KEY POINTS:
Tokelau's leader, Kuresa Nasau, is confident the New Zealand territory will vote to cut its colonial ties in a referendum to be held across its three atolls in about a fortnight.
Mr Nasau told the Herald from the northernmost atoll of Atafu yesterday that he is sure a
large majority of Tokelauans will vote to become self-governing in free association with New Zealand.
The referendum on Tokelau's future is set to run over four days, ending with a final count and announcement of the decision on Atafu on October 25.
An earlier referendum, in February last year, failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority support for the proposal to change Tokelau's status. It gained only 60 per cent support.
Mr Nasau said one reason he was confident the vote would now pass the 66 per cent threshold was that he had himself changed his mind and would support the move. "I voted against it. I had concerns about what infrastructure was in place."
Mr Nasau said he had not felt reassured by New Zealand that it would provided a new ship to service the remote atolls about 500km north of Samoa and only accessible by sea. He had also seen a need for new school buildings and health centres.
Mr Nasau said New Zealand had now "given commitments" on those issues, while the Tokelau administration had itself done a better job of consulting the people on the proposed change towards becoming a more independent entity.
In the previous referendum there had just been one round of consultation and many people were confused by the information.
"We did not do a very good job."
This time there had been two rounds of consultation as well as the setting up of referendum committees on each of the three atolls - Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo - where people could ask questions.
Mr Nasau said feedback from Tokelauans was "very promising" and favoured the change.
David Payton, the New Zealand administrator of Tokelau, said 174 more people had registered to vote in this referendum than the last, where the 'yes' vote had been short of the two thirds majority by just 35 votes.
For this month's referendum there were 789 registered voters out of an estimated pool of 884 eligible voters aged over 18 years.
The 7000 Tokelauans who live in New Zealand are not able to vote, but the atoll leaders have visited them to inform them of the issues.
Mr Payton said there was no pressure from New Zealand for Tokelau to hold a second referendum.
There was a realisation that by not becoming self-governing Tokelau was missing out on funds from the EU and the UN, he said.
Tokelau
* Total land area of 12 sq km over three atoll groups.
* Population recorded at 1466 in 2006 census.
* A non-self-governing territory of New Zealand.
* In February 2006 voted for Tokelau to remain a colony.
* Another referendum will be held in a fortnight on self-governance.
