News

OHA earns victory in ongoing lawsuit against state auditor

HONOLULU (September 11, 2020)– First Circuit Judge Jeffrey P. Crabtree issued an order in favor of OHA yesterday, ruling that the redacted portions of the minutes of the executive sessions of OHA Board meetings that the State Auditor seeks to…

Kumu hula proclaim kapu to protect the community from COVID-19

HONOLULU (August 21, 2020) – More than two dozen Kumu Hula joined together today to institute a month-long kapu to protect the Native Hawaiian community and the broader public from the staggering rise in COVID-19 cases in Hawaiʻi. The Kumu…

OHA statement on Oʻahu Community Correctional Center COVID-19 outbreak

August 18, 2020 STATEMENT OF OHA CHAIR COLETTE MACHADO AND OHA CEO SYLVIA HUSSEY ON OʻAHU COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER COVID-19 OUTBREAK We are distressed by the large and growing number of pa‘ahao (prisoners) and staff reportedly infected by the potentially deadly…

30+ nonprofits to receive $721,739 in OHA grant funding for food security

Honolulu, HI (Aug. 4, 2020) – Hawaiʻi Community Foundation (HCF) today announced over 30 nonprofits that will receive a total of $721,739 in grants, funded by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, to support community-based food security efforts in Native Hawaiian communities…

Tenant advocates warn landlords of consequences for illegal evictions

HONOLULU, Hawai‘i (August 4th, 2020) — A group of advocates for Hawai‘i tenants are warning landlords that they may face serious legal consequences, including possible liability for substantial money damages, if they attempt to evict tenants during the emergency ban on evictions….

OHA urges BOE to delay reopening of schools

HONOLULU, HI (July 23, 2020) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer Sylvia M. Hussey, Ed.D. submitted the following testimony for the July 23, 2020, Hawai‘i State Board of Education General Business Meeting urging the…

OHA and the State Department of Human Services collaborate on Native Hawaiian data related to COVID-19

HONOLULU (June 26, 2020) – OHA and the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) announced today a collaboration whereby DHS will share Native Hawaiian data tables from its programs with OHA to help assess the impacts COVID-19 is having on…

Survey launched to assess local views on the future of Hawaiʻi’s economy

HONOLULU (June 1, 2020) – OHA, Liliʻuokalani Trust and Kamehameha Schools launched a new survey today to better understand what Native Hawaiians and non-Native Hawaiians think the state’s economy should look like after the pandemic. Hawaiʻi’s Economy: Visions of a Better…

New report details challenges, needs & potential of Hawaiian businesses during & after pandemic

HONOLULU (May 29, 2020) – While Native Hawaiian businesses are experiencing “sudden, severe, and lasting impacts” from COVID-19, they may play a crucial role in Hawaiʻi’s economic recovery because they are less dependent on the tourism industry, according to a new report released today. “As expected, the report…

Mahiʻai pic from Rising Sun Organic Farms

OHA Board approves $3 million in COVID-19 emergency relief funds

HONOLULU (May 8, 2020) – The OHA Board of Trustees today announced the approval of a $3-million emergency relief package to help individual beneficiaries as well as Native Hawaiian communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic crisis. “The…