The tiny South Pacific island state of Tokelau, which is a dependent territory of New Zealand, has suspended two public servants over the unauthorised purchase of two helicopters worth "millions of dollars" in 2016, reports Asia Pacific Report (APR). The purchase has raised the ire of New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully, as well as the 1,500 citizens of Tokelau. One helicopter was to be retained for domestic purposes, while the other was to be based in Samoa, more than 500 kilometres away, for medevac operations.
News of the purchase led to a souring of relations between the two governments. Although Tokelau was known to be in the planning stages for an interim transport solution, the helicopter purchase was beyond its scope. Following bilateral discussions in mid-March, McCully reported that a review had found Tokelau was suffering "issues of governance and process around capital purchases that need urgent attention".
An APR article quotes from a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) document which says that the helicopter purchases were part of a plan to start an interim air service while establishing the infrastructure required for a fixed-wing service from Samoa "through a partnership arrangement" with Samoa's Grey Investment Group (GIG).
In a government email seen by the publication, a Tokelau government official was reviewing proposals from two Canadian suppliers for the provision of amphibious aircraft. It was considering a Cessna (single turboprop) Caravan or a DHC-6 Twin Otter, with a preference for the latter due to the distance between Samoa and Tokelau. In the email, the government official, whose name is redacted, said that the fixed-wing service was to be operated by Samoa's Polynesian Airlines (Apia Fagali'i).
The MFAT also reported that an unnamed hotelier had proposed "operating a helicopter service from Apia to Tokelau" to deliver tourists "to a proposed high end hotel in Tokelau". Without drawing any firm conclusions, APR highlights that GIG is an investor in several Pacific resorts. Its chair is Alan Grey, who is also Chair of the Samoa Hotel Association, while Gray's father is a director of Polynesian Airlines.
Talking with Radio New Zealand, the Ulu (leader) of Tokelau, Siopili Perez, said that the helicopter purchase was unauthorised and unnecessary. "The helicopter is not a priority at this stage for Tokelau. There are more important infrastructure required, more aspirations for Tokelau rather than helicopters," Perez said. He was unable to confirm from where the helicopters were purchased, but said that they are now being sold off for "hopefully" 80% of their value.
APR adds that other operators had been interested in operating the fixed-wing service, including Talofa Airways (Apia Faleolo) and an unnamed Japanese company.
