[1] Village Councils have civil and criminal jurisdiction for matters within their island and territorial sea and consist of a Commissioner and a Court Clerk.
[2] Councils may only hear civil claims up to $1000 and criminal cases punishable by a fine or imprisonment for a period of at most one year.
In addition, despite having been abolished in other Commonwealth nations such as Australia and New Zealand, the right of appeal to the Privy Council still theoretically exists for Tokelauan disputes.
The Commissioners are concerned primarily with criminal offences of a minor nature and, in cooperation with the local police officers, deal with offenders by way of reprimand, sentences of community service or fines.
[1][4] The requirement of the availability of defence counsel, at public cost if necessary, presents practical problems for a community of Tokelau’s type, given its small population and physical isolation.