Political status and decolonisation

History of Tokelau political status

From 1926 New Zealand administration through the 2006 and 2007 free-association referendums.

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1926-1949: New Zealand administration

Tokelau came under New Zealand administration in 1926, formally incorporated in 1949.[1]

2006-2007: the free-association referendums

Two referendums on free association both fell short of the required two-thirds majority.[2] [3]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: Tokelau was brought under New Zealand administration in 1926 and formally became part of New Zealand in 1949 under the Tokelau Act 1948.

    • History of Self-Determination (Tokelau Government) link, Administrative history section. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: A UN-supervised referendum held 11-15 February 2006 asked Tokelauans whether to change status to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, similar to the Cook Islands and Niue, not independent statehood; 60% voted in favour, short of the required two-thirds majority, so Tokelau's status as a New Zealand territory did not change.

    • 2006 Tokelauan self-determination referendum (Wikipedia) link, 2006 referendum result section. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: A second referendum, held 20-24 October 2007, again proposed free-association status; 64.4% voted in favour, falling short of the required two-thirds majority by 16 votes, and Tokelau's status as a New Zealand territory again did not change.

    • 2007 Tokelauan self-determination referendum (Wikipedia) link, 2007 referendum result section. Source record

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Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/tokelau-political-status/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.