Tokelau
Country Report
Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. Referenda held in 2006 and 2007 to change the status of the islands from that of a New Zealand territory to one of free association with New Zealand did not meet the needed threshold for approval.
Location
Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.
Land Mass
12 km2
Official Languages
English, Tokelauan
Population (2019)
1,499
Head of State
Kerisiano Kalolo
Capital
Atafu
Status
Devolved Parliamentary Dependency
Economy
Tokelau’s small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The principal sources of revenue are from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand – about $15 million annually in FY12/13 and FY13/14 – to maintain public services. New Zealand’s support amounts to 80% of Tokelau’s recurrent government budget. An international trust fund, currently worth nearly $32 million, was established in 2004 by New Zealand to provide Tokelau an independent source of revenue.