Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

, a dependent territory of

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 count ...

, adopted an official flag in 2009. Previously, the flag of New Zealand was used as the official flag for Tokelau. In May 2008, the local parliament, the

General Fono The General Fono is the parliament of Tokelau. It has 20 members (15 before 2008), representing the 3 atolls. Elections are held every three years. Tokelau is a de facto non-partisan democracy since both village and Fono elections are made witho ...

, approved a distinctive flag and national emblem for Tokelau. The

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

presented the flag to the Ulu-o-Tokelau as Tokelau's first official flag on 7 September 2009. A referendum on self-determination in 2006 failed to carry (it was supported, but not with the necessary

supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...

), and another one in October 2007 fell 16 votes short.

History

1989 proposal

An alternative and unofficial flag has been reported. The three stars in this flag represent the three atolls which make up the islands of Tokelau. File:Flag of Tokelau (local).svg, 1980s flag proposal

2007 proposal

In June 2007 the regional parliament (''

'') decided over the future flag, anthem and national symbol of Tokelau. The proposed flag depicted a stylized Polynesian canoe and four stars. The stars represent the three main islands and also

Swains Island Swains Island (; Tokelauan: ''Olohega'' ; Samoan: ''Olosega'' ) is a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The island is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute between Tokelau and the United States, whi ...

, administered by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

) but claimed by Tokelau. As the required supermajority was not reached in the 2007 self-determination referendum, the flag was not officially adopted. File:Tokelau flag proposal 2007.jpg, Flag selected by the General Fono in 2007 File:Tokelau flag reconstruction.svg, Reconstruction of 2007 flag

2008 final proposal

In May 2008, the General Fono approved the final versions of the national symbols of Tokelau. The flag design approved is based on the 2007 proposal with minor changes to the arrangement of the stars, the Southern Cross is used in place of a representation of the geographic location of the islands. A national emblem was also approved at this time.

2009 royal approval

The flag was approved by the General Fono in February 2009 and by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

in August. The governor-general presented the new flag to the Ulu as Tokelau's first official flag on 7 September 2009. An official launch of the new flag was planned for October 2009.

References

External links

*
Tokelau Flag and National Symbol
Government of Tokelau
College of Arms December 2009 Newsletter (No. 23) newsletter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tokelau, Flag of

Flags of New Zealand

Flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Southern Cross flags