By HELEN TUNNAH on Atafu Atol, Tokelau
Prime Minister Helen Clark has promised Tokelauans they will not be forgotten by New Zealand if they vote next year to govern themselves.
"You can be assured of our continuing support and friendship," she said during her two-day visit to the Pacific territory.
Helen Clark had earlier been taken ashore on Atafu in a traditional canoe ceremony.
Tokelau is considering a change in its constitutional status.
If, in a referendum next year, Tokelauans vote for self-determination, they will still rely on New Zealand aid funding, but will take control of their own affairs.
It is a position backed by the United Nations, and New Zealand, but not necessarily by all Tokelauans, some of whom are anxious about the country's long-term future.
Helen Clark has visited all three Tokelau atolls in the past two days, and is just the third New Zealand Prime Minister to visit in the almost 80 years the territory has been administered by New Zealand.
On Atafu yesterday, she was told that New Zealand was weaning Tokelau to go it alone, just as a mother would wean her child.
Her welcome at Atafu was just as powerful as the ones she received at Fakaofo and Nukunonu, with women greeting her as she stepped on land, followed by traditional songs and dancing.
The youngest children on the atoll yesterday overwhelmed some in the New Zealand delegation, with the power of their voices bearing no resemblance to their physical stature.
In response, Helen Clark declared a special school holiday.
The Prime Minister heard islanders' concerns about diseases such as diabetes which have hit Tokelau since the arrival of processed foods.
She was also questioned about how New Zealand could help Tokelau to become more independent economically.
Helen Clark promised support through the Ministry of Economic Development and a three-year funding programme to improve health and education.
She left Tokelau last night on board the frigate Te Kaha.
Tokelau pledge from PM
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