Press Release Archives - The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)

OHA leadership reiterates their demand that the state provide a safe place for Native Hawaiians to assemble and peacefully protest TMT construction

HONOLULU (July 14, 2019) – OHA leadership today reiterated their demand that the state immediately hold all construction relating to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) until it provides and recognizes a safe place for Native Hawaiians and others to peacefully…

OHA leadership demands halt to TMT construction to avoid harm to Native Hawaiians & the public until steps are taken to ensure public safety

HONOLULU (July 13, 2019) – OHA Chair Colette Machado and OHA Trustee Dan Ahuna call on Gov. David Ige to halt all planned construction activities for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) to avoid harm to Native Hawaiians and others until…

OHA Board of Trustees to meet on Kauaʻi

LĪHUʻE & HANALEI (July 9, 2019) – Kauaʻi residents this week will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) at a community forum and a regular meeting of the OHA Board of Trustees, scheduled…

OHA Chair selects Mark Kawika Patterson to sit on the new Correctional System Oversight Commission

HONOLULU (July 5, 2019) – OHA Chair Colette Machado today announced the selection of Mark Kawika Patterson, the administrator of the Hawaiʻi Youth Correctional Facility, as her appointee to a new commission that will oversee Hawaiʻi’s correctional system. The establishment…

OHA seeks non-profit to administer $1.66 million emergency financial assistance grant

HONOLULU (June 28, 2019) – OHA announced today that it is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations for a $1.66-million grant to provide emergency financial assistance to low-income Native Hawaiians. “Our Emergency Financial Assistance grant is one of our most important…

OHA Statement on Mauna Kea

HONOLULU (June 20, 2019) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is disappointed by the arrest of a Kiaʻi and the dismantling of several symbolic structures on Mauna Kea today. These acts and the manner in which they were conducted, with…

OHA board appoints interim chief executive officer

OHA BOARD APPOINTS INTERIM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER HONOLULU (June 20, 2019) – The OHA Board today appointed OHA Chief Operating Officer Sylvia Hussey, Ed.D., as the agency’s interim chief executive officer (CEO) until a new CEO is hired. Dr. Hussey…

Photo: Colette Machado and Kamana‘opono Crabbe

Joint statement of OHA Chair Machado and OHA CEO Crabbe

HONOLULU (June 6, 2019) – At an emotional Board meeting today, the OHA trustees and Dr. Kamana‘opono Crabbe, OHA Chief Executive Officer/Ka Pouhana, came to a mutual understanding that his last official day as OHA CEO will be June 30,…

OHA to host free agribusiness workshop in Hilo

HILO [June 4, 2019] – OHA is partnering with The Kohala Center, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and UH’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to hold an agribusiness and resource workshop on…

OHA approves $100,000 in event grants

HONOLULU – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs today announced the selection of 22 community events that will receive a total of $100,000 from OHA’s ʻAhahui Grants Program. “OHA is excited to partner with these community events that will provide important…