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General elections were held in Tokelau on 26 January 2023. [1]
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General elections were held in Tokelau on 26 January 2023. [1]
The previous elections were held in 2020. [2]
The General Fono consists of a Faipule (representative) and a Pulenuku (village mayor) elected in each of the three villages (Atafu, Fakaofo and Nukunonu). Each village also elects one delegate for every 100 residents. [3] In total six MPs were elected from Nukunonu, and seven each from Atafu and Fakaofo. [4] Voting uses a majoritarian system in which a candidate needs to obtain over 50% of the vote. [5] If there are multiple delegates elected in a village, majority-at-large voting is used.[ citation needed ] Unlike previous elections, which saw Nukunonu use a different polling method from the other atolls, this was the first election where all three atolls used the same system. [4]
| Position | Atafu members | Fakaofo members | Nukunonu members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faipule | Kelihiano Kalolo | Fofo Tuisano | Alipate Tavite |
| Pulenuku | Nogo Iupati | Otinielu Tuumuli | Petelo Patelesio |
| Taupulega Representatives (Village elders) | Lepaio Lua | Kaio Isaako | Falaniko Aloisio |
| Tiu Faō | Tuutuuvae Sefo Ateri | Salesio Lui | |
| Tulano Toloa | Taupati Peleni | ||
| Taulelea Representatives (Men's group) | Tepapa Tom Toma | Palelei Famatala Sili | Savelio Tumua |
| Fafine Representatives (Women's group) | Latu Kuresa | Malia Sugalu Puē | Lupe Josephine Lui |
| Source: Radio New Zealand | |||
No elections were held for the Taupulega seats for Fakaofo as only three candidates were nominated for the three seats available. [6]
Members of the fono and ministers were sworn in on 13 March 2023. [7]
Tokelau is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. They have a combined land area of 10 km2 (4 sq mi). In addition to these three, Swains Island, which forms part of the same archipelago, is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute; it is currently administered by the United States as part of American Samoa. Tokelau lies north of the Samoan Islands, east of Tuvalu, south of the Phoenix Islands, southwest of the more distant Line Islands, and northwest of the Cook Islands.
Tokelau may refer to:
Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group, is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean, 500 kilometres north of Samoa. With a land area of 2.5 square kilometres, it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and surrounds a central lagoon, which covers some 15 km2 (5.8 sq mi). The atoll lies 800 kilometres south of the equator at 8° 35' South, 172° 30' West.
Fakaofo, formerly known as Bowditch Island, is a South Pacific Ocean atoll located in the Tokelau Group. The actual land area is only about 3 km2, consisting of islets on a coral reef surrounding a central lagoon of some 45 km2. According to the 2006 census 483 people officially live on Fakaofo. Of those present 70% belong to the Congregational Church and 22% to the Catholic Church.
The politics of Tokelau takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic dependency. The head of state of Tokelau is King Charles III in right of his Realm of New Zealand, who is represented by an Administrator. The monarch is hereditary, the Administrator is appointed by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The office of head of government of Tokelau, often simply called the Ulu, rotates yearly between the faipule (leaders) of Tokelau's three atolls: Atafu, Fakaofo, and Nukunonu. The current Ulu is Kelihiano Kalolo, the Faipule of Atafu atoll, who has held the position since 6 March 2023.
Kuresa Nasau is a Tokelauan politician who has served as head of government five times and as faipule of Atafu.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Percy was an extremely powerful tropical cyclone which was the third and last Category 5 cyclone to form in the 2004–05 South Pacific cyclone season. The seventh named storm and the fourth and final severe tropical cyclone to form during the 2004–05 South Pacific cyclone season. Percy originated as a tropical disturbance on February 23. Over the course of the next few days, the system organized while moving east-southeastward, before intensifying into a Category 1 tropical cyclone on the Australian region scale on February 26. The system quickly intensified, reaching Category 4 status later that day. On the next day, Percy was steered southward by a blocking ridge of high pressure, while stretched out the structure of the storm into an elliptical shape, weakening it back to Category 3 status. Afterward, the storm rapidly reintensified, reaching its peak intensity as a Category 5 tropical cyclone on March 2. Afterward, Percy encountered increasing wind shear and weakened once again, turning southeastward on the next day. On March 5, Percy transitioned into an extratropical storm, before dissipating soon afterward.
The Roman Catholic Mission Sui Iuris of Tokelau in Tokelau is a suffragan mission of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia. It was formed in 1992 when the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia and Tokelau was split into the Archdiocese of Samoa-Apia and the Mission Sui Iuris of Tokelau. The position of Ecclesiastical Superior is currently vacant following the death of Archbishop Alapati Lui Mata’eliga on 25 April 2023.
A referendum on self-determination was held in Tokelau on 20 October and on 22–24 October 2007, with the result being that self-governance was rejected. Had it been successful, the referendum would have changed Tokelau's status from an unincorporated New Zealand territory to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, akin to the Cook Islands and Niue. However, the referendum required a two-thirds positive vote to pass, and the "yes" side fell short of the required total by 16 votes.
Parliamentary elections were held in Tokelau on 17 January, 18 January and 19 January 2008 to elect the 20 members of the General Fono. The elections saw Kolouei O'Brien replaced as faipule of Fakaofo by Foua Toloa.
The Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau is the executive body in Tokelau. It serves as the governing organization for Tokelau when the General Fono is not in session. The council has six members, consisting of the faipule (leader) and pulenuku of each of the three atolls, Fakaofo, Nukunonu, and Atafu. It was established in November 2003, replacing the Council of Faipule, which had been established in 1993 and had three members – the three faipule.
Tokelau has two official languages: Tokelauan and English. Over 90% of the population speaks Tokelauan, and just under 60% speak English. Also, 45.8% of the population speak Samoan, and small percentages of the population speak Tuvaluan and Kiribati.
Aliki Kelihiano Kalolo is a Tokelauan politician who currently serves as Head of the Government of Tokelau, or Ulu since 13 March 2013. He previously served in the same position from February 2012 to March 2013, again from 12 March 2019 to 9 March 2020, and again from 8 March 2021 to 19 May 2022. He is a member of the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education, Economic Development, Natural Resources and the Environment, prior to and then simultaneously to his leadership of the government. The office of Ulu rotates on an annual basis between the faipule of each of the country's three atolls; Kalolo, as faipule of Atafu, took office as Ulu for the first time in 2012.
There are three schools in the whole of Tokelau. Each school is located on each of the three atolls. Tialeniu School is on the atoll of Fakaofo, the most southern of the three islands. Matiti School is on Nukunonu, while Matauala School is on the island of Atafu.
The vast majority of people in Tokelau are Christians and Christianity plays a significant role in the Tokelauan way of life.
General elections were held in Tokelau between 23 and 31 January 2017.
General elections were held in Tokelau on 23 January 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Tokelau is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Tokelau reported its first confirmed case on 21 December 2022. COVID-19 reached all three of Tokelau's main atolls in July 2023, when the government confirmed the community spread of the virus on Fakaofo, the last atoll without infections.
A fatupaepae is a matriarchal senior figure in the culture of Tokelau. Fatupaepae groups are village-level women's organizations in Tokelau, with one such group in each atoll of the island territory: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakafo.
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