Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 23, Number 10, 1 October 2006 — OSWALD (OZ) STENDER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OSWALD (OZ) STENDER

I~W" would like to send a mahI alo out to eaeh of you who _A_has supported and encouraged me during my tenure as Trustee At-large for the Office of

Hawaiian Affairs. As I think about the future of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and how I would like to continue to help Native Hawaiians, I realize there is so mueh more we need to do for our people. In October, I will reach age 75 and will truly be kupuna, and as I reflect on all those years past, I would like to share some of my life story with you. My mother, Emily Kamalolo, was pure Hawaiian. She passed away when I was only two years old; I was raised in Hau'ula by my tutu kāne, John Kamalolo. We lived a life of subsistence by living off the 'āina and the oeean. Tending our lo'i, our banana patch, our animals, and our fish nets were my daily chores. I learned early the discipline of hard work. I graduated from the Kamehameha Schools, served my country in the U.S. Marine Corps, and graduated from the LIniversity of Hawai'i Business School in Mānoa with the help of the G.I. Bill. My wife. Ku'ulei, and I have been married for 52 years. We have two children, Lei-Ann and Patrick, and three grandchildren, U'ilani. Moku, and Haku. My business career began when I was a property manager for the Campbell Estate; I eventually retired from the estate after serving as their CEO. I spent some time as vice president of development at Grosvenor International and went on to become a trustee at the Bishop Estate. Aside from my offiee at OHA, I am currently a real estate consultant and broker. My goals for OHA, although ambitious, are simple: 1) Education: We need to strive to educate every Hawaiian child from preschool through masters and Ph.D. programs by providing scholarships to help with educational opportunities at any private school that has awarded them admission. We also need to assist Hawaiian children who have special needs to receive the education they deserve. 2) Housing: We need to be more aggressive in the needs of our Hawaiian people by partnering with DHHL and housing developers. We need to find ways to help the homeless as well as provide homes for purchase and for rent. 3) Ceded Lands: We must continue to solve the ceded lands issue. As trustees, we must bring closure to this issue for the future of all Hawaiians. 4) Investments: We need to grow our asset base by diversifying a part of OHA's trust

funds into income-producing businesses and real estate. OHA needs to begin to be aggressive in creating a strong and diversified asset base to grow its earnings in order to provide for the many programs that help to improve the lives of Hawaiians. 5) Culture and Governance: We need to work together with other Hawaiians to be consistent in our values, our culture and our governance. We need to strive to work together peacefully and to consider those whose views differ from our own. Our success as a people is dependent on our ability to eome together for a eommon goal that is favorable to everyone. I truly believe that OHA has traveled a long way in the last four years with regard to our relationships with eaeh other and the larger eommunity. We have improved the lives of many of our beneficiaries - from keiki to kupuna. With the help of Ke Akua, we have eome a step closer to nirvana in our spiritual and physical well-being. I want to be a part of the next chapter of OHA's growth and maturity.

OMA GAN|DJiD>ATrE STATEMENTS