A referendum on self-determination was held in Tokelau on 20 October and on 22–24 October 2007,Bulletin of the Tokelau Government
19 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 New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

territory to a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, akin to the

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and

Niue Niue (, ; niu, Niuē) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of New Zealand. Niue's land area is about and its population, predominantly Polynesian, was about 1,600 in 2016. Niue is located in a triangle between T ...

. However, the referendum required a two-thirds positive vote to pass, and the "yes" side fell short of the required total by 16 votes. The referendum was open to Tokelauans aged 18 or older, with 789 people eligible to vote. A majority of two-thirds of voters was necessary for the referendum to be accepted. After the narrow failure of the first such referendum in 2006, it was decided that another referendum would be held late the following year. Tokelau's leaders believe that concerns among Tokelauan expatriates were a factor in the failure of the 2006 referendum, even though they were not eligible to vote, and assured them that they would not lose their rights to return to Tokelau if the 2007 referendum had passed. There were 23% more people eligible to vote in the 2007 referendum than in the previous year's. The schedule was: * 20 October:

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

, Samoa (overseas voting). 63 votes cast. * 22 October:

Fakaofo 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 (1.1 sq mi), consisting of islets on a coral reef surrounding a central lagoon of some 45 ...

* 23 October:

Nukunonu Nukunonu is the largest atoll within Tokelau, a dependency of New Zealand, in the south Pacific Ocean. It comprises 30 islets surrounding a central lagoon, with about of land area and a lagoon surface area of . Motuhaga is the only islet th ...

* 24 October:

Atafu Atafu, formerly known as the Duke of York Group, is a group of 52 coral islets within Tokelau in the south Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. With a land area of , it is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau. It is an atoll and su ...

Had the proposal succeeded, a date would have been set, most likely in mid-2008, for the "day of self government". However, the proposal failed again by an even smaller margin – 16 more "yes" votes would have been needed to approve it. It is possible that the issue will be voted on again in the future; the leader of the largest group of overseas Tokelauans (the Tokelauan community in the Hutt Valley in New Zealand)

Henry Joseph Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

called for another vote within two years, with the required approval being changed to a simple majority.Radio Australia – News – Tokelau leader seeks third self-determination vote
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Results

References

External links

Official website
of the

Council of Ongoing Government 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 (as ...

Tokelau Referendums in Tokelau Self-determination referendum 2007 elections in Oceania 2007 in international relations Tokelau Separatism in New Zealand {{tokelau-stub