MAI KA LUNA HO'OKELE - FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR

We are all OHA

By Clyde Nāmu'o, OHA Adminstrator

Aloha kākou,

I am writing today to share our thoughts and commitments that come from more than 50 community briefings and other efforts that we have made over the past two months on the proposed settlement of past due income and proceeds from ceded lands in the Public Land Trust.

At all of our meetings – those we did on our own, those where we were invited, and those we sponsored with the 'Īlio'ulaokalani Coalition – we discussed a Senate Resolution calling on OHA to hold meetings on the issue. Even though we had planned meetings before we were asked to by the Senate, at each meeting we made a commitment to share your questions and comments with the Senate, which said it wanted your mana'o before taking action on this measure. The Senate asked for the report on our meetings on March 26.

That is one reason we were disappointed when on March 17 three state Senate committees decided to hold House Bill 266, which would have made the settlement happen – before hearing from you. Nonetheless, we will still submit a report as OHA committed to do.

What did we learn from these meetings across the islands, from our Halawai Pūnaewele (electronic town meetings), from the comment cards placed on Wednesday, March 12 in every Honolulu Advertiser, from polling we have done, and from your emails, calls and letters?

We learned a lot.

First of all we were pleased that so many of you cared about this issue to take the time to participate. More than 1,500 people came to our meetings, and hundreds sent in comment cards. Many, many more watched our television show on the issue, listened to our radio show and visited our web site for Halawai Pūnaewele.

Secondly, we heard from many of you, especially at the meetings and those Hawaiians polled, that you would like to see OHA receive more land and cash to be used for beneficiary programs.

Third, the majority who sent in Advertiser comment cards, and the large majority of Hawaiians polled, would like this settlement passed by the Legislature.

Finally, the most common comment received across the islands is that many Hawaiians would like OHA to have a more active presence in their communities, and especially to have hearings on issues like this before major decisions are made.

We have heard you loudly and clearly on this issue and related calls for better communication.

It is clear that many people don't know that there are numerous opportunities to be heard already – for instance, that every Board and Committee meeting has a space for beneficiary testimony. Many also do not realize that when they have received assistance from a Hawaiian service agency, oftentimes that has come in part from behind-the-scenes assistance from OHA.

Still, there are ways OHA can increase outreach in Hawaiian communities around the state. While some have expressed gratitude for the outreach we do now undertake – annual Trustee meetings on each island, monthly publication of Ka Wai Ola o OHA, biweekly production of our television show Ho'oulu Lāhui Aloha, and our two-hour radio show Nā 'Ōiwi 'Ōlino that airs on KKNE every weekday – many are unaware of these efforts, and nearly everyone wants to see more, including more face-to-face meetings with the Trustees.

We are committing ourselves to answering the call for better communication with and presence in our communities. One significant effort we will begin in the next few months is a community-based update of our Strategic Plan. We invite you to call 808-594-1888, write to info@oha.org, or otherwise share your ideas on how we can improve in our collective efforts to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians.