HONOLULU (Sept 24, 2026) — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees has adopted significant updates to OHA’s strategic plan, Mana i Mauli Ola, strengthening the framework by establishing Ea—Native Hawaiian self-determination and self-reliance—as the overarching vision and destination guiding the agency’s work.
The updated framework was developed following stakeholder feedback and months of review and deliberation by the Board’s Ad Hoc Committee on Mana i Mauli Ola. The Board’s action establishes Ea as the overarching vision, or Ka Lewa, with Ea he Moku representing the destination toward which OHA’s strategic directions, investments and outcomes are intended to move the lāhui.
Ea he Moku represents the flourishing of a self-determined and self-reliant Native Hawaiian future.
“A strategic plan should never be viewed as a static document,” said OHA Board Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele. “It must evolve as the needs and aspirations of our beneficiaries evolve, as new opportunities emerge, and as we gain a deeper understanding of how best to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities. The updates to Mana i Mauli Ola reaffirm our commitment to Native Hawaiian self-determination by aligning OHA’s work behind a unifying vision of Ea. This thoughtful review positions OHA to be more focused, more accountable and better prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities facing our lāhui.”
OHA’s strategic plan, Mana i Mauli Ola—Strength to Wellbeing—is grounded in three foundations essential to Native Hawaiian wellbeing: ʻOhana (family), Moʻomeheu (culture) and ʻĀina (land and water). These foundations guide OHA’s work across four strategic directions—Education, Health, Housing and Economic Stability—to improve the conditions and collective wellbeing of Native Hawaiians.
At the center of this work is Ea.
Ea is the living expression of Native Hawaiian self-determination—the ability of the lāhui to sustain and govern itself across generations through the interconnectedness of people, ʻāina, culture, knowledge and governance.
When Native Hawaiians are rooted in culture, connected to ʻāina, equipped with knowledge and resources, and empowered to shape their futures, collective wellbeing and intergenerational abundance grow.
The updated Mana i Mauli Ola uses the tradition of Hawaiian wayfinding to describe how OHA will pursue that vision. Like the wayfinders and navigators who charted courses across our ocean highways, OHA must observe the conditions around it, draw upon ancestral knowledge and adjust its course as circumstances change. Different journeys may require different pathways and guides, but the destination remains constant.
Mana i Mauli Ola charts OHA’s course toward Ea and a thriving, abundant lāhui.
As part of that effort, the adopted revisions consolidate overlapping strategic outcomes and strengthen or add outcomes relating to governance over wahi pana, advocacy for public land trust entitlements, representation of Native Hawaiians in public office, data sovereignty, and thriving Native Hawaiian Charter School and ʻŌlelo-medium education systems. The revisions also incorporate housing changes considered during the Board’s review.
The new framework is designed to more clearly connect OHA’s programs, advocacy, investments and institutional priorities to measurable progress toward Ea, providing the Board and the public with a clearer understanding of how OHA’s work contributes to lasting change for Native Hawaiians.
Implementation of the updated framework will occur through a phased transition. That work is expected to include revisions to reporting and performance frameworks, alignment of investments and budget priorities, and continued Board oversight as the updated strategic plan is incorporated into OHA operations.
“The destination is clear: a thriving lāhui with the ability, resources and opportunity to determine its own future,” Kahele said. “Our kuleana now is to make sure the decisions we make, and the resources entrusted to OHA move us toward that destination.”
