Niue drops judge’s six monthly visit because of lack of money

Posted at 12:15 on 10 March, 2007

Niue’s ongoing financial problems have meant the planned visit next month by the island’s chief justice, New Zealand judge Heta Hingston, has been delayed.

The secretary of justice, Tongia Sioneholo, says they hope there will be enough funding in the new financial year to allow judge Hingston to visit in September or October.

The chief justice hears civil, criminal and land court matters, including appeals, within the Niue jurisdiction.

Mr Sioneholo says they had budgetted for the costs of Mr Hingston visiting but this amount was cut back by parliament.

The island has been under severe financial pressure for several months and last month government spending was reduced across the board, including a ten percent cut in salaries for all workers.

Niue close to getting fully restored power supply

A New Zealand government official says Niue is close to getting a fully restored reliable power supply.

The island has been experiencing lengthy outages this week after the failure of one of its two diesel generators.

The general manager of Niue Power, Speedo Hetutu, says their normal complement of generators is four, but they have been short two machines since a devastating fire at the island’s power station last June.

David Patton, who heads the New Zealand ministry of foreign affairs special relationship unit for Niue, says New Zealand, the main aid provider, has almost completed a refit of the station aimed at ensuring such a fire is not replicated.

“So a huge amount of work needs to be put into that and we are just at the stage where Niue will get not only a completely refitted power station, but they will get all the switching gear, they’ll get all the transformers and distribution systems to make sure all of the people on that island have power as and when it is needed.”

Next week the joint consultative group, comprised of New Zealand and Niuean officials, is to meet over several days in Wellington.

Vote of no confidence in Niue fails to dislodge government of Young Vivian

Posted at 09:39 on 09 March, 2007

The premier of Niue, Young Vivian, has easily withstood a vote of no confidence, winning 12 votes to 7.

An opposition MP, Terry Coe, had brought the motion saying years of economic mismanagement was the fault of successive governments and a new approach was needed.

Last month, the government agreed to cut workers salaries by ten percent as it struggled with a budget blowout and Mr Vivian says he believes this will ease the island’s financial problems.

Next week he is to bring a delegation for discussions with the New Zealand government where the prioritising of aid spending is expected to be discussed.

This comes as the country tries to cope with ongoing power outages after the failure of one of two diesel generators.

The Niue works minister, Fisa Pihigia, says New Zealand needs to move more quickly to get a promised third generator to the island.

Niue premier calls for private debts to be settled

Niue premier calls for private debts to be settled

The premier of Niue, Young Vivian, has called for residents to pay back more than two million US dollars he says they owe the government.

Mr Vivian is facing a vote of no confidence over a financial crisis which last month saw salaries for public servants reduced by ten percent, as well as cuts in other government expenditure.

Mr Vivian says the island’s plight would be further eased if residents paid for the assistance they hve received from the government over the years.

“For houses, for use of government machinery, for the use of television and broadcasting, for discing or ploughing agricultural land, for delivering containers from the wharf to the villages - all those things.”

Mr Vivian says the vote of no confidence on March 7th is a distraction but he says if people recognise the need to work to together he will survive.

More power outages on Niue

New Zealand is being called on to quickly sort out delays in getting a power generator to Niue where there are lengthy power outages.

The island, which experienced a major fire at its power plant last year, is suffering power cuts every day after one of the two diesel generators broke down.

Niue Power’s general manager Speedo Hetutu, says the island has in the past had four generators while the minister of public works, Fisa Pihigia, says New Zealand needs to sort out the red tape which appears to be delaying a third generator being sent.

He says he has made the government’s concerns clear to New Zealand.

I have spoken very frankly to the New Zealand High Commissioner last Friday, pointing out to him that we can continue on like this and that New Zealand has to make a decision very quickly to avoid future faulty in any one of those two generators we have at the moment.

Niue Government To Face No Confidence Motion

Thursday: March 01, 2007

Niue's government is to face a vote of no confidence this week brought by opposition MP Terry Cole. Cole says the cabinet has been mismanging Niue's finances for years.
The country has recently cut all public servants salaries by ten percent and placed freezes on other spending in a bid to stave off economic ruin.

The vote was scheduled for yesterday March 7th.

Pay Cuts Ahead For Niue MPs

Niue Premier Young Vivian says the salaries of parliamentarians are likely to be cut to match planned reductions in the income of public servants as the country faces a budgeting crisis.

With nearly half the financial year to run, Niue is already facing a shortfall of around US$1 million.

The government has proposed that public servants work a four-day week and Mr Vivian says he has been meeting with departmental heads to develop a policy for this.

He says the final decision on the cuts will rest with Parliament.

Mr Vivian says workers in key services such as the health department, police and education department will not be affected.