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Before 1974 Niue used the Coat of Arms of New Zealand. The Niue Constitution Act, passed in 1974, provided for a unique seal to be created for Niue. In 1977, after a request from the Niue Assembly, the Parliament of New Zealand passed the Seal of New Zealand Act with an amendment relating to Niue to bring the design of the Public Seal of Niue into line with the other nations in the Realm of New Zealand.
The first Seal of Niue had at its centre the coat of arms of New Zealand, which is a shield divided into quarters. In the first quarter is the constellation of the Southern Cross, in the second a golden fleece, a sheaf of wheat in the third, and two crossed hammers in the fourth. Over the four-quarters in the centre appears a white band on which there are three black ships. The shield is supported by a woman dressed in a white robe carrying the flag of New Zealand, representing the population that descended from European immigrants (mainly British), and a Maori warrior armed with a Taiaha, representing the indigenous population. At the head of the shield is a crown, and at the foot of the shield is a ribbon with the words "New Zealand". The Seal is on a white circle, with "Public Seal of Niue" along the top, and "Niue" at the bottom.
The current official Seal of Niue was approved by the Niuean Cabinet as per article 15 of the Niue Constitution, and the Niue Assembly passed an act for its use on 29 September 2021 (however, on coinage it had already been in use since 2019). It has a green inner circle of hiapo designs, representing the fonua (land), within which are stylised designs of a tree, representing life and tagata Niue (the people of Niue), surrounded by a blue outer circle in the form of a traditional Niuean garland of 14 seashells (representing the 14 villages of Niue), and crowned with St Edward's Crown (of the United Kingdom), representing the sovereign as head of state. Around above between the two circles, the inscription PUBLIC SEAL OF NIUE. Below, a ribbon carries the motto ATUA NIUE TUKULAGI on two lines (meaning "God, Niue Eternally"), below which two crossed katoua (Niue fighting clubs). |
