Niue: Using the internet to make people stay on the island

Award-winning Niuean internet developer, Emani Fakaotimanava-Lui, hopes internet access and empowerment will decrease migration from the tiny island country. As a result of income from selling the domain name .nu, Emani through his company Internet Niue, has provided internet access to 13 of 14 villages on the island, thus providing Niue with the best internet services in the South Pacific. Now, Niueans are seeing the benefits of internet in the country, according to Emani. Emani hopes there will be more business initiatives coming in the next few years, “Yes, that’s also part of what we envisage…other companies and small businesses coming online, and there are quite a few that’s doing that as well, especially those involved in the tourism sector with fishing charters and things like eco-tourism, bushwalks, reef-walks, so there’s going to be a whole lot more coming out of internet presence,” the internet developer says.  (Source: Pacific Media 10 July 2013)