Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 1, 1 January 1990 — OHA Division Reports [ARTICLE]

OHA Division Reports

Eeonomie DcveIopmcnt Division Division officer - Linda Colburn In October the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund continued to disburse funds for approved loans. Disbursements totalled $238,600. Confirmation of the availability of $988,000 for the second year of operation was received from Washington, D.C. The entire amount will be used to support capitalization of new ventures as expansion of existing Hawaiian-owned enterprises. OHA will continue to underwrite NHRLF staffing and operating costs. Timothy Wapato, new commissioner for the Administration of Native Americans met with OHA staff to review the NHRLF status and familiarize himself with OHA. NHRLF manager, Chester Cabral, provided a loan fund status report. The division officer met with banking resources to leam more about financing approaches to support development of Community Development Corporations (CDC) in communities throughout the state. An undertanding of CDC support strategies will enhanee the quality of legislation whieh may be proposed in the 1990 or 1991 legislative session. Meetings with Alu Like representatives have resuited in an agreement to address collaboratively the entrepreneurship training needs of the Hawaiian community. OHA will provide technical and financial support to insure that business plan preparation assistance and general support will be available to Hawaiians throughout the state. The division officer provided technical assistance for the Oct. 21 Earth Day planning conference at the University of Hawai'i; the "Waikiki Tomorrow" conference; participated as a speaker at the 1989 Hawai'i Congress of PIanning Officials Annual Conference (Oct. 25-27). The theme was "Planning As If The Future Mattered; Hawaii's Quality Of Life for the 21st Century." The division provided technical assistance to Hawaiian entrepreneurs with directconsultations, information, and referral to community serviceproviders. Meetings continue with an ad hoe interdisciplinary task force of individuals concerned with the future of alternative community-based eeonomie development. Government Affairs Division officer - Jalna Keala In October the governments affairs division planned and coordinated arrangements for the mainland hearings on the draft Blueprint; wrote a trustee speech to be delivered at the South Pacific conference; attended a weekend planning session on Blueprint hearings with the board of trustees and staff, facilitated trustees' Blueprint hearing in Kona and Seattle, Wash.. and developed the Seattle agenda; organized liaison staff training sessions for the Blueprint hearings and developed flyers announcing Hawai'i and mainland hearings; wrote response letters to people who attended the mainland hearings. The division continues to attend training sessions on Blueprint hearing procedures, serves as staff and registrar at hearings, distributes flyers for hearings and attended and participated in Blueprint hearings. Work continues on future Blueprint hearings. Additionally the division does research and develops the agenda for the OHA external affairs committee. Neighbor Island liaisons at Kona, Hilo, Maui, Moloka'i and Kaua'i responded to requests for assistance from trustees, staff, government, beneficiaries and the public inquiring into Hawaiian issues of general interest on historic preservation, burials, OHA newspaper subscriptions, Kamehameha Day, lauhala weavers, Hawaiian language and Hawaiian Agencies and Organizations (HAO), gave information on speci-

fic OHA programs and projects such as entrepreneurship training, the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund, the Native Hawaiian Land Title Project, Historic Preservation Task Force, Operation Ea and Operation 'Ohana, Ka Wai Ola O OHA, Papa Ola Lokahi, ANA grants, and Native Hawaiian Rights in the Western Pacific Regional Fishery. Heakh and Human Services Division officer - Dr. Arthur Manoharan The Health and Human Services Division officer met with the director of the Hawaiian Birth Defects Monitoring Program, to discuss the growing incidence of birth defects among babies born to women who have abused various drugs. He also met with Professor John Casken and Manny Cantorna about increasing the enrollment of Hawaiians in the School of Public Health. The division officer attended the governor's conference on affordable housing Oct. 11 and 12 and attended a public hearing on Oct. 13 about the state health insurance plan. The division officer attended the annual meeting of the Amehean Public Health Association (Oct. 22-26). The theme was "Closing the Gap — Ethics and Equity in Public Health." He also met with Dr. Harold Freeman, president of the Amenean Cancer Society, to discuss issues related to the high ineidence of cancer among Hawaiians. Land and Natural Resources Division officer - Linda Kawai'ono Delaney Winona Spillner is the new land specialist for the division, and Lynn Lee now holds the new position of environmental impact statement (EIS) planner

IV (approved in the 1989 OHAbiennium budget.) With the addition of the planner position, EIS review returns to Land and Natural Resources. An average of 10 documents per week, along with state and county land-related actions are received, reviewed and, as appropriate, commented on. The division staffs the OHA Historic Preservation Task Force and has ,)lanned, eoordinated and attended the meetin in conjunction with that responsibility. The task rce met with the City and County of Honolulu Council staff and committee on the future of the Kualoa Park design to reflect the cultual significance of, and sensitivity to, the area. The task force is also working with the eouneil to refine, and work ror, the passage of a resolution affirming historic preservation review by the county with full participation by OHA. The task force met with Maui County Planning Department and County Council garding the development and passage of an historic preservation ordinance. Regarding the single definition campaign (Operation Ka Po'e), a series of meetings with the Lt. Governor's staff, the county ele soffice, the public relations firm ProComm, ai postal officials have refined details of the referendum to be conducted in January, 1990 The division officer participated in weekend panels sponsored by the Hawa: Museums Association on Moloka'i, County Arts Advisory Committee on the Wilcox Park, and the OHA eosponsored Native Hawaiian Buralc Seminar in Honolulu.