Kuresa Nasau

Who is Kuresa Nasau?

Kuresa Nasau is a Tokelauan politician from Atafu, one of Tokelau's three coral atolls, who has served longer than almost any other individual as Ulu-o-Tokelau, the territory's head of government, a position that rotates annually among the elected faipule of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo. Nasau held the Ulu title on five separate occasions — February 1998 to February 1999, February 2001 to February 2002, February 2007 to February 2008, March 2010 to March 2011, and February 2014 to February 2015 — alongside long service as faipule (elected representative) for Atafu in Tokelau's General Fono. His repeated returns to the territory's highest office reflect the trust placed in him by Atafu's community across nearly two decades of Tokelauan self-government. He lost his parliamentary seat in the 2011 general election but was re-elected in 2014, before losing it again in 2017. Following the 2017 election, reporting on Tokelau's public finances raised questions over capital-spending decisions made during his terms in office, including the purchase of two helicopters, a controversy that became part of the wider public record on Tokelau's governance during that period.

Sources: Wikipedia, "Kuresa Nasau" · Wikipedia, "Ulu-o-Tokelau"