The Administrator of Tokelau is an official of the New Zealand Government, responsible for supervising the government of the dependent territory of

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 ...

Powers and functions

Certain of the Administrator's powers and functions are set forth in the Tokelau Act 1948, as amended from time to time. (The office of Administrator is not, however, created by this Act.) The most important power of the Administrator is the power to disallow any Rule passed by the Parliament of Tokelau (the General Fono); this must, however, be done within 30 days after the Administrator is sent a copy of the Rule. The Administrator is assisted by a permanent staff of civil servants, which form the Office of the Administrator of Tokelau, a part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Office coordinates New Zealand government activity relating to Tokelau, especially economic assistance; provides expert policy advice and assistance to the Tokelau government, also arranging for administrative assistance and training to the Tokelau public service; and represents the Tokelau public service in New Zealand, especially to the resident Tokelauan community. Besides these roles, the Office assists Tokelau to develop appropriate legal, governance and administration structures as Tokelau moves towards greater autonomy. The Administrator acts as a representative, not of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

personally, but of the New Zealand Government. The Administration of Tokelau may also be overruled by the New Zealand Parliament, or by regulations made by the Governor-General in Council.

Appointment

The Administrator is appointed by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs.

History

The region of the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

in which Tokelau lies was declared a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

in 1877, and the islands themselves came under British protection in 1889, being incorporated into the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. This Colony was administered by officials responsible ultimately to the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of c ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 1925, Tokelau was separated from the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, becoming its own colony. In reality, however, it was administered from New Zealand, the Governor-General of New Zealand being appointed Governor of Tokelau. The Governor-General at the time, Sir Charles Fergusson, the next year appointed the High Commissioner of Western Samoa, Maj Gen Sir

George Spafford Richardson Major-General Sir George Spafford Richardson, (14 November 1868 – 11 June 1938) was a senior officer in the New Zealand Military Forces. Born in Northamptonshire, England, Richardson originally served with the British Army's Royal Regi ...

, as Administrator, with a delegation of the Vice-Regal powers. This situation continued up until 1948, when sovereignty over Tokelau was transferred from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to New Zealand. In recent years, Administrators have tended to be senior civil servants, politicians, or career diplomats.

List of administrators (1926–present)

Up to 1961, the administrator of Tokelau was the administrator of Samoa. *Maj Gen Sir

(1926–1928) *Col Sir Stephen Allen (1928–1931) *Brig Gen Sir

Herbert Ernest Hart Brigadier General Sir Herbert Ernest Hart, (13 October 1882 – 5 March 1968) was an officer in the New Zealand Military Forces who served during the Second Boer War and the First World War. He later served as the Administrator of Western ...

(1931–1935) *Sir

Alfred Turnbull Sir Alfred Clarke Turnbull (14 October 1881 – 17 September 1962) was a New Zealand colonial administrator who served as Administrator of Western Samoa and Tokelau between 1935 and 1946. Biography Turnbull was born in Balclutha in 1881.

(1935–1946) *Lt Col

Francis William Voelcker Lieutenant-Colonel Francis William Voelcker (9 October 1896 – 22 May 1954) was a British army officer and colonial administrator. Biography Born in London in 1896,Guy Powles Sir Guy Richardson Powles (5 April 1905 – 24 October 1994) was a New Zealand diplomat, the last Governor of Western Samoa and architect of Samoan independence, and New Zealand's first Ombudsman. Early life Powles was born in Otaki, north of W ...

(1949–1960) * Jack Wright (1960–1965) * Paul Gabites (1965–1968) * Richard Taylor (1968–1971) * Duncan MacIntyre (1971–1972) * Matiu Rata (1972–1973) *

Gray Thorp Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed ...

(1973–1975) *

Frank Corner Frank Henry Corner (17 May 1920 – 27 August 2014) was a New Zealand diplomat. Corner served as New Zealand's Ambassador to the United Nations and the United States, before becoming New Zealand's third Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs (197 ...

(1975–1984) * Tim Francis (1984–1988) * Neil Walter (1988–1990) * Graham Keith Ansell (1990–1992) * Brian William Peter Absolum (1992–1993) * Lindsay Johnstone Watt (1993–2003) * Neil Walter (2003–2006) * David Payton (2006–2009) * John Allen (acting) (2009–2011) * Jonathan Kings (2011–2015) * Linda Te Puni (acting to 2016, 2016) * David Nicholson (2016–2017) * Brook Barrington (acting) (2017) * Jonathan Kings (2017–2018) * Ross Ardern (2018–2022) * Don Higgins (2022–present)

References

External links