Role of the Office of the Administrator of Tokelau

The Administrator of Tokelau is a statutory position appointed by the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It is charged with the administration of the executive Government of Tokelau. In practice, the statutory powers of the Administrator have largely been delegated to Tokelauan institutions since 1994. The Administrator, however, continues to play a key role in the partnership between New Zealand and Tokelau, and acts as the principal contact between Tokelau and the New Zealand Government. In this regard he seeks to work constructively with Tokelau to assist it in maintaining a good and satisfactory standard of services and infrastructure in Tokelau.

David Payton is the current Administrator of Tokelau, having been appointed in September 2006. He heads the Office of the Administrator of Tokelau which is staffed by members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and NZAID. A member of the Tokelau Public Service is also seconded to the Office.

The Office is part of the Special Relations Unit within MFAT and NZAID in Wellington. This Unit is mandated to oversee New Zealand's relationship with Tokelau and also with Niue.

In recognition of the wide range of needs that Tokelau will have and the limited capacity of Tokelau to meet many of these requirements for the efficient management of the affairs of the Government of Tokelau and the requirements of the atolls, the New Zealand Government, through the Office of the Administrator has sought to make available, at the request of the Government of Tokelau, the full range of services and capabilities within the New Zealand government system.

This commitment by the Government of New Zealand underlines the closeness of the relationship between New Zealand and Tokelau and reflects the ongoing commitment New Zealand has for the people of Tokelau.

Ensuring that there is appropriate substance to this far-reaching commitment is the major responsibility of the Office of the Administrator.

The main activities of the Office of the Administrator are:

• Coordinating all New Zealand government activities relating to Tokelau
• Management of the Administrative Assistance Scheme for Tokelau

The purpose of the Administrative Assistance Scheme is to assist the Tokelau Public Service by arranging short term secondments of staff, training or mentoring by NZ government departments. Administrative assistance may cover all areas of government activity including specialist areas such as health, education and economic development.

This scheme supports Tokelau, particularly in the areas of:

• education (Lili Tuioti)
• constitutional and legislative development (Prof Tony Angelo & Sarah Ireland)
• financial management (Alan Shaw)
• public sector management (Tony Johns)
• with the involvement and recruitment of other appropriate experts
• Coordinating all New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and NZAID activities in and for Tokelau.
• Supporting Tokelau's efforts to establish and enhance appropriate governance structures and assisting with constitutional and legislative
• Acting on behalf of the Tokelau Public Service in New Zealand, including by supporting the Tokelau patient referral scheme and Tokelau scholarship students.
• Maintaining contact with and disseminating information to Tokelau communities and ‘friends of Tokelau' in New Zealand.
• Maintaining dialogue with the UN Committee on decolonisation and other international and regional groupings with an interest in Tokelau.

For more information about the work of the Office of the Administrator of Tokelau please contact: