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This is a list ofmonarchs who have reigned over the Pacific island ofNiue. The island today is a self-governing territory infree association with New Zealand, and recognises theSovereign in Right of New Zealand,King Charles III, as the head of state. Before this, however, the island previously had an indigenous monarchy, established around the beginning of the 18th century.
Before that time, there appears to have been no national government or national leader in Niue. Chiefs and heads of family exercised authority over segments of the population. Around 1700, the concept and practice ofkingship appears to have been introduced through contact withSamoa orTonga. From then on, a succession ofpatu-iki (kings) ruled the island, the first of whom was Puni-mata. The monarch was non-hereditary;patu-iki were reportedly elected by the Niuean population, with the candidates being issued from influential families. As described byPercy Smith in 1903, Niue appears therefore to have been ademocraticelective monarchy.
The following is a list of thepatu-iki of Niue:[1]
| Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| Tihamau | ||||
| Tepunua Mutalau | ||||
| Leivalu | ||||
| Hetalangi | ||||
| Fakahinaiki | ||||
| Punimata | c. 1700 | His death, of old age, was followed by aninterregnum of significant but indeterminate length. | ||
| Ihunga | ||||
| Patuavalu | He was nominated for kingship by the population's elected choice, Tagelagi, who declined the position and opted instead to be Patuavalu's lifelong bodyguard. Patuavalu died of old age. | |||
| Galiga, also known as Galiaga-a-Iki and Galiaga of Palūki | Thispatu-iki was murdered by a person called Tikomata. Following his death, Fakana-iki and Hetalaga vied to replace him, but failed to secure the approval of the population. Foki-mata eventually became the fourthpatu-iki instead. He was the last king elected in times of peace. | |||
| Fokimata (–1874?) | 1874? | |||
| Pakieto (–1875?) | 1874? | 1875? | He waspatu-iki for only a year. Following his death, a war of succession occurred. He was one of the Tama-lagau people. | |
| Interregnum (–2 Mar 1876) | ||||
| Mataio Tuitoga, also known as Ta-tagata (–13 June 1887) | 2 March 1876 | 13 July 1887 | The firstchristian king of Niue. | |
 | Fata-a-iki (–1896) | 1887 (de facto) 21 November 1888 (de jure) | 15 December 1896 | The second christian Niuean monarch. One of his first acts aspatu-iki in 1877 was to send a letter toQueen Victoria, requesting that Niue be made a protectorate of theBritish Empire, to protect the island from other imperial powers, although his letter (and another sent in 1895) received no replies. |
 | Togia-Pulu-toaki | 1896 (de facto) 30 June 1898 (de jure) | 1917 | He was the king who finally ceded Niue to the British Empire on 21 April 1900, and who welcomed a Resident representative of the imperial government on Niue on 11 September 1901. Togia-Pulu-toaki remainedpatu-iki in 1903, whenNiuē-fekai (or Savage) Island and its People was published. The date of his death, and whether or not he was succeeded, remains unclear. |
From 1900 to 1901, Niue was ruled by the United Kingdom. In 1901, the island was annexed by New Zealand, which administered it in the name of the British Empire. On 26 September 1907, New Zealand attained the status ofdominion, becoming theDominion of New Zealand, and the British monarch from then on reigned over Niue in his or her capacity as monarch of New Zealand.Elizabeth II was the first monarch to be explicitly titledQueen of New Zealand, however, in 1952. Today, Niue is part of theRealm of New Zealand, the successor political entity to the dominion.
| Portrait | Regnal name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Full name | Consort | House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||||
 | Victoria (1819–1901) | 21 April 1900 (de facto) | 22 January 1901 | Alexandrina Victoria | Widowed | Hanover |
 | Edward VII (1841–1910) | 22 January 1901 | 26 September 1907 | Albert Edward | Alexandra of Denmark | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
| Portrait | Regnal name (Birth–Death) | Reign | Full name | Consort | House | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||||
| As a colony of New Zealand | ||||||
| Edward VII (1841–1910) | 26 September 1907 | 6 May 1910 | Albert Edward | Alexandra of Denmark | Saxe-Coburg and Gotha |
.jpg) | George V (1865–1936) | 6 May 1910 | 20 January 1936 | George Frederick Ernest Albert | Mary of Teck | Windsor[a] |
.jpg) | Edward VIII (1894–1972) | 20 January 1936 | 11 December 1936 | Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David | None | Windsor |
.jpg) | George VI (1895–1952) | 11 December 1936 | 6 February 1952 | Albert Frederick Arthur George | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon | Windsor |
| Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 6 February 1952 | 19 October 1974 | Elizabeth Alexandra Mary | Philip Mountbatten | Windsor | |
| As a self-governing country | ||||||
| Elizabeth II (1926–2022) | 19 October 1974 | 8 September 2022 | Elizabeth Alexandra Mary | Philip Mountbatten | Windsor | |
| Premiers:Sir Robert Rex,Young Vivian,Frank Lui,Sani Lakatani, Young Vivian,Sir Toke Talagi,Dalton Tagelagi | ||||||
.jpg) | Charles III (born 1948) | 8 September 2022 | present | Charles Philip Arthur George | Camilla Shand | Windsor |
| Premiers /Prime Ministers (since 2024): Dalton Tagelagi | ||||||
