Government plans for Fualahi include new flats for growing expatriate community
Government flats at Fualahi settlement close to the airport for expatriates and returning graduates but has been occupied more by Niuean families
In its efforts to address the ongoing challenges of housing expatriate workers, the government has informed the local Niuean tenants at Fualahi that they have up to two years to vacate the properties. The minister of the Public Service Commission who is also the minister of finance Hon. Crossley Tatui told BCN News last week that the tenants have been informed that they have from eighteen months to two years to vacate the flats.
The flats at Fualahi belong to the government and were built to house its expatriate staff and returning graduates with families until they are ready to build their own homes. However, in recent years it has been local Niuean families renting the flats causing a self-inflicted challenge for the government. As its needs for expatriate workers increased over the years, the government did not have the accommodation for them.
The Niue Philatelic and Numismatic Corporation or NPNC is responsible for the government’s properties at Fualahi. CEO for NPNC Poi Kapaga told BCN News that the plans also include building additional flats at Fualahi. The area has been cleared for the construction of 3 bedroom units.
Kapaga said that compared to the private rental properties that charges around $400 per week, the current rentals for government flats range from $170 to $250 per week.
Five years ago, a visiting professor from the University of the South Pacific raised the issue of very expensive rent when he was stranded in Niue at the start of the pandemic and was forced to pay $500 per week for a small unit in Alofi. At that time, then Premier Dalton Tagelagi told BCN News that the government will look into regulating the properties rental rates, which has yet to happen.
