Undated photo shows villagers unloading goods from a barge in Nukunonu atoll, Tokelau. Tokelau has no airport or port and all passengers and goods have to be brought ashore on the three atolls by barges through a gap in the surrounding reef. The only contact with the outside world is through a fortnightly shipping service from Apia, 500 km (310 miles) to the south. Photo: AFP PHOTO STR / AFP
New Zealand has scrapped a project to build an airport in Tokelau after sinking NZD$3 million into the design phase.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told RNZ Pacific that the Government of Tokelau have been advised of their decision.
Tokelau is completely inaccessible by plane, with visitors and its roughly 2600 residents required to travel via boat from Samoa. A return fare on the boat, which runs once every two weeks, is approximately NZ$306, with a travel time of around 24-32 hours.
"This decision was made in the context of the high cost of the project and the constrained fiscal environment currently facing the New Zealand Government," MFAT said in a statement.
"We recognise that air services have been a long-held aspiration of the people of Tokelau. "
The government had spent around $3 million on feasibility, design, business casing and procurement planning since 2020, with funding agreed to the year before. The project faced delays due to COVID-19.
Stuff reported in 2022 that tenders for the project that had put out for one provider who would be willing to work with the council of elders, or Taupulega, on a design concept.
An Official Information Act request from October 2024 confirmed that the intended design included one terminal with an 800m by 30m runway on Nukunonu, the largest of Tokelau's three atolls.
A tender for a construction contractor had been placed as late as September 2025, with an expected timeline reaching out to 2030, according to MFAT's DevData tool.
Children collecting inati (part of a fundamental cultural system of resource sharing) for their families. Photo: Elena Pasilio
John Teao, former Chairman of the Wellington Tokelau Association, said he was personally pleased to see the project come to its end.
"There's not enough land to have an airstrip.... and it's also the environmental impact - it's a pristine environment," Teao said.
"I just don't see any any justification for an airport.
"Maybe in the future, if they have sea planes or things like that."
Teao said he hopes to see the money spent on something more useful, such as improving the existing boat system.
The New Zealand Labour Party's Pacific spokesperson, Carmel Sepuloni, said this project was intended to bridge the gap between Tokelau and the world.
"While the details are unclear, it's disappointing to hear this news," she said in a statement.
"There are real risks that come with having no access to an airstrip. With a population of about 2,500 and almost 10,000 Tokelauans living in New Zealand, travel to and from Tokelau is difficult.
"There's a clear need and given Tokelau is within the realm of New Zealand, I'd expect the Government to offer a clear explanation as to why they've scrapped these plans."
An election in Tokelau for their General Fono is set for 29 January. Each village is selecting their candidates for just over a week of campaigning.
The Fono consists of three Faipule, or village leaders, three Pulenuku, or village mayors, and 14 general delegates, elected for a three-year term.
