General Practitioners/Family Practitioners looking for a different locum experience, ideally for six months or longer, may find it in Tokelau, a New Zealand territory 483 kilometres north of Samoa. Return airfares from New Zealand to Apia for General Practitioners and their families plus accommodation are provided.
Welcome to Tokelau. Visitors arriving by boat
Tokelau, which consists of three atolls about 483 kilometres north of Samoa, is a New Zealand territory which is moving towards self-government. Although land mass is small, covering only about 12 sq kilometres, the group extends for nearly 200 kilometres. These New Zealand citizens are Polynesians with linguistic, family and cultural links with Samoa and Tuvalu. There is a fortnightly round trip shipping service from Apia to Tokelau, with plans for to introduce a regular inter-atoll shipping service.
Atafu (3.5 sq metres) is the northernmost atoll, 92 km north of Nukunonu (4.7 sq metres), which in turn lies 64 km north of Fakaofo (4 sq metres). Each atoll, which is between three to five metres above sea level, consists of a number of reef-bound islets (motu) encircling a lagoon. The islets vary in size from 90m to 6 km in length and from a few metres to 200 metres in width. The reef extends only a short distance from the shore before dropping sharply into deep waters.
The mean average temperature is 28 deg C. From April to November the east-south-easterly trade winds dominate climatic conditions. Rainfall is heavy but irregular. A daily fall of 80 mm or more can be expected at any time of the year.
Fakaofo has the largest population of 597, followed by Atafu with 543 and then Nukunonu with 437. Females are in a slight majority in the overall population. The population peaked in the 1960s at nearly 2000 but has been declining ever since. Principal religions for each atoll are: Fakaofo, Protestant and Roman Catholic; Atafu, Protestant; and Nukunonu, Roman Catholic. Each atoll has a school to fifth form (year 11). For further education, students transfer to Samoa or New Zealand.
The village on each atoll is governed by its own Taupulega or Council of Elders. The three Taupulega have delegated collectively the authority of the villages to the General Fono or parliament to manage national matters including the management of national health advisory services.
Clear, warm water is ideal for leisure pursuits
Each village has its own store managed by the Council of Elders. These sell basic food and supplies imported from New Zealand and Samoa. Staple food crops produced on the atolls include bananas, papaya, taro and breadfruit. Fish are abundant.
Many pass times revolve around sport. Each village has a youth and sports group which organises recreational activities within each atoll and some inter-atoll competitions. Cricket is a major recreational pastime.
For further information about this location, please refer to:
The information on these pages was accurate at the time of listing. As some detail may have since changed, NZLocums recommends the information be used as a guideline only.
