The Seal of Niue, or the Public Seal of Niue, is the

official seal A seal is a device for making an impression in wax, clay, paper, or some other medium, including an embossment on paper, and is also the impression thus made. The original purpose was to authenticate a document, or to prevent interference with ...

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between Tong ...

. It was adopted in September 2021. The first version of the seal was created in 1974 when Niue gained self-governing status and joined into free association with

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

History

Before 1974 Niue used the Coat of Arms of New Zealand. The

Niue Constitution Act The ''Schedules'' of the Niue Constitution Act 1974 form the Niue constitution. It stipulates the make-up of the executive branch of the government, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The Niue Constitution Act 1974 is the supreme ...

, passed in 1974, provided for the first unique seal to be created for Niue. The Seal was to be held by the Speaker of the Niue Assembly and was to be used to authenticate public documents or to affirm the creation of new laws by the Cabinet of Niue. The Speaker is also responsible for ensuring that the Seal is not misused. All judicial notices in Niue are affixed with the Seal. In 1977, after a request from the Niue Assembly, the

Parliament of New Zealand The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand (King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by hi ...

passed the Seal of New Zealand Act with an amendment relating to Niue to bring the design of the Public Seal of Niue into line with the other nations in the

Realm of New Zealand The Realm of New Zealand consists of the entire area in which the monarch of New Zealand functions as head of state. The realm is not a federation; it is a collection of states and territories united under its monarch. New Zealand is an indep ...

. Before 2007 the Seal of Niue was used in

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

to confirm the passage of legislation. In 2007 the Tokelau Amendment Act 2007 was passed, which replaced the use of the Seal of Niue in Tokelau and substituted it with "under the hand of the

Administrator of Tokelau The Administrator of Tokelau is an official of the New Zealand Government, responsible for supervising the government of the dependent territory of Tokelau. Powers and functions Certain of the Administrator's powers and functions are set f ...

". The Niuean Cabinet approved a new design for the Seal of Niue as per article 15 of the Niue Constitution, and the

Niue Assembly The Niue Assembly ( niu, Niue Fono Ekepule) is the legislature of Niue. It consists of 20 members; 14 representatives of the villages and 6 elected on a common roll. Members are directly elected by universal suffrage, and serve a three-year t ...

passed an act for its use on 29 September 2021. However, this design had already been used on

commemorative coin Commemorative coins are coins issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they were issued. Many coins of this category serve as collectors items only, although some countries ...

s produced for Niue by the New Zealand Mint at least as early as 2019.

Current design

The 2021 design consists of a

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

(representing the sovereign as

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

), mounted on a blue outer circle in the form of a traditional Niuean

garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

of 14 seashells (representing the 14 villages of Niue). The outer circle surrounds a green inner circle of designs, representing the (land), within which are stylised designs of a tree, representing life and (the people of Niue). This sits upon a scroll bearing the motto "" (God, Niue Eternally) and two (cleaving clubs), representing defence and security. Between the outer and inner circles are the words "Public Seal of Niue".

The design of the 1974 seal

The 1974 design of the Seal of Niue had at its centre the coat of arms of New Zealand, which is a shield divided into quarters. In the first quarter is the constellation of the

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

, in the second a golden fleece, a sheaf of wheat in the third, and two crossed hammers in the fourth. Over the four-quarters in the centre appears a white band on which there are three black ships. The shield is supported by a woman dressed in a white robe carrying the flag of New Zealand, representing the population that descended from European immigrants (mainly British), and a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

warrior armed with a

taiaha A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand; a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha a ...

, representing the indigenous population. At the head of the shield is a crown, and at the foot of the shield is a ribbon with the words "New Zealand". The seal was on a white circle, with "Public Seal of Niue" along the top, and "Niue" at the bottom.

References

External links

{{Coat of arms of Oceania National seals National symbols of Niue

1974 establishments in Niue

History

Current design

The design of the 1974 seal

See also

References

External links