Resettling Tokelauans In N.Z.

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31109, 12 July 1966, Page 3

Resettling Tokelauans In N.Z.

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON, July 11.

Ttvo hundred Tokelauans are to be resettled in New Zealand in the next two years and the educational services in the Tokelau group are to be strengthened to assist this resettlement.

The Minister of Island Territories (Mr Hanan) said today that a large number of Tokelauans wished to move to Ne v Zealand, and there was general recognition that the islanders’ future lay with this country. There was already a community of about 300 Tokelauans who had moved here over recent years and who had adjusted themselves very successfully.

Partly because of this, there was now a much greater demand among the people of the Tokelaus to come here.

Mr Hanan said that to protect the interests of those who wanted to come here and those who remained, it was important that family groups be assisted, as part of a planned pilot scheme, with special arrangements to ensure their welfare and their readjustment to circumstances so different from those in the islands.

So far under the scheme, 28 single young Tokelauans had come to New Zealand. Under the Cabinet’s latest decision another 68 would come in the next 12 months, and 122 in the next year. This meant another 22 single women and three families would be brought here this year, and next year 50 single people and up to 12 families would be brought in.

The single women would be placed in domestic employment and the families would be settled in the Rotoehu State forest, betwen Whakatane and Rotorua, where the men would work and where Forest Service houses would be available. The resettlement of a larger number of families, over a period of years, would involve the construction of a settlingin area of 12 houses near Taupo. Mr Hanan said the Government would pay the fares of the Tokelauans and would outfit them. Single persons would be expected to repay the cost of outfitting from the wages. The provisions of the Maori Housing Act, 1935, would be extended to include Tokelauans brought in under the scheme. I To improve the standard of

education, officers would be recruited for each of the three atolls in the group. They would concentrate on adult education thus improving the education of those who would eventually resettle in New Zealand. Mr Hanan said the needs iof the Tokelau Public Service would continue to be met by the islanders who had received training in New Zealand under the Department of Island Territories scheme, and by students now studying in Fiji and Western Samoa. “The administrator of the Tokelau Islands, Mr O. P, Gabites, will discuss the Government’s scheme with the Tokelauan people. I do not expect there will be any difficulty. The proposals we are putting forward have been worked out after my discussions with the Tokelauan people in January.

“They emphasised then their fervent wish to continue their association with New Zealand and described their I relationship as that between father and son.” ; Mr Hanan said the success of the scheme would make it possible to review, with the: people of the Tokelaus. the best long-term arrangements. To strengthen their responsibility for their own future,! the Cabinet had agreed that! the three island fonos (coun-j cils of family heads) should! become more closely involved' in the island's administration.! It was intended that the fonos j 'should be consulted in deter-1 ! mining priorities for Government expenditure in the | islands.

During the next two years the Government would work I out more fully with the Toke'lauan people the future status of the islands. Mr Hanan said.