Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 4, 1 April 2014 — LAYING A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LAYING A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is busy laying the groundwork for a new governing body. One designed and implemented by the people. We are pledging neutrality and will be working to bring everyone together. Why do we want everyone to participate? Onee the new nation forms, we are going to transfer our $360 million investment portfolio from our Native Hawaiian Trust Fund to the new entity. We're also going to transfer all of our real property - including roughly 26,000 acres in Wao Kele o Puna, 500 acres at the former Galbraith Estate, 1,800 acres in Waimea Valley, 30 acres in Kaka'ako Makai, and more than 20 acres in Palauea, Maui. We're also working to complete an inventory of ceded lands. It's 85 percent complete and should be finished in the next year. It's important because onee we know where the ceded lands are and how mueh money the state is making off those lands, we ean advocate to ensure that Native Hawaiians get the 20 percent of ceded land revenues the state has promised as well as a future potential global ceded land settlement with the state for the entire lāhui. Currently, OHA gets $15.1 million per year - that is an estimate of what OHA should be getting. But we believe that number isn't accurate. By completing the inventory, we will give the new nahon a valuable tool to make sure Hawaiians get what they have been promised. There's a lot at stake and that's why everyone should get involved. We have a responsibility to make sure that decisions on how our portfolio is invested and spent is done in a pono way. We must take the kuleana

to make sure our nahon thrives for generations to eome. You ean only do that if you're a part of the process. One way to ensure you have a seat at the table and a vote at the ballot box is to sign up for the Native Hawaiian Roll. There are currently 120,000 names on the roll. You ean eheek to see if your name is on the roll at hawaiianroll. org. You ean also register for the roll on that website. In addition, people will be visiting your neighborhood and appearing at town hall meetings to encourage people to get involved and educate Q

peopie on tne process. Our job at OHA is to get everyone to the table and convince them to stay. We will remain neutral and let the people decide where we ean go fromhere. Our Ali'i and our ancestors would expect no less. ■ 'O au iho nō me ke aloha a me ka 'oia'i'o, Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, Ph.D. Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive 0fficer

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