Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 6, 1 June 2011 — Aloha mai kākou, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Aloha mai kākou,

Achievements on a grand scale aren't attained in a vacuum. Whether the goal is revitalizing a native language from the brink of extinction or decreasing the rates of chronic disease among Native Hawaiians, the job is made easier through partnerships. Our cover story 2 Cultures, Common Goals by Diana Leone underscores such a relationship. Focusing on the ongoing eonneehon between Hawaiians and Māori, the story highlights how they work together to preserve the very languages and cultures that define them. "We recognize that we eome from a eommon thread of Polynesian ancestry that makes us kin," reads a quote from one Hawaiian leader. "Our spiritual world views and our understanding of relationships between Akua, 'āina and kānaka also grow from the same foundation."

Partnerships are also vital to the work of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, including, among others, partnerships with grantees. Starting in fiscal year 2012, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will undertake a new approach to granting built upon OHA's 2010-2016 Strategic Plan, whieh serves as a blueprint for a new way of doing business. To see this approach in aehon, look no further than our new Granting for Results Program. In a change from our traditional community grants program, Granting for Results focuses on OHA's 10 Strategic Results, encourages initiatives that lead to systemic change, and institutes performance-based criteria to gauge the effectiveness of specific results for measureable improvement. At the same time, OHA is embarking on a new Community Partners Program and is seeking community partners to provide services to improve family ineome levels, raise education

achievement levels, and improve health conditions

among Native Hawaiians in the state. These programs mark a shift in our focus from serving individual needs to applying our resources to programs and activities that will lead to systemic change and maximize our impact on all Hawaiians. Partnerships will make that possible.

Me ka 'oia'i'o,

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MESSAGE FR0M ( IHEOEO

(Uudj_ (O. Clyde W. Nāmu'o Chief Executive 0fficer