Tuvaluan children play in an abandoned house in Vaiea village. Up to 100 Tuvaluans came across the Pacific to live in Niue in the early 2000s. Overcrowding and population pressures have become major problems in Tuvalu, especially on its main atoll of Funafuti. Rising sea levels are slowly submerging Vanuatu.
The tiny island of Niue in the South Pacific, also known as the 'Rock of Polynesia', is one of the most remote places in the world, only accessible by private yacht or by plane on a three and a half hour flight from Auckland which flies once or twice a week. It is part of the 'Area of the Realm of New Zealand' and all Niueans have New Zealand citizenship. Due to lack of opportunities on the island and high unemployment about 90 - 95% of the population, or 20,000 people, now live in New Zealand. The population now stands at less than 1,500, making it one of the least populous countries in the world. In an attempt to bolster the population, the Niue government has invited immigrants from neighbouring Tuvalu, which is facing problems due to climate change related rises in Ocean levels, to come and settle on Niue. At the beginning of the century, around 100 Tuvaluans settled in Niue.