Partner Profile: Niue Ocean Wide

For the people of Niue, the ocean is more than a resource - it is the foundation of culture, identity, food security, and wellbeing. Through Niue Ocean Wide (NOW), a pioneering partnership between the Government of Niue and local not-for-profit Tofia Niue, the country is taking an ambitious approach to safeguarding its entire ocean territory. Combining community-led governance, traditional knowledge, marine spatial planning, and innovative financing mechanisms, NOW is helping ensure that ocean protection is not only ambitious in scale, but sustainable over the long term. From the creation of the Moana Mahu Large-Scale Marine Protected Area to the launch of the world-first Ocean Conservation Commitments, Niue is demonstrating how small island nations can lead global efforts to protect and sustainably manage the ocean.

In the Q&A below, we hear from two of the three NOW co-founders and siblings Coral and Brendon Pasisi about the marine conservation legacy they are building in the Pacific. Dr Josie Tamate, is the third co-founder, as the former Director-general of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

NOW President Coral Pasisi is the Director of the Climate Change Programme at the Pacific Community (SPC), and has more than two decades of experience in sustainable development, climate change, and environmental finance across the Pacific. Her career has spanned national, regional, and international roles, including positions with the Government of Niue, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, SPREP, and the Green Climate Fund. She also leads Tofia Niue, a non-profit organization that works with the Government of Niue and international partners to protect and sustainably manage the country's ocean resources. Through this work, Coral has helped advance innovative approaches to ocean conservation and climate resilience in the Pacific.

Brendon Pasisi has spent more than 25 years as a senior government manager, now working for Tofia Niue, in advancing marine conservation, fisheries management, and sustainable ocean practices in Niue. A trained marine biologist, he combines science, policy, and community engagement to support the long-term stewardship of Niue’s ocean resources. As Project Manager for NOW, Brendon leads efforts to develop innovative financing and conservation approaches that protect Niue’s ocean while supporting local livelihoods. His work has helped position Niue as a global example of how small island nations can drive ambitious and sustainable ocean conservation.

Tell us about your organization and its mission. How does your work contribute to marine protection or sustainable ocean management? 

Brendon: Niue Ocean Wide (NOW) is a pioneering public-private partnership between the Government of Niue and the local not-for-profit Tofia Niue. Its mission is to safeguard and sustainably manage 100% of Niue’s ocean territory for current and future generations, while supporting a resilient blue economy grounded in local stewardship, climate resilience, and sustainable development.

NOW advances marine protection through an Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial Seas-wide marine spatial planning framework, including the Moana Mahu Large-Scale Marine Protected Area, a 127,000 km² no-take zone covering 40% of Niue’s EEZ. By combining community-led governance, Indigenous knowledge, and innovative finance, NOW is building an enduring system of ocean stewardship that strengthens biodiversity, supports local livelihoods, and secures Niue’s future.

 

How did your collaboration with the Blue Nature Alliance begin, and what has it enabled or strengthened? 

Coral: Niue’s collaboration with the Blue Nature Alliance began through a shared commitment to turn Niue Ocean Wide from an ambitious vision into a durable, funded, and locally led reality. The partnership focused on building the long-term financing systems needed to protect and manage our ocean effectively

Through this collaboration, the Blue Nature Alliance helped enable Niue’s Sustainable Financing Strategy, the establishment of the NOW Trust, and the design of the Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs), a world-first financing mechanism. The partnership has also strengthened local capacity to manage the Trust and show that large-scale marine protection can be backed by practical, innovative finance.

Grounded in Indigenous Niuean stewardship and the lived experience of a small island developing state, this model also speaks to climate and ocean justice: small island nations are on the frontlines of the triple planetary crisis, have contributed least to its causes, and often face the greatest barriers to the long-term finance needed to protect globally significant ocean ecosystems.

What is one recent success or milestone you’re most proud of, and why? 

Brendon: One milestone we are especially proud of is the launch of the NOW Trust and the Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs) at Climate Week NYC in 2023. Together, they created a practical financing mechanism for Niue’s long-term ocean protection goals. Since then, the Trust has reached 43% capitalization (approximately NZ$13.65 million), and more than 40,000 km² of the Moana Mahu Large-Scale Marine Protected Area has been sponsored through OCCs by individuals, philanthropy, corporations, and governments - demonstrating a real global willingness to invest in durable, island-led conservation.

We are equally proud of our investment in tertiary scholarships for Niuean students in ocean science and the blue economy. Lasting marine protection depends not only on finance, but on the next generation of local leaders who will carry this work forward.

What is the most significant challenge or opportunity for ocean conservation in your region right now?

Coral: The greatest challenge is the gap between the scale of threats facing our ocean and the resources available to respond. Pacific island countries steward vast, globally important marine ecosystems, yet often lack access to the long-term, flexible finance needed to sustain conservation at scale - especially as small island developing states facing climate change, pollution, and overexploitation.

At the same time, this is an opportunity to reshape ocean finance so it is fairer, more accessible, and better aligned with island-led conservation. Niue’s Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs) offer a practical model for shared responsibility, supporting long-term marine protection without placing a disproportionate burden on a small country and community. We believe this approach could be adapted across the Pacific and other small island states.

How do local communities and/or Indigenous Peoples shape, inform, or lead your work?

Brendon: Local communities and Indigenous Niuean’s are central to how NOW is designed and delivered. From the earliest consultations through to implementation, villages and Resource Management Advisory Committees (RMACs) help shape priorities, guide marine spatial planning, and co-lead decision-making alongside government. This grounds ocean management in local knowledge, cultural values, and lived experience, strengthening both community ownership and long-term sustainability.

 

What’s next for your organization? 

Coral: Our immediate priorities are to fully capitalize the NOW Trust, expand community-led conservation and management across Niue’s villages, and strengthen the systems and capacity needed to implement marine spatial planning effectively. These steps will help ensure ocean protection in Niue is not only ambitious in vision, but durable in practice.

Looking ahead, we hope to share the methodology behind Niue’s Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs) as a model for scaling sustainable ocean finance across the Pacific. Our aspiration is to help shape a fairer approach to financing ocean stewardship - one that recognises the global value of the marine ecosystems Pacific island countries protect while enabling them to lead conservation on their own terms. Ultimately, we envision a Blue Pacific Ocean Conservation Commitment that can support ocean stewardship across the region.

For many people outside the Pacific, large-scale marine protection can feel abstract. What does ocean protection mean for you and the people of Niue on a day-to-day level?

Brendon: For the people of Niue, ocean protection is not abstract - it is part of our everyday life, identity, and responsibility. The ocean underpins our food security, cultural practices, wellbeing, and connection to place. Caring for it is about far more than protecting an economic resource; it is about safeguarding the living system that sustains our people, traditions, and future.

Day to day, this means making decisions with future generations in mind - respecting the ocean, using it sustainably, and ensuring it remains healthy and abundant for those who come after us. In Niue, protecting the ocean is both a cultural obligation and a practical necessity. When the ocean thrives, our communities thrive with it.

What are the learnings that Niue can share with other island nations and the world from its approach to ocean protection?

Coral: Niue's experience shows that it is possible to create real value by conserving and managing the ocean asset we all share. Ocean protection is not only a necessity for life as we know it; it is also an investment that can deliver sustainable and regenerative benefits beyond extractive economic activities.

Our experience also demonstrates that where there is political will, supported by a strong cultural legacy of ocean stewardship, countries of all sizes can make meaningful contributions to protecting this life-sustaining resource. As Indigenous peoples, we can create our own innovations - such as Niue's Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs) - that unlock the finance and partnerships needed to protect our oceans for future generations.

How are younger generations in Niue engaging with ocean stewardship, and what role do you hope they will play in the future of NOW?

Brendon:  Young people are central to the future of ocean stewardship in Niue. Through NOW and our partners, students have opportunities to participate in SCUBA training, marine education programs, STEM initiatives, and scholarships supporting tertiary study in ocean-related fields.

We also support programs that connect youth with traditional knowledge, helping ensure cultural practices and stewardship values are passed to future generations.

Our goal is to equip young Niueans with both traditional knowledge and modern skills so they can become the next generation of leaders responsible for protecting and managing Niue’s ocean for decades to come.