Claim: Ministates include a country.

Niue -LRB- -LSB- ˈnjuːeɪ -RSB- ; Niuean : Niuē -RRB- is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean , 2400 km northeast of New Zealand , and east of Tonga , south of Samoa and west of the Cook Islands . Its land area is 260 km2 and its population , predominantly Polynesian , is around 1,612 as of November 2016 . They commonly refer to the island as `` The Rock '' , a reference to the traditional name `` Rock of Polynesia '' .   Niue , whose capital is the village of Alofi , is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand ; and New Zealand conducts most diplomatic relations on its behalf . Niueans are citizens of New Zealand , and Queen Elizabeth II is head of state in her capacity as Queen of New Zealand . Between 90 -- 95 % of Niuean people live in New Zealand , along with about 70 % of the speakers of the Niuean language . A bilingual country , over 30 % speak both Niuean and English , though the percentage of monolingual English-speaking people is only 11 % , while 46 % are monolingual Niuean speakers . Rugby is the most played sport in Niue . In October 2016 , Niue officially declared that all its national debt was paid off , and that there is no longer any national debt in Niue .   Niue is not a member of the United Nations -LRB- UN -RRB- , but UN organisations have accepted its status as a freely-associated state as equivalent to independence for the purposes of international law . As such , Niue is a full member of some UN specialised agencies -LRB- such as UNESCO , and the WHO -RRB- , and is invited , alongside the other non-UN member state , the Cook Islands , to attend United Nations conferences open to `` all states '' . Niue is subdivided into 14 villages -LRB- municipalities -RRB- . Each village has a village council that elects its chairman . The villages are at the same time electoral districts . Each village sends an assemblyman to the Parliament of Niue .   In 2003 , Niue became the first country in the world to offer free wireless internet to all its inhabitants . Niue Island Organic Farmers Association is currently paving way to an MEA -LRB- Multilateral Environmental Agreement -RRB- committed to making Niue the world 's first fully organic nation . A leader in green growth , Niue is also transitioning to solar power , with help from the European Union . In 2015 , Niue started providing phone landlines to all of its inhabitants . In 2008 , Niue became the first country in the world where laptops are provided to all its school students . A highly democratic nation , Niueans enjoy high freedom , with elections every 3 years . There are no political parties in Niue , all are independents . The last political party , Niue People 's Party -LRB- 1987 -- 2003 -RRB- , won once , but was subsequently disbanded in 2003 .   In January 2004 , Niue was hit by Cyclone Heta , which caused extensive damage to the entire island , including wiping out most of the south of the capital , Alofi . The disaster set the island back about two years from its planned timeline to implement the Niue Integrated Strategic Plan -LRB- NISP -RRB- , since national efforts concentrated on recovery . In 2008 , Niue had yet to fully recover . Niue is one of the world 's largest coral islands . The terrain consists of steep limestone cliffs along the coast with a central plateau rising to about 60 metres above sea level . A coral reef surrounds the island , with the only major break in the reef being in the central western coast , close to the capital , Alofi . A notable feature are the many limestone caves found close to the coast .