First light honors, shared in summer by Poverty Bay’s Mt Hikurangi and the Chatham Islands, will now belong to Fakaofo in Tokelau.
Tokelau, a three atoll New Zealand colony and home to 1,200 people, has opted to move across the Dateline, following Samoa to the south.
Earlier this year Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele announced his state would move, separating it from American Samoa and Tokelau.
The three atolls of Tokelau, home to 1,200 New Zealanders and without airport, harbor or capital, has its logistics headquarters in Apia.
Tokelau’s National Public Service manager Joe Suveinakama told Radio New Zealand International that the atoll’s fono or local government decided to move with Samoa.
He said it will make it easier to do business with New Zealand.
“It’ll be useful that on Fridays we call New Zealand somebody will be on the other side of the office whereas at the current time they come to work on Monday, it’s our Sunday, we come to work on Friday, it’s their Saturday, so we actually lose a day in terms of operation,” he told the broadcaster.
Tokelau’s switch will have to be legally amended in New Zealand law and will likely come into effect in December, when Samoa jumps across the line.
Tokelau’s atolls are effectively New Zealand’s northern most point and Fakaofo the eastern most point.
