Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you, Chair.
On behalf of New Zealand and the Administrator of Tokelau, I say malo ni, warm greetings in the language of Tokelau, to you all. I have the honour to address you today on the Question of Tokelau.
Mr Chair, Tokelau and New Zealand enjoy a warm and respectful partnership underpinned by shared values and aspirations.
We are working together to construct the building blocks for self-governance in a manner that reflects the best of Tokelau’s faith, culture and identity. This was highlighted to the C-24 by the leader of Tokelau, the Ulu, and the New Zealand Administrator in June this year.
A highlight since our presentation to the C-24 has been the visit by the Prime Minister of New Zealand to Tokelau’s three atolls.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Administrator of Tokelau and New Zealand’s first Cabinet Minister of Tokelauan descent.
The visit underscored our close cultural and community ties, and showcased our joint efforts to enhance core public service governance, transport and internet connectivity, and climate change resilience and mitigation.
New Zealand continues its funding of Tokelau’s development priorities. Last year, we reported that New Zealand would invest NZ$86 million dollars in assistance to Tokelau over our three year budget cycle. Since then, the total value of New Zealand’s development cooperation to Tokelau has risen to NZ$94 million dollars in response to evolving priorities.
New Zealand is supporting Tokelau’s self-governance in the critical areas of finances, human resources and offshore fisheries. Fisheries are Tokelau’s only significant source of independent revenue and have a critical role in contributing to Tokelau’s aspirations for greater self-determination.
New Zealand provides core budget support for public service delivery. We are working closely together to strengthen Tokelau’s education and health services to ensure that the children of Tokelau are well equipped for the future.
We are committed to supporting Tokelau to modernise its body of law to ensure it reflects international norms.
We have increased the quality, reliability and safety of shipping services between Samoa and Tokelau, and between Tokelau’s atolls, and we have reduced the costs of these services.
We are laying an internet cable that will connect Tokelau to the outside world. The cable will be operational by the end of 2021 and will vastly improve the quality of Tokelau’s internet connectivity, and access to services.
This year, New Zealand and Tokelau committed to expanding its electricity generation capacity to meet forecast demand. This climate change mitigation project will enable Tokelau to generate over 90 percent of its energy through renewable energy resources by 2020. Tokelau is also committed to reviewing its electricity tariffs, to ensure that it can independently finance maintenance and eventual replacement of these assets.
Tokelau’s status as a territory of New Zealand means it is unable to access global climate financing. We have therefore stepped up our support to Tokelau to build disaster and climate change resilience. We are working together to plan disaster management, water security and coastal resilience initiatives which, over the short term, include multi-purpose evacuation shelters.
New Zealand remains committed to supporting Tokelau’s voice on the global stage, and to assisting Tokelau to be a leader on climate change mitigation and adaptation at home.
Underscoring the close nature of our relationship, last month Tokelau’s leader, the Ulu, sat with the New Zealand delegation at the opening session of the Climate Action Summit, and Prime Minister Ardern directly addressed the existential threats faced by the people of Tokelau in her statement.
Mr Chair, the Committee should take from these developments that a lot is happening in Tokelau, underpinned by the Prime Minister’s recent visit and our ongoing high-level engagement. We are determined to maintain this momentum to support the aspirations of the people of Tokelau.
New Zealand welcomes the ongoing interest of the Fourth Committee. We commit to continuing to provide timely and accurate information to assist it and the wider UN System.
Mr Chair, I conclude New Zealand’s statement by thanking you for the opportunity to address you today, in the languages of New Zealand te reo Maori and in Tokelauan, namely tena toutou and fakafetai.
I thank you.