Gourt Home::Gourt :: Tokelau self-determination referendum, 2006
The Tokelau self-determination referendum of 2006, supervised by the United Nations, was held from February 11 to February 15, 2006. The defeated proposal would have changed Tokelau's status from an unincorporated New Zealand territory to a self-governing state in free association with Wellington, akin to the Cook Islands and Niue.
Despite the majority 60% who voted in favor of the proposal, the referendum failed to get the two-thirds majority required for the referendum to succeed.
The majority of Tokelauans reside in New Zealand, and were ineligible to vote in the referendum, in line with standard practice in United Nations mandated votes on self-determination.
The passage of the referendum would have removed Tokelau from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories, as the Cook Islands and Niue were removed from this list when they were granted self-governance in 1965 and 1974, respectively.
Outgoing Tokelau Ulu (head of government) Pio Tuia suggested in February 2006 that since the vote failed to pass by such a small margin, the issue was likely to be revisited in a few years' time. In June 2006, his successor Kolouei O'Brien announced that the Fono had agreed to hold a similar referendum again in late 2007 or early 2008.
Voting schedule
| Date | Location |
| February 11 | Apia, Samoa (Special overseas voting) |
| February 13 | Atafu atoll |
| February 14 | Nukunonu atoll |
| February 15 | Fakaofo atoll |
Results
The proposal: "That Tokelau become a self governing state in Free Association with New Zealand on the basis of the Constitution and as in the draft Treaty notified to Tokelau".
References
"Tokelau self-determination referendum, 2006"