Emani Fakaotimanava-Lui and his father, the late Frank Fakaotimanava-Lui who was Premier of Niue. Photo / Emani Fakaotimanava-Lui
By Lydia Lewis of RNZ
There is a new generation of politicians in Niue after the weekend’s election.
Among the 20 people elected are six new MPs, and also six women - the highest number ever.
One of those successful candidates Emani Haile Fakaotimanava-Lui told RNZ Pacific he and his family were ecstatic upon hearing the results.
“The reaction from the family was, ‘wow! amazing!’ We did a hymn and then a prayer,” he said.
“This is a journey that has been years in the making.”
The national election wrapped up at the weekend. The common roll list elects six MPs and there were 17 candidates. The other 14 MPs are elected from the 14 village seats.
Fakaotimanava-Lui is the son of former Niue Premier Frank Fakaotimanava-Lui who was in parliament at its inception in 1974, when the island was granted self-governance by New Zealand.
Emani, who came second in the common roll behind Crossley Tatui, has been carving out his own legacy in the tech space for more than two decades, as the owner of the first Pacific-owned internet service provider in New Zealand.
He said in the 1990s he began asking organisations why Niue did not have the same access to the internet as people in New York, Auckland or Sydney.
The entrepreneur made his dream a reality, co-founding and developing the first free Wi-Fi country in the world.
He hoped he could offer his expertise to government agencies.
“Just to be able to say that’s how it’s been done in the real world and it could be a possibility for this and that, but for right now just to come through the weekend in a safe space. And also noting and appreciating those that did not make it as well,” he said.
Fakaotimanava-Lui was proud to see 34-year-old Rhonda Tiakia Tomailuga elected as Lakepa’s representative. He said that was the real story, “not me”.
Niue Broadcasting Corporation reports Tomailuga as a well-travelled youth leader and the president of the Niue Youth Council.
Tomailuga was the sixth woman to be elected as a village representative, the corporation reported.
“Before 1999, no woman had ever held a village seat in the Niue Legislative Assembly until Va’aiga Tukuitonga was elected as the representative for Alofi North,” Esther Pavihi from Niue Broadcasting Corporation said.
While the caretaker Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi had already secured a seat before polling, as six of the 14 village seats returned MPs unopposed, all eyes have been on the common seats.
The Finance Minister in the caretaker Premier’s government, Crossley Tatui was the only candidate contesting the common seats to poll over 400 votes, putting him top of the common roll.
Veteran politician Terry Coe missed out by two spots, ranking eighth on the roll, with only the top six making the cut.
A former Wellington mayor, Mark Blumsky, who was also a New Zealand MP and a diplomat, also missed out, ranking 16th.
Dalton Tagelagi said at the weekend that the first parliament sitting is yet to be called.
The first session is likely to be next week, he said.
New Zealand-based Niuean, Sir Colin Tukuitonga, said no doubt deals will be going on as people try to secure portfolios ahead of Parliament’s first sitting.
“Now that they have pretty much agreed to the 20 going into the legislative assembly they would be negotiating the Premier - I imagine Dalton Tagelagi would still be the candidate,” Sir Colin said.
Sir Colin said he was very pleased to see more women at the table.
“There’s six for the first time, more young women, I think it’s fantastic,” he said.
When MPs do meet for the first session, they are to be sworn in, a speaker will be elected and then MPs will vote for the Premier.
The Premier will then form a cabinet.
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