Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2014 — Closing out 2013 ond welcoming in 2014 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Closing out 2013 ond welcoming in 2014

/A no'ai kakou ... / \ Happy Year of the Horse! The follow- # % ing are some of the / \issues that I will be focusing on in 2014. Kaka'ako Makai During the 2012 legislative session, Senate Bill 682 proposed to add value to two parcels of our lands in Kaka'ako Makai by giving OHA the right

to develop residential structures on them. This would have added significant value to our properties and provided mueh needed revenue for our Nalion. While the bill had the support of key senators, it failed to pass. OHA now needs lay down the groundwork to pass a similar bill in the upcoming legislative session while also working towards a Master Plan for our Kaka'ako Makai properties. Kewalo Basin A continuing eoneem are the proposed "finger piers" that will front our property at Kewalo Basin. The finger piers are threatening to seriously reduce the value of our land and take away OHA' s right to develop our own piers. However, the HCDA continues to refuse any proposals to change their plan or to make concessions. OHA must continue to object to the current finger piers design. If HCDA goes forward with signing any lease, OHA should consider suing. Given the major contests coming up in the 2014 elections, perhaps there are other reasons for HCDA's reluctance to work with OH A. Developers have contributed large sums of cash to gain the support of key candidates who ean help them with their development plans. We should all take this into consideration before we cast our votes. OHA Audit Also in 2013, the State Auditor eame out with her OHA Audit (to see a copy visit: http://files.hawaii.gov/auditor/ Reports/2013/13-07.pdf) that harshly criticized the trustees' vote to authorize the purchase of the Gentry building. The aelion also had serious consequences for

OHA's ability to invest in eommunity projects and has opened us to criticism by the state Legislature. In my opinion, OHA could have avoided mueh of the criticism if we had received better legal counsel from attomeys who have worked with OHA for a long time. I believe it is time for tmstees to seriously evaluate the quality of their advice.

L00King 10 ine iuiure m win with international outreach Lastyear, I joined the Board of Directors of the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), whieh provides Native Hawaiians a great opportunity to network with Ameriean Indians and Alaska Natives and to develop programs that will help sustain and strengthen our cultural legacy. In March 2014, AIANTA will sponsor a pavilion at the Internationale Touris-mus-Bōrse (ITB) Berlin - the world's leading travel and trade fair - in Germany. ITB provides Native and Tribal tourism departments the opportunity to showcase their cultural programs and tour packages to the multibillion-dollar European tourism market. I am optimistic about presenting tourism from a Hawaiian perspective. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are successfully doing this and providing eeonomie development for their tribes and also contributing to their states' tourism dollars. ITB Berlin will give our beneficiaries the opportunity to make valuable contacts with intemational travel organizations, media and tour operators. Happy New Year! I look forward to 2014 and am optimistic about OHA's future. I wish all of you the very best holiday season filled with joy and good health. May God's blessings be upon eaeh of you and your families. See you next year! Aloha Ke Akua. Interested in Hawaiian issues anā OHA ? Please visit my website at www. rowenaakana.org for more information or email me at rowenaa@ oha.org. I

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