The Speaker of the Niue Assembly, Hima Douglas has declared Saturday, 31 August as the date for the national referendum to decide on the proposed amendments to the Constitution.
The Referendum is held in conjunction with the Village Council Elections.
The electorate is being asked to decide on four amendments – these are to change the title of Premier to Prime Minister, to increase the size of Cabinet by adding two more Ministers, to extend the term of the Assembly from three to four years, and to name the Auditor-General of New Zealand as the official auditor instead of the current Audit Office of New Zealand.
Voters will be required to decide on each proposed amendment rather than a single Yes or No vote on all four amendments.
The result of the Referendum will be decided on the majority of the total valid votes cast and not on the basis of each village constituency.
Speaker Douglas is expecting the results of the referendum to be known by Monday- 02 September, at which time there will be a special signing in the Chambers of the Bills, for those amendments meeting the required majority threshold.
