OHA rolls out CCN

By Lisa Asato / Ka Wai Ola

OHA rolled out its first videoconference via the Community Consultation Network on Jan. 21, bridging 8,000 miles across the Pacific and the continental United States to share information and receive input about various topics affecting Native Hawaiians.

The conversation took place between OHA's Hawaiian Governance Hale in Honolulu and OHA leaders and their family and friends on the chilly East Coast, where they had celebrated the inauguration of Barack Obama the day before.

"Aloha! You all look wonderful!" were the first words spoken over the wire, as Hawaiian Governance Hale Director Theresa Bigbie welcomed the faraway group to the videoconference that would cover important events in the history of Native Hawaiians, where Native Hawaiians are today and "where we would like to be as a people in the future."

The inaugural CCN videoconference, as seen from O'ahu's Honolulu office OHA's Hawaiian Goverance Hale converses with people in the Washington D.C. area. - Photo: Blaine Fergerstrom

Her introductory comment that 400,162 Hawaiians are counted around the world, with 60 percent of them living in Hawai'i, struck a chord with Kohono Mossman, a Maui native who now lives in the Washington, D.C., area. He said he found it "astounding" that 40 percent of Hawaiians live outside Hawai'i. And he suggested to the Hawaiian Governance Hale staff in Honolulu that individual Native Hawaiian groups on the continent collaborate more on programs like professional development, which would attract younger people into the conversation. The groups, he said, span from civic clubs, to congressional staff, to members of his own Hawai'i State Society.

The Community Consultation Network, or CCN, is OHA's effort to use the array of media tools available to encourage two-way communication between OHA, its beneficiaries and the public worldwide.
Available means for communication include:

• Ka Wai Ola, OHA's monthly newspaper.

• Ka Wai Ola Loa, OHA's new web-only mid-month edition of Ka Wai Ola.

• Nā 'Ōiwi 'Ōlino radio show, which can be heard statewide and in Las Vegas.

• Ho'oulu Lāhui Aloha, OHA's community TV show.

• OHA.org, OHA's web site.

• Video conferencing

• Pacific Network TV, a web-based TV network created by filmmaker Edgy Lee and underwritten by OHA.

Through the CCN, OHA will reach out to people in their homes or at community halls so they can talk can­didly about what's on their minds. Videoconferences are designed for communication between sites on the same island, between islands or even further afield.

The inaugural videoconference lasted about one hour, with at least 10 people asking questions from Washington and answering questions posed by OHA Hawaiian Governance Hale staff on topics of nation building and what role a Native Hawaiian government should have – questions that have become increasingly important as Kau Inoa registration has topped the 100,000 mark.

In Washington, Antoinette Lee of the Pearl Harbor Hawaiian Civic Club, said better communication between the parties is the key, as shown through the galvanizing speeches of Barack Obama, who exudes the aloha spirit on the world's stage. If communication is open and improved, she said, "I think we can accomplish anything we want to."

OHA will loan equipment to groups wanting to host videoconferencing meetings. For information on hosting a meeting, call 594-1759. OHA will provide a host packet and all necessary tools and equipment to hold a successful meeting. Information gathered from the meetings will be posted on OHA's web site and other media.