Niue's climate has a strong relationship with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Annual rainfall in the wettest years can be almost four times the rainfall in the driest years. This paper investigates the effect of ENSO on rainfall in Niue and examines how the local population have adapted to droughts in the past, particularly the 1982-1983 and 1997-1998 events. Most droughts are associated with El Niño events. Rainfall data for Alofi-Hanan Airport from 1950 to 2013 is examined using the Seasonal Climate Outlook for Pacific Island Countries (SCOPIC) software package. SCOPIC's primary purpose is to produce station based statistical climate outlooks and monitor drought. SCOPIC can also be used to examine ENSO-local climate relationships and compare past drought events. An examination of local sea surface temperature from a web-based COSPPac Ocean Data Portal shows the development of cool water anomalies around Niue during the September to December period in most El Niño years.

Niue's agricultural and water sectors have been severely impacted by past droughts, particularly Taro, the staple food crop. In the past the deprivation of water was compensated through collecting cave water as a means of survival. Through understanding past severe droughts in Niue and determining the extent of ground water in Niue we can implement near and long-term adaptation strategies.