During the early 1940s and 1950s, before planes could land on Niue, many Niueans travelled to New Zealand by ship. By 1974, when Niue became independent, planes were introduced, which saw a large influx of the Niuean population into New Zealand, particularly to Auckland. The main reason Niueans settled in Auckland was to be near immediate and extended family members who were already there, but as discussed above they were also drawn to what they saw as better lifestyle, education and employment opportunities, and the good weather. As already stated, there are now more Niueans in New Zealand than the on the island of Niue. Furthermore, there are more Niueans who are New Zealand-born, and there has been an increase in the number of Niueans with tertiary qualifications. Some Niueans have married members of other ethnic groups, such as Europeans and Maori, which is one factor leading to a decline in the spoken Niuean language (Statistics New Zealand 2006).

In recent years, the New Zealand economy has gone through some economic and social changes and the cost of living has become very high for many Niueans. In the past 10–15 years there has been a significant migration shift, with a large number of Niueans migrating to Australia. Even Niueans who had been living in New Zealand for the last 20–30 years have moved. A number of cities in Australia, including Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, have seen an influx of Niueans mainly due to higher wages, better employment opportunities and better lifestyle. Wages are a lot higher in Australia for manual factory work than in New Zealand. Housing is also cheaper and a number of young couples have been able to purchase a brand new house, which they would not have been able to do in New Zealand. The process of chain migration means that many Niueans continue to move, to be with immediate and extended family members.