2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum

The Tokelau self-determination referendum of 2006, supervised by the United Nations,^[1] 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 New Zealand, akin to the Cook Islands and Niue.

After 581 of the 615 eligible voters cast a proper ballot (3 ruined ballots were also cast), the referendum fell 38 votes short of the two-thirds majority required to succeed in a change of status.^[2]

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. However concerns among this community may have influenced those who were eligible to vote, thereby contributing to the referendum's failure.^[3]

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.^[4] 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;^[5] in the end, it was decided to hold a second referendum on self-determination in October 2007.^[6]

An unintended result of the United Nations' recent efforts to promote decolonization in Tokelau has been the re-emergence of a Tokelauan claim to Swains Island, which is legally part of American Samoa, hitherto a somewhat dormant issue.

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: "Do you agree 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? ".

Tokelauan self-determination referendum, 2006
Choice	Votes	%
Against	232	39.93
For	349	60.07
Required majority	66.67
Valid votes	581	99.49
Invalid or blank votes	3	0.51
Total votes	584	100.00
Registered voters and turnout	615	94.96