Goal: Improve the management of approximately 126,650 km² of ocean conservation areas, including the highly protected Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area (MPA), Nukutulueatama Beveridge Reef Special Management Area, and the recently designated Niue Nukutuluea Multiple-Use Marine Park

Since 2021, the Blue Nature Alliance, with support from technical partners such as McKinsey & Company, Ripple, DevDocs and Chapman Tripp, has partnered with the local nonprofit, Tofia Niue, the Government of Niue to build financial durability and strengthen management effectiveness of Niue’s blue territory. 

Known as ‘the rock of Polynesia’, Niue is both the world’s largest uplifted atoll and one of the smallest countries in the world, with a land surface of only 259 km². Located approximately 2,400 km northeast of New Zealand, the island nation has a marine territory 1,200 times larger than its land mass. Niue’s 321,018 km² exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has largely been unexploited and serves as a sanctuary for many rare and endangered shark, whale, dolphin, ray, and turtle species. Perhaps the most iconic marine species of Niue is the endemic Katuali or flat-tail sea snake.  

Aware of the area’s vulnerability to overexploitation and the impacts of climate change, Niue has taken bold steps to preserve its marine assets. In April 2020, Niue designated the Moana Mahu MPA and Nukutulueatama Beveridge Reef Special Management Area, setting 40% of its EEZ under strict protections, free from any extractive activities. In 2022, Niue went a step further by putting its entire EEZ and territorial sea under a holistic management framework via the Nukutuluea Multiple-Use Marine Park. 

The Blue Nature Alliance’s collaboration with Niue since 2021 has focused on establishing a trust fund and developing a fit-for-purpose financing mechanism for the protected areas’ long-term durability.  

In 2023, with support from the Alliance, the Government of Niue launched a holistic approach for the long-term conservation of its sovereign waters: Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs). Through this new financial mechanism, contributors are able to sponsor square kilometer units of Niue’s ocean for 20 years.   

Proceeds from OCC sponsorships will be managed by the Niue & Ocean Wide (NOW) Trust. With a capitalization target of NZ $32 million (US $18 million), the Trust will fund conservation activities, compliance and enforcement efforts, community engagement, and more. The Alliance was among the very first to commit to sponsoring several hundred OCCs and will continue to support our Niuean partners throughout the process of establishing and implementing the NOW Trust.  

To ensure appropriate monitoring, reporting, and verification and to enable adaptative and effective management, the Alliance and its partners are contributing to the development of a new Data Management System and Monitoring & Evaluation strategy. 

“[Niue’s] ecosystem services provide regional and global environmental benefits. The ocean is everything to us. We are also proud that several NGOs and private donors have already committed to sponsor the first OCCs: the Blue Nature Alliance, Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam, and Conservation International.”

– Hon. Dalton Tagelagi, Premier of Niue