The official flag of Tokelau, a dependent territory of New Zealand, is a blue background with a yellow Polynesian canoe sailing towards the Southern Cross.
Symbolism[]
The yellow canoe represents the journey towards finding the best government structure for the people. The white stars form the Southern Cross, long a symbol of Australia and New Zealand, which is used as a navigational aid for the journey.
The white stars represent the three main atolls, plus the claimed Swains Island, which is administered by American Samoa. They are also symbol of Christianity. The white also represents cooperation and unity, while the yellow color is for a happy peaceful community. The blue represents the ocean which the people depend on for their livelihood.[1]
History[]
There have been multiple unsuccessful proposals for the flag of Tokelau. The earliest was in 1989, for which three stars represented Tokelau's three atolls. They began working on the current flag in 2007, and it was still not quite approved by the General Fono, or the regional council of Tokelau. They then approved it in 2008.
In 2009, Tokelau's flag was approved by the Queen.
Official Description[]
From the official website:
Tokelau’s Flag above depicts a Tokelauan canoe sailing towards the manu (Southern Cross). The canoe symbolises Tokelau’s journey towards finding the best governance structure for its people; the Southern Cross symbolises a navigational aid for the journey. The Southern Cross has helped Tokelauan fishermen navigate the waters around Tokelau for centuries while they have fished to sustain families and villages with its riches.
The white stars of the Southern Cross are a symbol of Christianity, an important part of everyday life in Tokelau. White also signifies the cooperation and unity among the atolls of Tokelau and a shared aspiration to secure a better life for Tokelauans. Yellow signifies a happy, peaceful community. Blue signifies the ocean on which Tokelauans depend for their livelihood and is also the colour of the sky which holds the stars that direct Tokelau’s people. Tokelau’s flag has been under development for a number of years. In 2007 a competition was held to design a new flag and the final version, approved by Tokelau’s General Fono in February this year, is based on the winning design. As is customary for official flags of the Commonwealth, the flag was granted a Royal Licence by Her Majesty the Queen in August 2009. The official blazon (technical description in heraldic terminology) of the flag is: Azure a Tokelau Canoe Or in the hoist a constellation of the Southern Cross composed of four Mullets Argent. [Azure = blue; Or = gold or yellow; Argent = silver, but normally shown as white] In lay terms the description is: On a blue flag a stylised Tokelauan canoe (in full sail) in yellow and in the hoist (position nearest the pole) four white Mullets (heraldic stars). Tokelau received its first official flag from the Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, at Government House on 7 September.
Gallery[]
References[]
Oceania
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 Australia |  Federated States of Micronesia |  Fiji |  Indonesia |  Kiribati |  Marshall Islands |  Nauru |  New Zealand |  Palau |  Papua New Guinea |  Samoa |  Solomon Islands |  Tonga |  Tuvalu |  Vanuatu
Dependencies and other territories |
