What is the capital of Tokelau?
Country Name | Tokelau |
Full Country Name | none |
Former Name | Union Islands, Tokelau Islands |
Etymology- history of name | "tokelau" is a Polynesian word meaning "north wind" |
Government Type | parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy |
Capital Name | note: there is no designated, official capital for Tokelau; the location of the capital rotates among the three atolls along with the head of government or Ulu o Tokelau |
Capital Time Difference | UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Independence | none (territory of New Zealand) |
National Holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) |
Constitution |
history: many previous; latest effective 1 January 1949 (Tokelau Islands Act 1948) amendments: proposed as a resolution by the General Fono; passage requires support by each village and approval by the General Fono; amended several times, last in 2007 |
Dependency Status | self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN-sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not meet the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status |
Who is the president of Tokelau?
Executive Branch: |
chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy KIRO (since 21 September 2021); New Zealand is represented by Administrator Don HIGGINS (since June 2022) head of government: (Ulu o Tokelau) Alapati TAVITE (since 12 March 2024); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) of the atolls cabinet: Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau (or Tokelau Council) functions as a cabinet; consists of 3 village leaders (Faipule) and 3 village mayors (Pulenuku) elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; head of government chosen from the Council of Faipule to serve a 1-year term note: the meeting place of the Tokelau Council rotates annually among the three atolls; this tradition has given rise to the somewhat misleading description that the capital rotates yearly between the three atolls; in actuality, it is the seat of the government councilors that rotates since Tokelau has no capital |
Citizenship Criteria: | see New Zealand |
Legal System: | common law system of New Zealand |
Suffrage: | 21 years of age; universal |
Legislative Branch: |
description: unicameral General Fono (20 seats apportioned by island - Atafu 7, Fakaofo 7, Nukunonu 6; members directly elected by simple majority vote to serve 3-year terms); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power to the General Fono elections: last held on 26 January 2023 depending on island (next to be held in January 2026) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 20; composition - men 17, women 3, percent of women 15% |
Judicial Branch: |
highest court(s): Court of Appeal (in New Zealand) (consists of the court president and 8 judges sitting in 3- or 5-judge panels, depending on the case) judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the Judicial Selection Committee and approved by three-quarters majority of the Parliament; judges serve for life subordinate courts: High Court (in New Zealand); Council of Elders or Taupulega |
Regions or States: | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Political Parties and Leaders: | none |
International Organization Participation: | PIF (associate member), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Diplomatic Representation in the US: | none (territory of New Zealand) |
Diplomatic Representation from US: | none (territory of New Zealand) |