New Zealand Dollar (NZD) Exchange Rates
Capital: Alofi
Land: 260 sq km
Currency (code): New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)
Population: 1,444 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure: Not Available
Population growth rate: -0.032% (2008 est.)
Religions: Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census)
Climate: The climate is tropical. Summer (December– March) daytime temperatures average around 82°F (28°C); in winter (June–September) the average drops to about 72°F (24°C).
Language: The Niuean language can be traced to Samoan and Tongan roots. Dialects, like the people, once
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differed between north and south, but variations have largely disappeared. Most adults speak both Niuean and English fluently.
General Attitudes: Since Niue’s first contact with Western culture, two main forces have influenced Niuean attitudes: missionary Christianity and the island’s relationship with New Zealand. Yet underlying these factors is the uniqueness of the Niuean culture. The influence of Ekalesia Niue is evident in the fact that boating, fishing, swimming, dancing, sports, business, and broadcasting are either frowned upon or prohibited on Sunday. Also, a good deal of social life is organized by and around churches. New Zealand’s influence is evident in clothing styles, food and drink, housing, business practices, and Niue’s form of government. The majority of Niueans have personal contacts in New Zealand.
From traditional culture, today’s society has retained staple food choices, means of subsistence, and most importantly, the place of the individual within the magafaoa (extended family).Modern Niuean life seems to have a weekly rhythm. Religion prevails on Sunday, and on weekdays during business hours, Western culture prevails. The rest of the time is spent in traditional Niuean activities. Political life also still shows traces of the pre-Western era. Unlike Polynesian societies on other islands where food was more abundant and surpluses allowed a hierarchy to be supported, Niuean villages had a loose structure, and authority was widely dispersed. Village councils made most decisions, and there were no hereditary ranks or aristocracy. These tendencies persist today.
Greetings: Niueans greet each other at work with English greetings or in Niuean with Fakaalofa atu (Love be with
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you)or the informal Mafola? (Okay?). Niuean greetings dominate at home or in the village, though people who have spent time overseas might also use English. Men shake hands. Female friends meeting after a long absence kiss one another’s cheek.
Niueans might address one another by first name, but nicknames are more common. In fact, most people have more than one nickname that may be used by different people or on different occasions. Nicknames are typically the abbreviation of the Niuean and English versions of one’s given name.
When parting, people say Koe kia (Good-bye). For two people, the phrase is Mua kia, and for three or more it is Mutolukia. Informal English phrases are also common. If an individual is leaving for a long time, it is most appropriate to say Monuina [e fenoga] (Blessings [on the voyage]).
Labor force: 663 (2001)
Labor force - by note: most work on family plantations; paid work occupation: exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board
Unemployment rate: 12% (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer 4% (2005) prices):
Natural resources: fish, arable land
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Exports: $201,400 (2004)
Exports – commodities: canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts
Exports - partners: New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2006)
Imports: $9.038 million (2004)
Imports – commodities: food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs
Imports - partners: New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2006)
References:
“Niue.” CultureGrams World Edition. 2008. ProQuest.
“Niue.” ”THE WORLD FACTBOOK. 2008. CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.
“Niue.” Factsheet. May, 2007. Economist Intelligence Unit.
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