The outgoing New Zealand High Commissioner to Niue- HE Helen Tunnah has been a favorite diplomat amongst the locals as she looks back during her time here at the rock.
“There’s been heaps of memorable moments since I’ve been here, the warm welcome I’ve received where ever I go, at the Government level I have a soft spot for flag raising I think it’s a wonderful and people really enjoy it and it’s a simple celebration of Niue maturing as a nation,” she says.
She added that the village show days have been great moments as she got to speak in all of these events and from a tourist perspective just swimming with whales but almost as much fun as swimming with the dolphins was just amazing with the beautiful blue clear water.
Ms Tunnah shares her experience of working with Government leaders over the past 3 years when she arrived during a time when the outbreak of the pandemic had just begun.
“I am really proud of the way Niue responded and coordinated with New Zealand and kept Niue safe. I think we came away with a huge amount of respect for all the teams that worked on it.” she added.
She stated no one knew what the correct answers were in those days and there was a lot of anxiety that whether the correct decisions were being made, but now we can see that Niue stayed safe.
“Yes there was an economic impact, but hopefully this will be alleviated in the next couple of years,” she said.
She will spend time with her family during this holiday season before joining the New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Ms Tunnah wishes everyone on the island will make the most of this holiday season as she departs for New Zealand tomorrow.