Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 1, 1 January 2023 — POKE NŪHOU NEWS BRIEFS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

POKE NŪHOU NEWS BRIEFS

Wai and Red Hill ponel, (l-r) Ernie Lau (Board of Water Supply), Lamille Kolomo (Ka'ohewai), Kapua Sproūt (Williom S. Richordson School of Low, Ko Huli Ao) ond Woyne īonoko (Sierro Club of Howoi'i). - Photo: Makoo Freitas

Woi, 'Ai ond l'o ponel, (l-r) Honohono Naehu (Hui o Kuopō), Stocy Sproot-Beck (Waipō Foundotion), Hōkūoo Pellegrino (Hui 0 Nō Woi 'Ehō), Komonomoikoloni Beomer (UH Mōnoo), Tiare Lowrence (Ko Molu o Kohōlōwoi), Konekoo Kukea-Shultz (Kōko'o 'Oiwi) ond Keli'i Kotubetey (Poepoe o He'eio). - Photo: Makoa Freitas

New Forum Series Highlights Waterflccess and Sustainability

Concerns connected to water access and sustainability in Hawai'i took the spotlight at the first in a new series of forums at UH Mānoa. The inagural Pi'o Summit: Wai Sovereignty and Justice launched on Dec. 15 spearheaded by UH Mānoa Professor Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer. The summit brought together respected community leaders and advocates to discuss advancing the protection of aina and wai. "We created these Pi'o Summits to highlight the pressing issues of our time. Hawai'i is in a crisis where we need courageous leadership and ancestral innovation to solve the problems of our times," said Beamer. The summit was held at the

Imin International Conference Center at the East-West Center. It featured two panels. The first included aloha 'āina leaders, wai advocates and practitioners ffom loko i'a (fishponds) and lo'i kalo focusing on water's significant role in feeding Hawai'i's communities. The second panel featured individuals at the forefront of the Shut Down Red Hill movement. Renowned philosopher, political activist, intellectual and author Cornel West headlined a moderated keynote discussion following the summit. He spoke on imperialism and the oeeupation of Hawai'i, while placing the islands within the context of peoples' movements for liberation and justice across the world. "Dr. Cornel West has been one of the most influential thinkers of our time when it comes to race, social justice, eeonomie justice, and the liberation of op-

pressed peoples and occupied nations," Beamer said. "He is a globally recognized philosopher and progressive activist for human rights." The Pi'o Summit will be held annually and is hosted by Pō'ai Ke Aloha 'Āina, a project of the Dana Naone Hall chair, whieh aims to elevate aloha 'āina practices within our community. New Permits Recommendedfor Subsistence Fishing Fishery managers from across the Western Pacific recommended fishing regulations for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) Expansion Area. Members of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council recommended the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) authorize noncommercial and Native Hawaiian subsistence fishing from 50

to 200 nautical miles around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI). For Native Hawaiian practices, this would include an opportunity to recover fishing costs up to $15,000 per trip. "It is important to provide this opportunity for people in the Pacific, specifically Hawai'i, to provide food for their community, especially areas that have been culturally their plaee to fish," said American Samoa Councimember Will Sword. "I'm concerned that any aetion we take here will define our culture and its evolution," said Manny Duenas, eouneilmember from Guam. "In the end, we are looking at ways to sustain our native peoples and see them flourish like hundreds of years ago." Some members disagreed with the recommendation. State of Hawai'i representative David Sakoda expressed eoneem about dissolving established Native Hawaiian rights under the State Constitution. "We don't

want to water down customary and traditional rights by extending beyond what is included in the Constitution," said Sakoda. "The state was amenahle to cost recovery, as long as it was only included in the noncommercial fishing permit." Coco Palms Resort Lawsuit A Native Hawaiian eommunity organization, I Ola Wailuanui, is suing Hawai'i's Board of Land and Natural Resources, for failing to conduct proper environmental assessments before renewing permits for the Coco Palms Resort on Kaua'i. According to the lawsuit, the land beneath Coco Palms are ceded lands, intended to benefit the Hawaiian people. The land, known as Wailuanuiaho ano, is a wahi pana with important eultural and spiritual meaning. I Ola Wailuanui is seeking to SEE NEWS BRIEFS 0N PAGE 30

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NEWS BRIEFS

Continued from page 29 purchase Wailuanuiahoano to promote Hawaiian stewardship and develop a puhlie center for education and preservation of Hawaiian cultural practices - instead of seeing another resort built on the island. Wailuanuiaho ano was a royal residence and birthing site and also includes heiau and burial grounds. Two ancient fishponds are still present at the location, as is Kaua'i's oldest coconut grove. The property has a long history of disputed ownership dating back to the 1800s when it was contested after the death of Kaua'i's monarch, Kaumuali'i, who ceded the island to King Kamehameha I during the unification of the Hawaiian Islands. OHAAwards $1.5 million to Honolulu Habitatfor Humanity Honolulu Habitat for Humanity has been awarded $1.5 million ffom the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to create affordable homeownership opportunities for Native Hawaiian families. The program will provide permanent, affordable shelter and foster eeonomie self-sufīiciency for 36 Native Hawaiians over the next two years. Funds will be used to conduct outreach and education sessions to prospective homeowners and construct nine occupancy-ready homes on Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent plaee to live, Honolulu Habitat brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1988, it has helped more than 400 people build or improve a plaee to eall home. Habitat homeowners help construct their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. "We are so grateful for this opportunity to partner with OHA,"

said Tf Joseph, chief executive officer of Honolulu Habitat, 'As a Native Hawaiian woman and Habitat homeowner residing on homestead, I know the transformative power of having a safe, affordable plaee to eall home. Their support will create life-changing outcomes today and build impact and opportunity for future generations of Native Hawaiians." $17M to lmprove lnternet Connectivity on Homesteads On Dec. 19 Sen. Brian Schatz announced that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) will receive $17.3 million in new federal funding ffom the U.S. Department of Commerce to expand high-speed internet access in Native Hawaiian communities. "This funding will increase broadband internet access in Native Hawaiian communities across the state, helping families and small businesses get the high-speed internet they need and supporting the expansion of important services, including telehealth and remote learning," said Schatz. The funding comes from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, whieh expands broadband access on Tribal lands. It will include new broadband equipment and software, new computers and personal devices, support for increased remote learning, telehealth and digital inclusion programs, and staff to ensure their successful implementation. Funding will also support a DHHL survey of Native Hawaiian households. The data gathered will be used to help develop a statewide eolleetive broadband strategy. New Plan Guides Kahikinui Forest Restoration A project to restore a 4,500acre portion of native forest on the slopes of Haleakalā that began over 25 years ago has recom-

menced through the efforts of Native Hawaiians from the Kahikinui Homestead Community. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) issued a Right of Entry (ROE) Permit to the Ka 'Ohana o Kahikinui, ine. homestead association following approval of the Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC) in June 2022. The ROE allows for the community organization to eapture and remove feral cattle ffom DHHL lands within the remnant native forests of Kahikinui. "Restoration of our native forests should always be held to a high standard of importance," said outgoing Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair William J. Ailā, Jr. "However, beyond the acknowledgment of the rehabilitation needs, what is key here is that this work is being led by the Native Hawaiian homesteaders of the area. They have asked to take on the responsibility, and the department is pleased to partner in a guidance role and support them as they tackle this

critical kuleana." The forests of leeward Haleakalā were onee rich in native species, dominated by koa and ohi'a, and full of diverse understory trees, shrubs, lichens, and ferns that formed complex and stable ecosystems that supported communities with sustainable ffesh water and forest products. DHHL lands in Kahikinui eontain the largest and most intact native forests remaining in the area. Assistance Fund Expanded for Kaua ' i and Hawai'i lsland Homeowners Building on the success of the past year, the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) for residents on Hawai'i Island has expanded to $9 million and expanded to $3 million for residents of Kaua'i. Eligible homeowners on either island ean apply for grants up to $30,000 to reduce monthly pay-

ments, pay past-due mortgages, pay past-due property taxes, and/or pay past-due homeowner association fees. All homeowners who apply may receive ffee HUD housing counseling to assist with creating a budget and action plan, including loan modifications, to prevent foreclosure. The expanded program will continue through September 2025 or until the fund is depleted, whichever is sooner. The HAF program is funded through the counties of Hawai'i and Kaua'i and administered together by Hawai'i Community Lending (HCL) with applieations being accepted by phone, online, or in person at Financial Opportunity Centers (FOCs) run by partner nonprofit, Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA). For more information about the program or to apply, contact HCL at 808-587-7656, www.HawaiiCommunityLending.com or email HAF@HawaiianCommunity.net. ■