A referendum on tourism development was held in the Pitcairn Islands in March 2001.Ahoy there! Mutiny island grabs tourist bounty lifeline
The Observer, 25 March 2001 The proposals put forward by Wellesley Pacific were approved by 78% of voters.

Background

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

was held in 1981 on the subject of building an airfield for the island. Although it was approved by 90% of voters, construction had proved too expensive. Wellesley Pacific proposed the construction of a 30-bed hotel and an international airport on

Oeno Island Oeno Island ( ) or Holiday Island a coral atoll in the South Pacific Ocean, part of the Pitcairn Islands overseas territory. Geography Located northwest of Pitcairn Island, at . Oeno Atoll measures about in diameter, including the central ...

, with regular flights to

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

and

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 ...

. A second airport would be built on Pitcairn island with two lodges, whilst

Bounty Bay Bounty Bay is an embayment of the Pacific Ocean into Pitcairn Island. It is named after the ''Bounty'', a British naval vessel whose eighteenth-century mutiny was immortalized in the novel ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', and the numerous subsequent ...

would be modified to allow boats to land. A processing plant would also be built to allow the development of a fishing industry. The company demanded exclusive rights to develop the islands, but said it would give 10% of profits to island residents. However, environmentalists raised concerns about the potential effects on the islands' unique plant and animal life.

Results

References

{{Pitcairn Islands elections

Pitcairn The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four is ...

2001 in the Pitcairn Islands Referendums in the Pitcairn Islands March 2001 events in Oceania