Introduction

Background

Tokelau consists of three atolls: Fakaofo, Atafu, and Nukunonu, which were initially settled by Polynesians around A.D. 1000. Although the atolls functioned with a degree of independence, Fakaofo Atoll ultimately came to dominate the others. The atolls were first observed by British explorers in 1765 and 1791. In the 1840s, both Catholic and Protestant missionaries arrived, converting the local populace on the islands where they landed.

In 1863, Peruvian slave raiders kidnapped many island inhabitants, and outbreaks of disease around the same time diminished the population to approximately 200. Subsequently, settlers from various nationalities began to intermarry with the Tokelauans. During this era, local governance transitioned to a system reliant on a Council of Elders, which continues to this day. British interest in the region emerged in the late 1870s, leading to Tokelau becoming a British protectorate in 1889. In 1916, under the designation Union Group, Tokelau became integrated into the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. The UK transferred administrative control of Tokelau to New Zealand in 1925. The Tokelau Islands Act of 1948 officially shifted sovereignty from the UK to New Zealand, granting Tokelauans New Zealand citizenship. In 1979, the United States abandoned its claim to Tokelau through the Treaty of Tokehega, while Tokelau also renounced its claim to Swains Island, which is part of American Samoa.

Economic prospects in Tokelau are limited, with around 80% of Tokelauans residing in New Zealand. Self-governance referendums were conducted in Tokelau in 2006 and 2007, where over 60% of voters expressed a preference for free association with New Zealand; however, these referendums did not achieve the required two-thirds majority to implement a change in status.