‘Constitution belongs to everybody’

The Speaker of the Niue Assembly says the recent referendum has significantly improved the role of the Parliamentary Select Committee.

Hima Douglas, who has served as Speaker since 2020, said that although the referendum changes may appear minor, they have substantially impacted the parliamentary processes.

The recent referendum asked Niueans to vote on four key bills proposing amendments to the Constitution.

Voters rejected proposals that would have extended the parliamentary term from three years to four and another to expand the Cabinet from four members to six.

That two that passed changed the title of Premier to Prime Minister and the name of the Audit Office to the Auditor-General.

“As a result of that change, there have been some very significant improvements.

“We're working slowly through it, but what it means practically is that the (NZ) Auditor-General's office can now help our Parliamentary Select Committee, which is the Public Accounts Committee.

“They can help our Public Accounts Committee focus their attention on the issues that we should be looking at in terms of holding the government to account because that's important.”

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon visited Niue as part of his first Pacific mission, commemorating 50 years of Niue's independence in free association with New Zealand. Photo/Ala Vailala

With only 61 per cent of registered voters participating in the August referendum, concerns were raised about public engagement with both the referendum and the government.

Despite these concerns, Douglas believes that the electorate’s response was straightforward.

“I think essentially what happened was that some of the electorate says, ‘look, we elected you into the Parliament to rule the country on our behalf, and so if you're going to change the Constitution, get on with it because that's what we elected you in there to do’.

“But on the other hand there are some very strict processes and procedures built into the Constitution to make it difficult for us to change our Constitution.

“If you make it easy, every government that comes in, a new government, would want to make changes to suit their own time in government.

“The constitution belongs to everybody on the island.”

Douglas worked as a broadcaster, a broadcasting consultant, and a public servant for the South Pacific Commission and Niuean government. Photo/NZ Parliament Facebook

Douglas said improvements should be made for future referendums but he denied any biased advice when asked about efforts to inform the public ahead of the referendum.

“Select committees, particularly when it comes to the Constitution because these people have studied the changes. They know what to expect, and it's human nature.

“When you understand something better, you tend to lean towards that side.”

While the government argued that expansion of the cabinet was needed to address growing workloads, this did not resonate with voters.

“The proposal was that we increase the size of Cabinet by two more ministers.

“And the reason for that was the workload for the four ministers has doubled, tripled over time.

Listen to Douglas' full interview below.

“And ministers are now required to do far more than what was anticipated back in 1974.

“When it went to the referendum, the electorate rejected it. They said, ‘No, you just have to work a bit harder.’

Douglas acknowledged that the need for the change could have been better explained and this may have contributed to the rejection.

“I think part of the problem, perhaps, was that there was insufficient explanation to the people as to why there was a need to increase the number of cabinet ministers.

“There was no solid evidence to say, ‘Okay, in a week, this is what we had to do.’ In a month, we spend so much time travelling and meeting our national, regional and international commitments.

“So much time was spent in doing this that we really needed some assistance and therefore, the need to increase the numbers in Cabinet.”

Douglas said voters appeared to have rejected the extension of the parliamentary term because they look to New Zealand’s efficiency in governing within a three-year framework.

Douglas believes the comparison with New Zealand isn’t entirely fair.

“Because of our close relationship with New Zealand, there's a little saying on Niue that if New Zealand sneezes, Niue wipes its nose.

Watch PMN News reel from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's first Pacific Mission in Niue.

“So anything that happens in New Zealand has a direct reflection on Niue.

“So it's natural when they look at the operation in New Zealand, and they say, ‘well, they're a much, much bigger country. They can achieve this in three years. We're a much, much smaller little island. Surely we can achieve what we want to achieve in three years'.

“But I think the other point was that in all of our governments, when there's a change in government, it is essentially the same people that govern the island for at least three or four terms.

“We've never had a government on the island where you only last three years, and then you're finished.”

The Speaker stressed the importance of public education in improving constitutional understanding: “We need to start at the schools... to explain how our system of government works.”

On the regional stage, Niue is actively engaged in initiatives related to climate change and gender equity.

However, Douglas warned against overextending resources

“We don’t want to become so committed that we forget we’ve got little problems at home to deal with at the same time.”

Reflecting on 50 years of self-governance, Douglas highlighted the continued need for responsible leadership and public engagement.

“Unless there’s a certain degree of economic independence, there can never be any proper political independence,” he explained, emphasising the need for a national discussion on finding a balance between external support and self-reliance.

As Niue looks ahead, the referendum results highlight the importance of clear communication, public education, and thoughtful reform.

For Douglas, these challenges represent an opportunity to strengthen the connection between leaders and citizens.

“All we need to do now is to encourage our people to cross that bridge and talk to each other.

“How exactly do we do that? I'm only a fisherman from Avatele, what do I know?”