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Niue Assembly

Niue Fono Ekepule
Niue Assembly ; Niue Fono Ekepule
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Hima Douglas ; since 11 June 2020
Structure
Seats	20
Political groups	Common roll (6); Village representatives (14)
Elections
Last election	29 April 2023
Meeting place
	Alofi
Website
	www.gov.nu/parliament

The Niue Assembly or Niue Parliament (Niuean: Niue Fono Ekepule) is the legislature of Niue. It consists of 20 members; 14 representatives of the villages and 6 elected on a common island-wide roll. Members are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a three-year term. Niue follows the Westminster system of government, with the Premier elected by the Assembly and the Cabinet drawn from it.

History

The Assembly is descended from the Island Council established under the Cook Islands Act 1915. This was disbanded in 1959 and reconstituted as the Assembly, which was successively granted greater control.^[1] The Assembly assumed full law-making power within the constitution upon self-government in 1974.

The Assembly is physically located in Alofi.

Speaker of the Assembly

The Assembly is presided over by a Speaker, elected by its members from outside their ranks. If a member of the Assembly is elected Speaker, they must resign their seat.^[2] The Speaker does not vote in proceedings, and does not enjoy a casting vote.

The current Speaker is Hima Douglas.

Elections

Elections are held under a simple plurality system, with electors in the fourteen villages electing one member per village by majority vote, and six members from a common roll. Electors and candidates must be either New Zealand citizens or permanent residents of Niue, continually resident for at least three years at some point, and ordinarily resident for twelve months prior to enrolment as an elector or, as the case may be, nomination as a candidate.

Terms of the Niue Assembly

Term	Elected in	Government
13th Assembly	2008 election	Non-partisan
14th Assembly	2011 election	Non-partisan
15th Assembly	2014 election
16th Assembly	2017 election
17th Assembly	2020 election
18th Assembly	2023 election

Legislative procedures

The power of the Assembly to pass legislation is circumscribed by the constitution. Any member may introduce a bill, but the Assembly may not proceed on bills dealing with financial matters without the consent of the Premier. Bills affecting the criminal law or personal status, the public service or Niuean land may not proceed without a report from the Chief Justice, the Niue Public Service Commission, or an appropriate Commission of Inquiry respectively.^[3]

A bill becomes law when passed by the Assembly and certified by the Speaker.^[4] There is no Royal Assent.

References

^ Island Territories: Niue Island in Te Ara: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.
^ Constitution of Niue, article 20 (3).
^ Constitution of Niue, Articles 30 – 33.
^ Constitution of Niue, Article 34.