South Pacific islands cling to their colonial status

The UN wants tiny, remote Tokelau in the South Pacific to be independent, and so does New Zealand, its colonial ruler. But Tokelauans cannot quite bring themselves to sever the link and become one of the world's smallest nations.

Fewer than 1,500 people inhabit the three minuscule atolls, mid-way between New Zealand and Hawaii, that constitute Tokelau. In two referendums in the past 21 months, its 700 voters have narrowly failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority in favour of self-government.

A former British colony in Polynesia, Tokelau has been administered by New Zealand since 1926. It has no airport or harbour, and is a 28-hour ferry ride from Samoa, its nearest neighbour, 300 miles to the south.

In a place with such a tiny population, every vote counts, and the losing margin in last week's plebiscite was just 16 votes. With a clear majority wishing to go it alone, another UN-supervised referendum is expected before long.

New Zealand, keen to divest itself of its last colonial possession, has promised Tokelauans that they will retain their right to citizenship of that country if they opt for self-rule. Wellington has also pledged to maintain its financial support.

Tokelau is one of 16 remaining colonial territories around the world, which the UN periodically and gently presses to achieve independence. Others include Pitcairn Island and Gibraltar, both British possessions. East Timor, formerly controlled by Indonesia, was the last to take over its own destiny.

When it follows suit, Tokelau will be the world's smallest nation after the Vatican City by population, and after the Vatican City and Monaco by land area. Its three coral atolls – Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo - cover just four square miles. They are also pancake-flat and, like other places in the South Pacific, threatened by rising sea levels.

The New Zealand Prime Minister, Helen Clark, said after last week's referendum that she respected Tokelauans' wishes. "New Zealand governments have long taken the view that it is for the people of Tokelau to decide both the direction and the pace of their political development," she said, pledging her country's continuing support.

Tokelau, regardless of its colonial status, will remain dependent on New Zealand, which provides 80 per cent of its budget. Other sources of income include fishing licence fees, exports of copra (dried coconut meat), and sales of handicrafts, stamps and coins. It also earns money from its .tk internet domain address.

New Zealand is already home to 8,000 Tokelau expatriates. While they no longer have a vote in their birthplace, they are believed to have played a key role in persuading relatives on the islands against opting for self-government "in free association with New Zealand", as the referendum phrased it.

Even so, 64 per cent of people voted for independence, up from 60 per cent in the previous plebiscite in February last year.

Connected to the outside world only by ferry, telephone and – as of recently – the internet, it remains a tropical backwater.

Just six or so people own cars, and the islands do not even have a capital. The public service is based in Apia, the Samoan capital. In practice, Tokelau already runs its own affairs with New Zealand support.

Tokelau became part of Britain's Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1889, and was bequeathed to New Zealand in 1926. One of its claims to fame is a population of pigs that live by the sea and have learnt to catch fish in shallow water.