Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 2, 1 February 1995 — Water is life!! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Water is life!!

by Moanike'ala Akaka Trustee, Hawai'i On Christmas Eve, Windward taro growers, farmers, and residents celebrated the return of 12 million gallons of Ko'olau water, diverted leeward for the past 80

years. After sugar compames closed, eight million gallons daily were dumped into dry gulches but are now being returned to their natural course. A dozen dry and barely running stream beds will spring back to life from Kahana to Waiāhole Valley as the mountain water flows back to Windward O'ahu. This mediated temporary agreement marks the first

time in state history that water has been returned to streams of origin. Bishop Estate was the only group mediating that objected to water coming back to Waiāhole, even temporarily. The Estate claims these streams will again flourish with 'o'opu and 'ōpae. and onee the wetlands re-establish (their preservation is a nahonal priority). the Estate will never be

able to divert the wai to the leeward side for its planned developments. It is large leeward land owners who want to retain Waiāhole water for more development; for them, gravity flow makes Waiāhole water cheaper. As 'ohana to Pauahi Bishop through her father Abner Pākī, I think the

benefactress would be outraged. Instead of preserving a treasured rural district like Windward O'ahu, Bishop trustees opt for more subdivisions unaffordable to Hawaiians. Next comes a contested case hearing before the Water Commission where three community groups, including taro farmers, have petitioned to permanently return all

water (almost 30 million gallons) from Waiāhole Ditch to restore streams, restore Kāne'ohe Bay estuary, and irrigate crops. It is good that OHA has been participating in these proceedings with a team of staff, attorneys and water experts on behalf of our native Hawaiian water rights. Keep the country country; we must preserve the unique, treasured, disappearing Hawaiian

lifestyle that the windward district exempliftes. O'ahu is already our most overdeveloped and endangered island. This is aloha 'āina in its truest form. I commend the community groups, taro farmers, the Reppun brothers, Keoki Fukumitsu, Calvin Hoe, Harvey and others for keeping up this important fight for over a decade. If windward water stays, hundreds more acres ean go into taro, doubling statewide production. Perhaps then we won't worry about islandwide poi shortages. If they need water on the leeward side: pump for it; or get modern - desalinate!

I look with gratitude and optimism at the strides taken by the Hawaiian people over the past 25 years. The pronouncement early January by the Royal Order of Kamehameha I of reaffirmation of the Hawaiian kingdom and support for sovereignty (however defined) moves us toward unity between kūpuna and younger generations of our po'e in the movement to resurrect our rightful plaee as Hawaiians in Hawai'i. The eall to nationhood is diverse. We are found in tarpaulin-covered dwellings on

the beach and in luxurious koa-paneled homes in whieh some ali'i are fortunate to dwell. This social discrepancy in other places is a simple case of economics. But because we are all Hawaiians, and because we are surfers, and the tide is high with enthusiasm about being Hawaiian, we must ride these great waves upright with "Pono" - righteousness - as our guide. Let us not underestimate the many great challenges we face in making all our people "pono"; it is the task of this present generation to ensure a strong influence over the future of these islands. It is equally important to provide ample opportunity for all our keiki to get an education that fulfills eaeh individual's potential of intellect, culture and spirit. Let us recommit ourselves to excellence in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy of nonviolence whieh has guided us, and to the courage and wisdom of our own George Helm, who saw it all quite clearly. Mālama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono.