Celebrating Niue – Inaugural Festival On Its Way

NIUE, one of the Pacific’s least-populated countries, is soon to host its first-ever culture and arts festival as a way of reconnecting Niueans offshore with their heritage.

Just under 1700 Niueans live on the island, compared with 22,000 in New Zealand.

The festival, being held April 12-18, is being promoted by the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs whose Chief Executive, Dr Colin Tukuitonga, says two years of planning is nearly at an end.

“What we want to do is encourage Niueans in New Zealand to reconnect with their homeland and celebrate ‘all things Niue’. We are especially keen that young Niueans here take the opportunity to experience Niuean culture and establish links with their home of origin,” he says.

“The festival the culmination of discussions with the Niuean community in New Zealand, which is increasingly concerned about the incremental loss of Niuean language and hence various forms of cultural expression. Niue’s tapa tradition, for example, has already pretty much died out.”

The week-long celebration is to run activities including: song, dance, film, cultural sports, language workshops – plus many more. Dr Tukuitonga said the festival would also contribute to Niue’s future development with cultural tourism offering a unique visitor experience. “The festival has the full support of Niue’s premier Hon Toke Talagi,” he says.

The New Zealand delegation includes groups and artists from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, who are still fund-raising to cover accommodation and associated travel costs.

Niue has been self-governing, in free association with New Zealand since 1974 but is fully responsible for its internal affairs.

It 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 60 metres 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 notable feature of the island is the number of limestone caves found close to the coast.

ENDS

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