Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 1, 1 January 2009 — Pūpūkahi i holomua Unite to move forward [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Pūpūkahi i holomua Unite to move forward

Aloha, e nā 'ōiwi 'ōlino mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau a puni ke ao mālamalama. Aloha e nā kūpuna a me nā 'ōpio. Aloha e nā kama'āina a me nā malihini kekahi. Aloha nō kākou a pau loa. Aloha. On behalf of the OHA Board of Trustees and our staff from Hawai'i to Washington, D.C., I am pleased to weleome all of you onee again to the State of OHA and the Native Hawaiian eonnnunity. This 2008 address to the eommunity marks the sixth year of our annual State of OHA gathering. I thank you for your presence today, here at Central Union Church and across this brilliant world. Let me start with the difficult news. The year 2008 was a ehallenging one at OHA. I would like to talk about three streets: South Beretania Street, Wall Street and the "dark" street. On South Beretania Street, the ceded lands revenue settlement worked on for nearly four years was not approved by the Hawai'i State Senate in 2008. The cash and land payment was put off and the Legislature adjourned leaving resolution of the payment for "disputed" ineome and proceeds from the Puhlie Land Trust for the 2009 Legislative Session. We are hopeful. On Wall Street, OHA suffered as well from a decrease this past year in OHA's investment portfolio of $120 million due mostly to the decline in the value of investments worldwide as financial markets collapsed and investors attempted to adjust. This eeonomie downturn, loeal and worldwide, has and is still affecting all personal and institutional investment portfolios. The Hawai'i Employees' Retirement System, Kamehameha Schools investments, and Union portfolios have been impacted as well as all business segments that affect our livelihood here in Hawai'i. On the "dark" street, 2008 marked the year when "dirty politics" as played out in other

loeal, state and federal elections - sadly emerged and sought allies in OHA's eleehon. In media, print and on Internet platfonns, there were untruthful attacks targeting OHA as an organization, launched by misinfonned but opportunistic individuals. There were personal attacks targeted at individual OHA employees and Trustees, whieh were equally untme. By our Hawaiian cultural standards, we would measure such actions as distasteful and offensive. In affirming that OHA is eonducting its business lawfully and with documented accountability for its actions, we want to draw your attention to OHA's web site (www.oha.org) and a sidebar entitled "Setting the Record Straight." Irresponsible statements are disanned by facts, and liars are disabled by truth. OHA's web site provides you substantive infonna-

tion and a matrix that will enahle you to sort out fact from fiction in a timely manner. Even with these unfortunate events and despite the critics and difficult times, we have mueh to celebrate, as we work hard to improve upon our efforts so that progress continues. The conununity affmned OHA's recognizable progress through the strong vote of confidence the Hawai'i electorate provided to incumbent Trustee candidates on November 4. The voice of the electorate acknowledged OHA Trustees for their work in making prudent, sometimes bold, many times difficult, decisions that, over the long term, will prove substantive and long-lasting in terms of stabilizing the future for Native Hawaiians within the context of Hawai'i's multicultural environment.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Here are some of OHA's key accomplishments in 2008: OHA advocated and secured passage of a property tax exemption for kuleana landholders on O'ahu, Hawai'i Island and Kaua'i, and will eonhnue to work on an exemption for Maui kuleana landholders. OHA's Board approved an unprecedented 30-year, $3 million annual grant to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to trigger a $100 million bond for homestead development and improvements across the State of Hawai'i, whieh will result in placing thousands more native Hawaiians in homes on Hawaiian land. OHA took an active role with the Papahānaumokuākea Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. As a member of the Monument Management Board, through our staff, OHA helped to draft the management plan and applieahon to have Papahānaumokuākea named to the United Nations' World Heritage List. OHA, through two of its LLCs, Hi'ilei and Hi'ipaka, assumed day-to-day management of Waimea Valley in February. We held a grand opening for state legislators and the puhlie in August, and restored the Hale O Lono heiau at the Valley entrance, whieh had been inactive and in disrepair for many years. Recent rains and flooding have impacted Waimea, and repairs and restoration are underway. OHA, working with Native Hawaiians, achieved phenomenal success with our restructured Mālama Loan program in partnership with the federal govermnent and First Hawaiian Bank, approving more than 500 loans and injecting more than $11 million into Hawai'i's eeonomie engine. Applying the "multiplier effect," economists say this amounts to approximately $21 million of eeonomie activity infused into the Hawai'i economy. OHA recently received approval from the Defense Logistics Agency of the federal Department of Defense to establish Hawai'i's first See OHA on pags 04

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OHA Chair Haunani Apoliono delivers her stote of OHA address. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

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Cūntinued fram page 03 "PTAC," Procurement Technical Assistance Center. OHA's partners include the University of Hawai'i College of Business and the William S. Richardson School of Law. OHA's PTAC staff will provide procurement technical assistance to help small businesses get contracts to sell their goods and services to the federal, state and county governments. In Community Investment, most significantly, OHA distributed more than $18 million in grants to the Hawaiian community, the largest amount ever disbursed in 30 years of OHA's history. Financial assistance included: • $2.3 million for the homeless; • $10.2 million for education; • $626,000 for heahh; • $1.1 million for eeonomie development; • $800,000 for housing; • $1.6 million for the protection of native rights and culture; and mueh more. The details are provided in OH A' s Grants Report being released today.

NEW HORIZONS In tenns of the near future: • Our eeonomie development department is continuing to explore the shipping of liquefied natural gas from Alaska to Hawai'i for low-cost, enviromnentally sound alternatives to Hawai'i's dependence on oil. • We are embarking on a strategic planning process to address the next decade, whieh will invite connnunity input and help to set OHA's priorities for the coming years. • As a first step toward resolving long-standing differences with the military involving responsible stewardship and expectations of responsible stewards on Hawaiian lands, OHA is positioned for greater access to military sites and a firsthand look at important eultural resources that would not otherwise be accessible to the general puhlie, to monitor and intervene, when necessary, for protection of traditional and cultural sites by agreed conditions in the recent settlement of OHA v. Gates. As we look toward the horizon before us, what should OHA and the Hawaiian community be envisioning and doing for the long tenn? The results of the Presidential and Congressional elections open a

window of opportunity for Native Hawaiian initiatives and Hawai'i initiatives. Based on previous expressed support for the Akaka Bill by President-elect Ohama, a smoother and timely passage and enactment of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act is anticipated. No more waiting time to ensure that Native Hawaiians have similar recognition and legal protection as the other two indigenous groups in the U.S., American Indians and Alaska Natives. We often hear proclamations from connnunity, poliheal and business leaders that Hawai'i has so mueh to offer the world - our aloha spirit, our island values, our appreciation of muhiple cultures, and lessons from our collective ancestors. A Divine Hand, and our ancestors, indeed have guided this moment for Hawai'i and the Spirit of Hawai'i to be one with the 44th President of the United States born and raised in these Islands. With equal anticipation all of Hawai'i awaits impending Sainthood to be declared for Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope - humhle, compassionate servants for the many who strug-

gled to survive with dignity on the rugged and remote Kalawao peninsula on the island of Moloka'i. Both Father Damien and Mother Marianne led others in commitment and service in caring for the "shunned," those claimed by Hansen's Disease, and now rise as two Saints destined for worldwide recognition, one with the Spirit of Hawai'i. This humanity affirms what is very special about Hawai'i and our island home. Consider further and particularly that Hawai'i and its "specialness" is rooted in Hawaiian tradition and values, culture and history millennia-old; and imagine what we, together, in collective effort, ean accomplish. In Washington, D.C., the statue of Kamehameha, onee in a dark corner of Statuary Hall in the Rotunda of the Capitol, now stands prominently under a skylight open to the heavens in Emaneipahon Hall in the new Capitol Visitors Center that opened to the puhlie just three days ago on December 2. In 2003, the Hawaiian Benevolent Societies (the 'Ahahui), the Hawai'i Congressional delegation, the Ke Ali'i Maka'āinana Hawaiian Civic Club and OHA served as catalysts urging that this statue be relocated to a more

appropriate venue. Beginning in 2003, a eolleetive effort began and the partnership with the Washington, D.C., Capitol Architect culminated this September in relocating Kamehameha to where he now stands - beneath the heavens in a plaee of honor, lighting the way for Hawai'i and Hawaiian culture. Then we have the Hawai'i Commemorative Quarter, the Kamehameha Coin, part of the eolleehon of coins memorializing eaeh of the 50 states. Kamehameha's arms are outstretched to all the islands with the meaningful message, Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono (The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness). This eoin is now established and circulating around the United States and the world with this message of pono. The Commemorative Quarter is a powerful voice for Native Hawaiians and all of Hawai'i as it further focuses on Kamehameha, an indigenous, native leader, and bears witness to his leadership and unification in 1810 of these islands into one govemance that survived for nearly 85 years. Although Queen Lili'uokalani's govemment ended in 1893 and Hawai'i was annexed in 1898, history notes that throughout the

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1900s, there were many efforts by other Native Hawaiian leaders to improve and stabilize the social eeonomie, polhieal and cultural condition of Native Hawaiians. These efforts included establishment of the Ali'i Trusts, the Hawaiian Civic Club movement, the 'Ahahui (Hawaiian Benevolent Societies), the Hawaiian Homes Commission, OHA, organizations of the Hawaiian Service Institutions and Agencies, other Hawaiian councils and associations, federal programs, and the 1993 Apology Bill - to mention only a few. Today, in our lifetime, Hawaiian governance guided by Native Hawaiian leadership is at the threshold, poised to reemerge, poised to reorganize with passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act (the Akaka Bill) as an option. Reconciliation with Native Hawaiians by the United States, as called for by the 1993 Apology Bill, continues to evolve along its grueling but progressive path, supported by this Puhlie Law acknowledgement that the indigenous Hawaiian people never relinquished their claims to their nahonal lands - the lands that we today eall the ceded lands. 'BRINK OF BATTLE' In the same moment, Native Hawaiians have been edged to the brink of battle in the United States Supreme Court that could "vacate" the unanimous decision by the Hawai'i State Supreme Court whieh orders an injunction against the plaintiffs - the State - from "selling or otherwise transferring to third parties (1) the Leiah'i parcel and 2) any other ceded lands from the puhlie lands tmst until the claims of the Native Hawaiians to the ceded lands have been resolved." In two years, we will mark 200 years since Kamehameha's bold unification and fonnation of Hawaiian governance. Will we mark 2010 with decisive progress in Hawaiian governance and management over Hawaiian assets? Qr will we be "stuck" in self-service, dissention and unrealistic expectation as the seas of poMeal and eeonomie reality swirl

in an undertow around us? Will the U.S. Supreme Court have provided cover for the State to diminish these land assets - Hawaiian national lands - before reconciliation is done? Will our indecisiveness and division among Native Hawaiians make us fail? And if we fail, what do we tell our children? UNITY, FOCUS AND DISCIPLINE It is time for unified effort, for Native Hawaiians to write history for the next 200 years with even greater success and achievement by bringing the best of our culture and its values into the present - use our deep values of aloha and lōkahi to create a dignified future while respecting our unique multicultural, diverse community. The bottom line is this: if we want a transfonnation in self-de-tennination and self-governance, Native Hawaiians must be the ones to make it happen and then lead it. No one will do it for us. In the process, we ean expect to be attacked by well-orga-nized, big money entities. They are already mobilizing against indigenous people and minorities across the continent. Our best defense is to be a unified, infonned coimnunity that works from facts and not falsehoods. The truth of our history and who we are as a people will prevail if we are pono in all we do. Let us memorialize the milestone of Kamehameha's leadership 200 years ago as we lay the groundwork for the next 200 years of inspirational Hawaiian leadership. Let us find and encourage Hawaiian leaders who are infonned, compassionate, humble, hardworking, courageous and ethical, committed to service, not self-service. Let us move forward - unified, focused and disciplined - guided by Hawaiian values, spirituality and lōkahi to strengthen Native Hawaiians and through that effort, all of Hawai'i nei. Imua e nā pōki'i a inu i ka wai 'awa'awa 'a'ohe hope e ho'i mai ai. Pūpūkahi i holomua. Mahalo and aloha. S

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