Tokelau's isolation from the world is expected to continue after plans to build a first airport on its largest atoll have been scuppered.
The New Zealand-Aotearoa government pulled out of an ambitious project to construct an 800-metre runway with one terminal at the design phase.
The NZ Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade informed the Tokelauan government of its intention to withdrawal from the project on Friday.
"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," the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.
"(But) we recognise that air services have been a long-held aspiration of the people of Tokelau."
The only mode of transport out of Tokelau is a ferry boat service to and from Samoa, which is a 500-kilometre distance, takes more than 24 hours one way, and runs only once every two weeks.
Tokelau is a dependent territory of the Realm of New Zealand - along with its association states, the Cook Islands (Kūki 'Airani) and Niue - which has a direct responsibility for the defence and security of the non-self-governing island.
The Ulu-o-Tokelau, by the United Nations, remains its notional head of government of Tokelau, which is rotated on an annual basis between the Indigenous faipule leaders of its three atolls
New Zealand had already forked out more than $3 million spent on feasibility, design, business casing and procurement planning since 2020 after a bipartisan Wellington parliament had initially agreed to the project a year before delays from the Covid-19 pandemic put the airport on prolonged hold.
Tenders for the project had been put out for one construction provider, who was willing to work with the council of Taupulega Elders on an appropriate design concept.
The timeline had been set to complete the airport by 2030 until New Zealand made the shock call to scrap the idea.
Tokelau's narrow land mass totals across the three atolls stands at 10 km2 allegedly made the plans difficult.
"There's not enough land to have an airstrip.... and it's also the environmental impact - it's in a pristine environment," John Teao, the former Chairman of the Wellington Tokelau Association, told Radio New Zealand.
"I just don't see any justification for an airport. Maybe in the future, if they have sea planes or things like that."
Not only passengers but goods, including food staples, are forced to be unloaded from a barge at its Nukunonu atoll through the fortnightly shipping service from Samoa
Tokelau is also particularly vulnerable to climate change and is facing rising sea levels, and has experienced severe coastal erosion in 2005 following a severe cyclone that inundated its low-lying lands.
While some studies have suggested, unlike nearby Tuvalu, the atolls might adapt or migrate, Tokelau's very existence still remains at risk.
While the Opposition's spokesperson of the Pacific, Carmel Sepuloni, of the Labour Party, said this airport was intended to bridge the gap between Tokelau and the world, she said that the project was a calculated risk worth taking.
"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 (in Tokelau) 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 would expect the government to offer a clear explanation as to why they've scrapped these plans."
Tokelau leaders were actively working on adaptation strategies to ensure rising sea levels were not going to affect the airport project, including building sea walls.
