Niue Fakahoamotu Nukutuluea Motutefua Nukututaha: Critical discussions of Niue history in and beyond Aotearoa New Zealand

From publisher's website: Bringing together Niue scholars, creatives and thinkers from various disciplines and fields, this article is the culmination of two conference roundtables, a history panel, and multiple ongoing discussions about critically engaging with and contributing to Niue knowledge in academia. From different standpoints we each explore the vastness of Niue history through lenses that centre, privilege and uphold aga fakaNiue (Niue lifestyle, ways, culture) through cultural values and principles, tāoga (that which is treasured or prized), metaphor and approaches. Engaging in these spaces as tau tagata Niue (Niue people) is inevitably marked by Niue’s connections to Aotearoa and the wider Pacific. While our work may challenge dominant narratives by non-Niue people, we use this space to ask questions that are important to us and to the Niue communities we serve. What counts as Niue history? As tagata Niue how do we see ourselves in our academic and creative work? Who does Niue knowledge and history belong to? How do we make the places where Niue knowledge exists more accessible to the growing Niue populations in and beyond Aotearoa, whilst still maintaining strong connections to Niue? What is the place of Niue history in New Zealand history

A Century of Change in Coral Reef Status in Southeast and Central Pacific: Polynesia Mana Node, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Niue, Tokelau, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna

The Polynesia Mana Node of the southeast and central Pacific contains 7 independent or autonomous countries or territories with only 6,000 km2 of land on 347 islands, but surrounded by 12 million km2 of EEZ. These seas contain 13,000 km2 of coral reefs as the main natural ecosystem providing food resources and opportunities for development, especially for tourism and pearl culture for 500,000 inhabitants. During the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, there was major exploitation by the colonial powers of mother-of-pearl oysters for the button industry, as well as guano, sandalwood and trepang. The Polynesian people were largely involved in a subsistence economy and all coral reefs and lagoons were healthy. During the last two decades of the 20th, all countries experienced rapid development and urbanization, rising populations, and some increased agriculture. These developments were limited to a few islands of each country (i.e. 15 islands amongst the 347) with resulting degradation of the coral reefs around these sites. The other islands remained mostly uninhabited and pristine, and continued with a subsistence economy. Generally, there was more damage to the coral reefs through natural events such as cyclones and coral bleaching, than by human activities. There is however, an urgent need to combat the threats on some islands from increased sedimentation, over-fishing, dredging and nutrient pollution

Pathways to sustaining tuna-dependent Pacific Island economies during climate change

Climate-driven redistribution of tuna threatens to disrupt the economies of Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and sustainable management of the world’s largest tuna fishery. Here we show that by 2050, under a high greenhouse gas emissions scenario (RCP 8.5), the total biomass of three tuna species in the waters of ten Pacific SIDS could decline by an average of 13% (range = −5% to −20%) due to a greater proportion of fish occurring in the high seas. The potential implications for Pacific Island economies in 2050 include an average decline in purse-seine catch of 20% (range = −10% to −30%), an average annual loss in regional tuna-fishing access fees of US$90 million (range = −US$40 million to –US$140 million) and reductions in government revenue of up to 13% (range = −8% to −17%) for individual Pacific SIDS. Redistribution of tuna under a lower-emissions scenario (RCP 4.5) is projected to reduce the purse-seine catch from the waters of Pacific SIDS by an average of only 3% (range = −12% to +9%), indicating that even greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the Paris Agreement, would provide a pathway to sustainability for tuna-dependent Pacific Island economies. An additional pathway involves Pacific SIDS negotiating within the regional fisheries management organization to maintain the present-day benefits they receive from tuna, regardless of the effects of climate change on the distribution of the fish