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A constitutional referendum was held in Niue on 13 June 1992. [1] The proposed amendments to the constitution were the first since the country's original constitution was approved in a 1974 referendum. [1] The changes were approved by 70.4% of voters, and came into force on 1 July. [2] [3]
Proposed changes
The changes to the constitution included the introduction of the Niuean High Court and Court of Appeal, replacing the use of the equivalent courts in New Zealand. [4] The reforms also abolished the Niue Land Court and the Niue Land Appeal Court, instead creating a Land Division in the new High Court. [4]
Qualifications for political candidates were amended to require New Zealand citizenship. [4] It also removed article 31, a requirement for the Chief Justice to approve any legislative proposal that would affect criminal law or personal status. [4] This effectively removed the human rights element of the constitution. [4]
Results
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| For | 604 | 70.40 | |
| Against | 254 | 29.60 | |
| Total | 858 | 100.00 | |
| Valid votes | 858 | 96.30 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 33 | 3.70 | |
| Total votes | 891 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,036 | 86.00 | |
| Source: Niue: Review of Constitution | |||
Aftermath
Following the approval of the changes, there was subsequent criticism that the individual changes should have been voted on separately, as well as of the removal of article 31. [4]
References
- ^ a b Niue: General Information Secretariat of the Pacific Community
- ^ Initial reports submitted by State parties under articles 16 and 17 of the covenant United Nations
- ^ "OIA 28392 Review of constitution 15 June 1992" (PDF). fyi.org.nz. 15 June 1992. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Pacific Constitutions - Overview Archived 2012-03-05 at the Wayback Machine University of French Polynesia
