OHA applauds PMNM expansion

HONOLULU (Aug. 25, 2016) — In response to the release made by the White House Press Office to elevate the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to a monument Co-Trustee and expand the boundaries of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, OHA Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive Officer Kamanaʻopono Crabbe issued the following statement:

“OHA applauds President Obama’s decision to elevate the voice of Native Hawaiians in the management of the lands and waters in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Papahānaumokuākea is critical to Native Hawaiian spiritual wellbeing, and this action by the President helps revive our connection to our kūpuna islands and reinforce our understanding of Hawaiʻi as a contiguous spiritual and cultural seascape.

Thanks to the President’s decision, these resources will be better protected for generations to come.

The elevation of OHA to a Co-Trustee position rightfully places the Native Hawaiian voice at all levels of decision making in the governance of Papahānaumokuākea. This has been a ten year effort to achieve this position and this success marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration for the co-managers of the area to fulfill the tremendous responsibility of protecting and caring for this sacred place.”