New Zealand supports fresh Tokelau referendum
New Zealand’s foreign minister, Winston Peters, says it will support Tokelau’s decision for another referendum on
self-determination.
Tokelau’s assembly wants a fresh vote on the same question at the end of next year or early 2008.
In February, voters chose to retain Tokelau’s status as a territory of New Zealand.
Mr Peters says it will take time to organise another vote.
“Well my fairly soon would mean something like 18 months or more away because there’s a lot of preparatory and
logistical work to be put around any referendum process. Now we’ve just had one and then if we were to have one again
very soon, I think their leadership understands better than we do the various processes that have to be gone through for
that to happen.”
Winston Peters.
There were no reports of irregularities in the February vote.