Niue Ocean Wide Trust Awards First Resource Management Advisory Committee(RMAC) Village Grants 
Empowering Community-Led Ocean Stewardship and
Natural Resources Across Niue

The Niue Ocean Wide Trust is proud to announce the successful awarding of its first round of Resource Management Advisory Committee (RMAC) village grants, marking a significant step forward in Niue’s commitment to community-led ocean conservation and resilient sustainable development.

“Niue’s Ocean Conservation Commitment affirms our enduring responsibility to safeguard the marine environment for future generations. Through programmatic funding from the Niue Ocean Wide Trust, we are strengthening the capacity of our Resource Management Advisory Committees to lead with cultural integrity, strategic foresight, and deep community engagement. Their stewardship ensures that our conservation efforts remain locally driven, resilient, and firmly aligned with Niue’s national vision for sustainable ocean governance.”
- Honorable Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi, Prime Minister of Niue-

Seven villages-Alofi South, Mutalau, Liku, Toi, Hakupu, Avatele, and Tuapa are the successful recipients following the submission of locally developed project proposals. Each RMAC will receive NZD $20,000 annually in programmatic grant funds according to their project proposals aimed at addressing the key sustainable conservation management and resilient blue economy opportunities. These are progressed in three year stages  to uphold Niue’s vision for sustainable ocean management. These grants are a key component of the co-management framework envisioned by the Niue Ocean Wide Initiative, where decision-making and stewardship responsibilities are shared between government and community, ensuring that conservation and sustainable development is both technically sound and culturally grounded.

Now entering the second year of the RMAC grant programme, the Niue Ocean Wide Trust continues to champion inclusive participation and village-driven action. The RMAC initiative remains a cornerstone of the Niue Ocean Wide Initiative, ensuring that technical execution is grounded in cultural values and community voice.

The Niue Ocean Wide Trust looks forward to supporting these RMACs as they translate their local expertise into impact . This funding enables a suite of impactful initiatives, including the development of sustainable tourism ventures and the transmission of traditional practices and knowledge.  The Niue Ocean Wide Trust looks forward to amplifying the stories of stewardship that emerge from this work .

Media Contact:
Shanta Viviani-Hekau
Communications Manager and Funding Grants Officer
+64 22 321 4172
Shanta.viviani-hekau@nowtrust.org

Niue Ocean Wide Trust
The Niue and Ocean Wide Trust (NOW Trust) was created in 2023. The Trust emerged from the Niue Ocean Wide (NOW) Project, a public-private partnership between the Government of Niue and the local NGO Tofia Niue. The NOW Trust has a bold vision: to respond more rapidly and equitably to environmental, cultural, and economic challenges by putting communities, especially indigenous peoples, at the center of conservation financing and governance. It represents an innovative partnership between philanthropy, indigenous peoples, local and international resources and government. It exemplifies a growing commitment to culturally informed giving, especially among those seeking to support indigenous-led solutions and community-led development with humility and respect.

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Left - Right ( Etaena Poihega (NOW Trustee) Coral Pasisi (NOW Trust -Vice Chair) Avi Rubin (NOW Trustee) Gayleen Tasmania (NOW Trustee) Hon. Dalton Tagelagi (NOW Trust - Chair) Hon Mona Ainu'u (NOW Trustee)