Tokelau is in Polynesia, a group of three atolls about half way between Hawaii to New Zealand. Tokelau as a non-self governing territory of New Zealand is on the UN Special Committee list on Decolonisation. Subsistence based living was a necessity especially as there is no soil. Fish and coconuts are available but not he other produce found elsewhere in the Pacific such as taro and bananas. Spartan is possibly the best way to describe tourist facilities on Tokelau. There is only one hotel. This can provide meals and accommodation.
Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts.
