Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2001 — Trustee success will bring hope to the people [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Trustee success will bring hope to the people

ALOHA MAI kakou, e nā 'ōiwi o Hawai'i. I very mueh appreciate this second term opportunity to continue in my service to beneficiaries of the trust and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. It is my intent in this 2000-2004 term, as it was in the last, to be

a monthly contributor to the Ka Wai Ola . trustee eolumn. KWO's growing 60,000 plus readership provides a significant capacity for trustee outreach through the sharing of trustee mana'o and forging special highhght to timely and significant issues. This second in a series of 48 articles in ) KWO highlights a few of the priority areas for board focus. Though not exhaus-

tive, this article notes some of the many critical issues that OHA Trustees must collectively address in 2001 and beyond. A) Trustees must work to regain the trust and support of our beneficiaries. OHA's information and education campaign activities require regular and substantive interface with our beneficiaries and the community, whether in-person or through technology. Outreach from OHA's central office and from the OHA haison

offices across the state in collaboration with Hawaiian agencies and organizations working groups across the state continue to have a substantial role in making sure factual information gets to our communities on a timely basis. Concurrent to item A, Trustees must, B) eomplete OHA's comprehensive legal strategy and action plan, both proactive or in response, to litigation lodged in State and Federal Courts that seek to erode and extinguish constitutional rights and statutory entitlements to

Hawaiians beginning with the public trusts set up for Hawaiians. Such a plan should not be absent of review of relevant activity at the intemational level. Concurrent to items A and B, Trustees must C) dehberate OHA's future and what kind of relationship OHA wih have with the federal and state governments. Article XII of the State Constitution estabhshes the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Article XH is under attack through Barrett vr. State. HRS Chapter 10 says "there shah be an office of Hawaiian affairs constituted as a body corporate whieh shah be a separate entity, independent of the executive branch."

HRS Chapter 10 identifies the "betterment of conditions of native Hawahans" and the "betterment of conditions of Hawaiians" in OHA's purposes. In such discussion, trustees must assess the status of pro-rata payments to OHA ftom the public land txust as obligated by the State of Hawai'i, pursuant to statute. In addition OHA Trustees must D) develop strategic plans and implementing actions that

fulfih OHA's statutory mandate toward the "betterment of conditions of native Hawaiians" and the "betterment of conditions of Hawaiians." Trastee leadership and participation will be required to ensure that the planning and implementation processes are inclusive of beneficiaries and partners who share in eommon the mission to serve native Hawaiians and Hawaiians. This planning and implementation process should result in OHA funded programs that are responsive to beneficia-

ry needs as well as estabhsh programmatic ahiances, partnerships and eollaborations with Hawaiian trusts and organizations serving Hawaiians and others that both complement and extend OHA's mission to better the conditions of native Hawaiians and Hawaiians. Finahy, OHA Trustees must E) actively and successfuUy participate in the legislative arena, in Congress and at the State Legislature, by advocating sound public pohcy in the interest of our beneficiaries. Earnest and hardworking efforts in aU of these areas by trustees will help OHA celebrate the first light that

breaks into the turning of the dawn, "moku ka pawa." Trustee success in these areas wiU build the hope, the faith and the inspiration to carry us through adversity and challenging times. Mahalo for your support and counsel. Reynold Freitas, Martha Ross and I look forward to working with you. ■

Earnest and hardworking efforts in all of tnese areas by trustees will help OHA eelebrate the first light that breaks into the turning of the dawn, "moku ka pawa."

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