Tokelau voters reject self-rule

Thursday, February 16, 2006

The people of Tokelau have rejected greater independence from New Zealand in a referendum held this week. 60% of the eligible voters voted "yes" to become an independent state in free association with New Zealand, but this failed to reach the two thirds support required to take effect. The turnout for the referendum was high, reaching almost 95% of registered voters.

Tokelau, a 12 square-kilometre archipelago with a population of 1,500, consists of three islands that do not have roads, an airport or a capital. It is a dependent territory of New Zealand, but New Zealand's Prime Minister said Tokelau is already "exercising virtually all the responsibilities of a self governing country". According to the UN and New Zealand, Tokelau would have relied heavily on New Zealand for financial assistance even if independence had been chosen.

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Sources

Maailmaan ei syntynyt uutta valtiota <broken link> — Helsingin Sanomat, February 16, 2006. (Finnish)

David Brooks. "Tiny Tokelau votes to stay a NZ colony" — Seven News, February 16, 2006

"Tokelau rejects self-rule" — TVNZ, February 16, 2006

"Free association referendum fails in Tokelau" — National Business Review, February 16, 2006

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Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.