Mālama 'āina / Conservation

The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission honored OHA Trustee John Waihe'e IV with a resolution marking his contributions as a commissioner. His four-year term ended June 30. The seat, reserved for an OHA Trustee, was filled by Trustee Colette Machado. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

By Liza Simon / Ka Wai Ola

OHA Trustee John Waihe'e IV was honored for his outstanding contribution as a member of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission. At its June 10 meeting, KIRC issued a resolution recognizing Waihe'e as the OHA representative working with the commission to revitalize the land of Kaho'olawe. Waihe'e served a four-year term at KIRC in the seat reserved for an OHA trustee. On July 1, OHA Trustee Colette Machado succeeded Waihe'e. Meanwhile, the KIRC resolution highlighted Waihe'e's participation in tasks aimed at restoring the island as a "rich, cultural and environmental resource for all of the people of Hawai'i, but especially as a model of Native Hawaiian stewardship, management and governance."

Waihe'e oversaw the implementation of the first five-year KIRC strategic plan spanning 2004 to 2008 and helped develop the new five-year strategic plan, which names fund development as its primary focus, the resolution said. The resolution also highlighted several milestones of Waihe'e's term, including his work with fellow commissioners in lowering operating costs through acquiring a new landing craft, streamlining new management and improving communications. Also mentioned in the resolution is Waihe'e's service as a member of KIRC's budget and finance task force. The resolution also notes that as a young man Waihe'e took part in a "ceremony of healing" in 1993 at Hakiowa, site of the largest Native Hawaiian ancient settlement on Kaho'olawe.

Beginning in 1941, the U.S. military used Kaho'olawe for training exercises, which included the detonation of bombs and other weaponry. Owing to the political activism of Native Hawaiians, the training came to a halt in 1980. In 1994, Kaho'olawe was conveyed to the state under a federal act. The state Legislature established KIRC in 1993 to manage the island as a reserve and hold it in trust for a future Native Hawaiian governing entity.