niue, political parties have never played an important role. There is, at present, no political party, and candidates to elections therefore run as independents. The only party ever to have existed, the Niue People's Party, disbanded in 2003.

As there are no political parties, there is no formal parliamentary Opposition, though there are MPs who oppose the government.

{{Niuean political parties}}

{{Main|2023 Niuean general election}}

Below is a list of recent by-elections:

{{See also|Court system of Niue}}

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sitting in the United Kingdom is Niue's highest court. On the island, there is a Court of Appeal (which sat in New Zealand until 2009), and the High Court of Niue.{{cite web |url=http://www.acclawyers.org/resources/Niue/ |title=Niuean criminal court system |publisher=Association of Commonwealth Criminal Lawyers |access-date=2010-12-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724223409/http://www.acclawyers.org/resources/niue/ |archive-date=2011-07-24 |url-status=usurped }}

The current Chief Justice of the High Court is Craig Coxhead.{{Cite web|title=Appointment ceremony for the Chief Justice and a Judge of the High Court of Niue|url=https://gg.govt.nz/governor-general/blog/2018/11/appointment-ceremony-chief-justice-and-judge-high-court-niue|access-date=2021-04-11|website=gg.govt.nz|language=en-NZ}} The Chief Justice is chosen by the Governor-General of New Zealand on advice from the cabinet of Niue.{{Cite book|last=Levine|first=Stephen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cZRNDAAAQBAJ&q=niue+court+system&pg=PT226|title=Pacific Ways: Government and Politics in the Pacific Islands|date=2016-06-01|publisher=Victoria University Press|isbn=978-1-77656-026-4|language=en}}

Initially, it was the Crown Counsel of New Zealand that provided legal assistance to those accused of serious offenses such as murder. In 1971, the Select Committee on the Appointment of a Public Defender recommended that the Government of Niue provide any offenders with court representation. John Funaki (a non-attorney) was the first to serve as the Public Defender of Niue in 1976.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EHK-KywQDnMC&pg=PA187|title=Pacific Courts and Legal Systems|last1=Powles|first1=Guy|last2=Pulea|first2=Mere|date=1988|publisher=editorips@usp.ac.fj|isbn=9789820200432|language=en}} Even today, the government provides funding for a Public Defender.{{Cite web|url=http://pilonsec.org/images/stories/Documents/CountryReports/28th/PILON+-+Niue+Country+Report.pdf|title=Pacific Island Legal Officers Network; 12th – 16th November 2009, Samoa. Country Report: Niue|website=Pilonsec.org|access-date=8 June 2020}}

Niue is divided in 14 villages each with its own village council whose members are elected and serve three-year terms.{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.nu/wb/pages/parliament.php |title=Parliament |publisher=Government of Niue |access-date=16 October 2021}}

• African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (Cotounu Convention)
• U.N. Economic and Social Committee for Asia and the Pacific (associate)
• Intelsat (nonsignatory user)
• Pacific Islands Forum
• South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement (SPARTECA)
• The Pacific Community (SPC)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• World Health Organization
• World Meteorological Organization

Local Government in Niue is established under the provisions of the Niue Village Council Act 1967. Every village in Niue have a Village council, the term in office is three years before going back to the polls. The election of the members of the village council follows the same rules and regulations used in the General Election to elect members of the Niue Legislative Assembly (parliament). At the first meeting of the Village Council the Chairman will be elected, including the Deputy Chair and the appointment of the Secretary/Treasurer. The Village Council receives grants from the Government, donor agencies also fund some development projects. The Council use to organize show days and conduct fundraising activities to generate revenue to help run some of the activities of the village.{{fact|date=March 2025}}

Before achieving independence in 1974, there was an Attorney General for Niue that also served as the Attorney General for New Zealand. However, it would not be until 1996 that Niue would create the official title of Attorney General after amending the Niue Act 1966. Nevertheless, the amendment would not create much of a constitutional change, and the introduction of the Interpretation Act 2004 instated the Crown Law Office as providing legal advice to the Niue government. As a result, it was advised in 2004 that the post of Attorney General be repealed.{{Cite web|url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/Declarations.aspx?index=Niue&lang=_en&chapter=18&treaty=379|title=UNTC|website=treaties.un.org|access-date=2018-03-14}}

The head of the Crown Law Office functions as a public servant, and the Public Service Commission designates the titles for the service officers. The Crown Law Office is responsible for advising the government ministries, and advises the police in regards to criminal prosecution. Due to the lack of attorneys in Niue, there are certain instances in which the office will provide legal presentation to Niue residents.{{Cite journal|last=Angelo|first=Tony|date=2011|title=Variations on a theme: When is an Attorney General not an Attorney-General|url=http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1419&context=blr|journal=Bond Law Review|volume=23:2}}

*He may have spent the majority of his service as the Acting Attorney General as the Niue government had difficulty filling the position.

• Cabinet of Niue
• Electoral calendar
• Electoral system
• Foreign relations of Niue
• List of political parties by country to browse parties by country

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.gov.nu/ Government of Niue]

{{Niuean elections|state=expanded}}

{{Oceania in topic|Elections in}}

{{Niue topics}}

Niue