THE TINY ISLAND NATION OF NIUE, with its lush forests, turquoise swimming holes and outlying coral reefs, may seem like a paradise no one would willingly leave. But for decades now, Niue—known as the Rock of Polynesia, or just the Rock to locals—has been losing droves of its residents to New Zealand, which offers much better economic opportunities and standards of living. Around 5,000 people lived in Niue in the 1960s. Today, fewer than 1,200 remain, and approximately 24,000 people of Niuean descent live in New Zealand, 2,400 kilometres to the south-west across the Pacific Ocean.
Absence is, therefore, the crux of Between a Rock and a Far Place, a documentary series shot by the photographer Vlad Sokhin in 2014, over a week’s stay on the island. The work is…
