Verse by verse, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have been translated into the Tokelau language over the past six years and now they are available as a book.

Entitled "Ko na Evagelia a Mataio Maleko Luka Ioane" the book has been eagerly awaited by the Tokelau people for many decades. Because there was previously no Tokelau language bible, Tokelau people have always used a Samoan bible. (The Samoan language is related, but different.)

Four hundred people gathered at Pahina o Tokelau, the Congregational Christian Church of Tokelau (CCCT) in Porirua in early March this year to dedicate the newly published gospels. Presbyterian Church of New Zealand executive secretary Rev Dr Kerry Enright spoke at the ceremony. He described the gospel book as "a gift to the Tokelau culture - to the children and grandchildren who will come after us."

The impetus for the translation began initially at the PIC church in Grey Lynn, Auckland in 1989, says Rev Tui Sopoaga, chairman of Tokelau Society for Translation of the Bible. An executive was elected, and a group travelled to the Tokelau Islands to seek a mandate to do the work in New Zealand, where the biggest Tokelau population resides.

The PIC and the Congregational churches remained most closely involved, after it became apparent that aspects of the translation were contentious and the Catholic Church withdrew. A mandate was received from the majority of Tokelau people. The translation committee then sought advice from The Bible Society in New Zealand.

With over 150 years experience in bible translation in New Zealand, the Society worked with Tokelau people to translate the gospels into language that would be understood by contemporary Tokelauans. "Often communities have two poles - one is to preserve the language and the other is to make it accessible," says Gavin Drew, formerly of the Bible Society. "We aim for preservation as long as it doesn't get in the way of communication."

Translation consultant Dr Stephen Pattemore provided explanations of the meanings of each verse with reference to the original languages in which they were written. In this way the translation was an educational process for both the Tokelauans and Dr Pattemore, as each learnt from the other. Rather than a word for word translation, it was considered appropriate to convey the meaning and spirit behind the words, allowing some traditional Tokelau terms and sayings to be included.

Review committees from Invercargill to Auckland were consulted about the translation to ensure it was widely accepted. Translators of the new book were paid by donations from members of Tokelauan church parishes in New Zealand and Tokelau. "Ko na Evagelia a Mataio Maleko Luka Ioane" will be a rich resource for all Tokelauan Christians, sure to help strengthen their culture, faith and identity, says Rev Sopoaga.

Work has also begun on translating the Old Testament, but this task is not expected to be completed for many years yet. "The old people are desperate to actually hold the whole Bible in the Tokelau language," said Rev Sopoaga's wife, Ane.