Premier delivered a mid-term report of his governments achievements and plans going forward

Premier Dalton Tagelagi in a Fono Ekepule first, delivered to the mid-term report on his government’s progress since he was elected premier in June 2020.

BCN News obtained a copy of the Tagelagi government’s mid-term report presented to the Fono Ekepule on Wednesday last week.

One of the key features of the report is the rate of progress of the government’s eighteen approved projects to date.

Of those 18 projects, four are at 75% completion, the isolation unit at the Niuefoou hospital, the new government computer network rollout is also near completion.

The new Fale Fono is also at 75 percent completion and the Niue Government Gazette Bill is currently with New Zealand’s Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for final review before going before the legislature.

Another interesting feature of the report is the list of the government’s future projects. There are eight projects listed including;

The third building to be built to expand the government’s creche, a project called the “Niue Centralised treatment centre” and a project called “Upscale Waster Water Project and molding of extra septic and water tanks”.

There is also a future project called the “Indicative Idea Food Security” and a project called “Niue Water Security Adapting Tuna-dependent pacific island communities and economies to climate change”.  

The government is also planning on completing a National Adaptation Plan.

According to the mid-term report, there were two projects that have been put on hold with the Chinese-funded roading project and the National Wharf project.

What is interesting in the government’s future project plans is that it made no mention of building a new justice and court building, renovations to the BCN studios burned down in May 2020 and there was no mention of a project to address the island’s water reticulation problems which prompted a ban on drinking tap water since the beginning of the year.

Of all the public infrastructures damaged by cyclone Heta 18 years ago, the Justice Department has been running its operations from cramped office spaces and court records are deteriorating in storage in containers. The sittings of the Niue High Court have been held in different venues including the Golf and Sports Club, the Ekalesia Niue Millennium Hall and the public service conference room.

Meanwhile, the government’s ‘Work in Progress’ with infrastructure projects underway include renovations work to the Ministry of Infrastructure Building and a National Development Project to demolish and rebuild the old Treasury building at Utuko which has been used by a private business for some time.

The report was a combination of the work from the Premier and the three ministers Hon. Tatui, Hon. Ainuu and Hon. Tongatule with the foreword of the report written by the Secretary to Government Peleni Talagi.

The government’s mid-term report will be debated at the next sitting of the Fono Ekepule.