KAHULUI, MAUI (November 2, 2023) – The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce (MNHCOC) and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) are conducting a survey to assess the impact of the August 2023 Maui wildfires on the Native Hawaiian business community. Impacted business owners across the state – Native Hawaiian and non-Native Hawaiian, self-employed individuals, artisans, practitioners, and others — are encouraged to take a few minutes to respond to the Native Hawaiian Business Maui Wildfire Impact Survey.
“We are incredibly honored to be partnering with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in this effort to help our Maui community,” said Kainoa Horcajo of the MNHCOC. “For many of our members and throughout the business community in Hawaiʻi, our businesses are not just a way to pay the bills, they are how we uplift our family and community, how we spread culture and aloha, how we empower those around us, and how we gain and sustain a sense of purpose in this rapidly changing world. This survey will help us better direct resources, allocate funds, create programs, and uplift our community, together. I hope everyone takes the time to complete it.”
Feedback will be used to determine critical needs and provide data for MNHCOC and OHA to advocate for additional business disaster relief from various state and federal resources.
“We recognize that the impact of the Maui wildfires on Native Hawaiian businesses extends beyond Lahaina to businesses throughout the pae ʻāina (island chain) with business ties to Maui,” said OHA Board Chair Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey. “In OHA’s role as a researcher, we are happy to partner with the MNHCOC to provide support in gathering much needed data to help inform government policies and programs.”
The survey is available online at www.oha.org/impactsurvey. All businesses impacted by the Maui wildfires have until Nov. 30, 2023 to complete the survey.
