Niue was settled by Samoans in the first century AD and the Tongans arrived in the 16^th century. The main authority over the population on the island came from the chiefs and heads of families. The concept of Kingship, derived from Samoa and Tonga, was introduced around 1700. The first King, or patu-iki, was Puni-mata. In 1774, Captain James Cook sighted the island and tried three times to land but was deterred by those who greeted him, natives who looked as though they were painted in blood. It was for this reason he named the island ‘Savage Island’, a name that stuck for a couple of centuries until the name Niue was reasserted. Little did Captain Cook know that the red he saw was not paint but native red banana in the teeth of the islanders.

In 1846, British missionaries of the London Missionary Society arrived and, after some resistance from most villages, finally introduced Christianity to the island. The first Christian King, Tui toga, reigned from 1875–1887. In 1887, King Fata-a-iki thought it prudent to cede sovereignty to the British empire, fearing annexation by a less benevolent colonial power. In 1901, New Zealand annexed Niue and began its administration of the island, ending the UK’s direct involvement.

In 2004, tropical cyclone Heta set back Niue’s striving for economic independence and growth by destroying a large part of its infrastructure. At this point, a Trust, the Niue International Trust Fund (NITF) Deed (the Deed), was set up between Niue, New Zealand and Australia. This is a long-term plan set in place to assist Niue’s government in its goal toward self-reliance and decreasing dependency on foreign development assistance.