Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 9, 1 September 2001 — COMMENTS [ARTICLE]

COMMENTS

2001 Ka Wai Ola Readership Survey

Below is a sampling of written comments received in June's Ka Wai Ola o OHA Readership Survey. There were substantially more suggestions to better the paper. Complaints centered on timely

receipt of the paper - particularly from readers on the continent, and trustee decorum and cohesiveness. (We are taking steps to ensure more timely delivery). Mahalo for sharing your mana'o.

Suggestions • A list of agencies and programs available to Hawaiians to help with heahh, education and welfare services. What programs does OHA currently offer to Hawaiians as far as heahh, education, social services, trade schools, higher learning and home and commercial loans? • Hawaiian Language eolumn should also be translated in English to allow non-speaking Hawaiians to also enjoy the eolumn. • How many people read the monthly message of all 9 trustees? In the last issue 7 of the 9 trustees had their messages span 3 pages. Is this realiy necessary? I've found the messages too lengthy and sometimes repetitive. Do they sometimes write just to write and not say anything of value? Limit trustee messages to twice a year. • I want to read about positive things to inspire me and others to do for ourselves and our people. As a Hawaiian I feel very discouraged when I READ about the politics that goes on with the trustees, the negative comments and put-downs in your paper. A put-down is a put-down and it does not belong in your paper no matter how we feel. Be professionals. • I am interested in knowing more about issues concerning Hawaiians who do not agree with sovereignty & how sovereignty will change our financial, political and ecological climate. Sovereignty scares me because I am not sure how this will affect the lives of my grand children. • Need to lower the rentals on kupuna apartments - need OHA's help in this area. « Get both sides to every story. Input from Henry Noa or Keanu Sai would be a great start. • Would like some stories on Hawaiian medicine, the Kahuna schools, superstitions. how a plaee of refuge was controlled. About the great runners who carried messages and what exactly took plaee within a heiau. Enjoy the articles by Claire Hughes and Manu Boyd very mueh. I always look forward to reading Ka Wai Ola O OHA. • Do some feature article on the efficient secretary rather than the employer; the student rather that the teacher; the assistant rather than the movie star. The unknowns are special people, too, that have worthwhile things to share as well. Get my drift! • What has happened to 'Aha Hawai'i 'Ōiwi? How eome so poor coverage? Put some school kids achievements - nursery, grammar/middle/high and community eolleges - more language Pūnana Leo - both pros and cons. Spotlight a school from eaeh island - historically. • Include more opinions from nonHawaiians. • More emphasis needs to be placed on

the politics and legal issues affecting Hawaiians. This includes presentation of muUiple views re: the Hawaiian cause in Congress, the U.N., Europe, Hawai'i Legislature and the courts. • Trustee columns should always include at least a paragraph on a project of proposals that trustee supports and the current status of that activity. Some columns only philosophize and I want to know what action the trustee is taking on anything. • OHA should purchase the old post office building. It's easy to get to and it's across 'Iolani Palaee. I ean be a moneymaker. OHA spends too mueh for rent as it is. We could have owned the building already. • OHA should use the money for homes for the Hawaiian people instead of buying Waimea Falls. • Advertise in Ka Wai Ola O OHA on ways Native Hawaiian students ean get financial aid help to continue college education after high school! • I would like to see more human issues, people's opinions, inputs, photos, arts, a talk story eolumn, poetry, travel, more classified ads more everyday news and less politics! This issue June 2001 was the best I've seen and read. • Pictures need to be clearer. As kupuna reading small letters is difficult. Appreciate your diversity in featuring a wide variety of writers - not only the elitist Hawaiian coconuts. Feature programs that promote Hawaiians' self-esteem, family and selfrespect. Hawaiian stories/issues, talking tapes for blind and disabled like the Library of Hawai'i for Blind and Handicapped. • I look forward to comments from the trustees' corner. Perhaps you could have a special corner (eolumn) from our cousins across the oeean — Vegas, Washington, Utah, etc. • More in depth board and administration outcome on monitoring effectiveness of OHA and staff. More advance funds for Hawaiians not on homestead lands. • Ka Wai Ola misses the opportunity to teach Hawaiian history. A brief eolumn in eaeh issue covering a historical topic would be very useful. Complaints • The earliest I've received this puhlieation is the 15th of eaeh month. Is there a possibility of receiving it sooner? • I receive "OHA" one month late. You will receive my survey one week late. Sorry. • Delivery too slow! Can you please mail our issue earlier? We don't get ours until a month later. Got this issue today, 7/12. Will you count my survey response?

• At first glance this newspaper looks appealing - but not so. Very boring newspaper. I read bits and pieces. So I read hardly nothing. • Ka Wai Ola is not all it ean be and it's always late (received June 15th issue July 13th.) I am so hungry for Hawaiiana info but the paper is full of trustee columns - but I'm so ashamed of the trustees that I can't/won't read them. Auwē! • The trustees columns are wasted space. I never read their comments. They totally have "I" trouble. I feel a President's message would convey to the readership a more unified board rather than eaeh member having their personal agenda. Please work together! • Received Ka Wai Ola June 15th. Would like to have received it before the first. Some issues outdated by the time Ka Wai Ola is received!! Keep up your good work. More info from the youth of Hawai'i. Their thoughts, aims and goals - How do they feel about the work done by the grownups. • Articles written should be more eoncise, less wordy and to the point. Takes too long to read articles. • The trustee columns "generally" is not effectively informative to readers. Many times I read a lot of discontent by the writer towards the other trustees. Also sometimes the columns commentary is too personal of a view and should be used for the readers benefit. • I am bitter, I am angry and I'm sorry to say that I ean no longer trust any of the organizations that are in plaee supposedly to help the Hawaiians better themselves. • Trustees columns where they criticize eaeh other are a joke. Focus on what ean & should be done. Not whimsical wishes and/or personal attacks. Q: Why has the Hawaiian development and growth stagnated or declines? A: OHA is a bad example. • Reinstated Government tells a lot of eommon sense issues about overthrow, sovereignty so why doesn't OHA use their issues to correlate a proper and honest government rather than cover up, hide and go along with Hawaiian Homes, Sen. Inouye/Akaka's efforts for sovereignty. People in OHA and DHHL get paid for decision making. Why can't they get it right? • I object to you printing letters to the editor that attack individuals and name them by name. • I strongly disagree/dislike it when trustees use their columns to "bash" another trustee. (eg. Akana vs. Apoliona) Personal issues should be resolved in house and not aired in public. It is very tacky. We need more help for kupuna: transportation, health, food and housing. You don't help kupuna enough and they are dying out sadly. I vote!

• Quit bickering amongst eaeh other. You will get robbed from all sides especially the haoles, who think we owe them a living. Perhaps we should interpret for those whites who don't understand the meaning of "invade", "denial", hypocrites, idiots - look it up in Webster. Mahalo • Thank you, I look forward to my Ka Wai Ola o OHA eaeh month. God bless you and guide all of you who strive to give us the best. • Claire Hughes' eolumn is great. Some trustees spend too mueh of their space bitching instead of informing. • This is a great source of news and info. Keep It Hawaiian! • Mahalo for Ka Wai Ola o OHA. • With many reading material received in the mail, it's not easy to keep on top of it. I scan through Ka Wai Ola and if something catches my eye as interesting, appealing, informative - something that is mostly beneficial for me and my family - then I' 11 stop and take the time to read it. Mahalo Nui for asking. • I like Manu Boyd's coverage of events, and I like the articles in the Hawaiian language. I normally find the trustee articles boring or disappointing (because of trustees pointing fingers). There has been great improvement in Ka Wai Ola recently. Please continue.We feel Ka Leo Kaiāulu (Letters to editor) Kūkākūkā (discussion forum) and Leo 'Elele (trustee messages) the most interesting. • I really enjoy your letters to the editor. That lets me know that there are other Hawaii Patriotic League members out there reading the Ka Wai Ola o OHA too. Also letting our people know what really took plaee a 108 years ago. • As a non-Hawaiian, I find Ka Wai Ola o OHA very interesting and helpful in educating myself about Hawaiian issues and the native Hawaiian perspective. I think the paper has improved over the past year. Mahalo! • Your new layout and graphics has improved tremendously. More Hawaiian issues. Lessen trustees messages. • The OHA newspaper has been very informative I would like to see a monthly story focusing on a Hawaiian doing good for the community. We need some inspiration to know OHA funding is working. • You people are doing just fine with all of your mana'o on issues of interest. Just what the public wants to hear. I couldn't add anymore then what it's all about. Go for it you guys! Pōmaika'i nō kākou ke aupuni o ka lani. ■