The government of Niue wants to begin work on expanding its tourist accommodation by the middle of next year.
A New Zealand Government ordered report has recommended sweeping changes to develop the island's tiny and fragile tourism sector, the key feature of which is a trebling of the capacity of the only hotel, the Matavai Resort.
Both governments have endorsed the report, in principle, and the Premier of Niue, Toke Talagi, says his administration has already appointed someone to co-ordinate its implementation and he's asked New Zealand to do the same.
Mr Talagi says he told the New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully, last month he'd be very pleased if the building could start by June next year.
"We are still from our side looking at that as a starting point, but I think at the end of the day, as I have said to you and numerous others in the past, if we don't start building then we are wasting our time talking."
Toke Talagi, the Premier of Niue
