Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 3, 1 March 2016 — A HULIAU... for OHA? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A HULIAU... for OHA?

Having been elected as a Trustee of OHA on November 4, 2014, 1 was always curious and wanted to know how —

I I Act 19b was added to the Hawaii Revised Statutes. Have you ever reflected on the past scratched your head and said, "What was I thinking? But we all know we can't go back in time." However, what if we could? What if we hopped in our OHA time maehine and looked into the future? This is what we see on November7, 2013: Yay!! OHA Trustees vote to

shut down the Kana'iolowalu Native Hawaiian Roll Commission as expenses are sky high! According to OHA, only 21,418 Hawaiians signed up for the Roll as of September 27, 20 1 3 . The Commission burned through $3.3M of OHA resources and was demanding another $2.5M when the Trustees decided to pull the plug. This is a huge victory for Native Hawaiians. Hawaiian affairs are

returmng to tne enannei createa in the Hawaii Admission Act whieh holds that all of Hawaii is responsible for 'the betterment of Native Hawaiians.' From the Minutes of the OHA Trustees meeting November 7, 2013: "Approved 7-1-1 (Machado excused, Ahuna votes 'no') Motion to amend, approve and authorize funding in the amount of $595,000 from OHA's FY 2014 Fiscal Reserve Authorization for the FY 2014 Native Hawaiian Roll Commission Operating Budget and to include Trustee Robert Lindsey's 10 recommendations as well as a two (2) week deadline for an exit plan and this approved amount will be the final funding for the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission." The recommendations were: • That Kana'iolowalu present a clear Exit Plan to terminating Operations to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs within two weeks. • That if a Kanaka Maoli puwalu is to be convened that such a puwalu be convened and called for by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and not the Hawaii Legislature and that all interested stakeholders and constituencies will be allowed to participate at a eommon table. • That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will be a neutral party at such a puwalu whose

kuleana will be simply to facilitate such a puwalu. • That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in pursuing a model for

sovereignty wiii take kuieana to educate and inform the general and Hawaiian community through various media including Ka Wai 01 a and Kamakako'i on the events of January 1893 when our Queen yielded her Government to the United States of America. • That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will take kuleana to educate and inform the general and

Hawaiian community through various media including Ka Wai Ola and Kamakako'i on the U.S. Minister's role in the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. • That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will take kuleana to educate and inform the general and Hawaiian community through various media including Ka Wai Ola and Kamakako'i on President Cleveland's message to Congress in December 1893 on the Blount investigation. • That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will take kuleana to educate and inform the general and Hawaiian community through Ka Wai 01 a and Kamakako'i on the Apology Resolution of 1893. • That the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will facilitate a discussion on all models of selfdetermination including independence and international recognition table. By state constitutional provision, OHA is the lead agency on matters relating to Native Hawaiians. OHA did not initiate or pass Act 195, whieh created Kana'iolowalu. The state Legislature did, but refused to fund this initiative. On July 7, 2011, Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Act 195 into law. And so it goes....on and on more and more $$$$$$$$ A hui hou until April, Trustee Leina'ala ■

Follow us: l_), /oha_ .hawaii | Fan us:B/officeofhawaiianaffairs | Watoh us: Youfffl^ /OHAHawaii j LEO 'ELELE > TRUSTEE MESSSAGES

Leina'ala Ahu lsa, Ph.D. TrustEE, At-largE

Patricia Lei Murray designed and hand-quilTed "Ku'u Hae Aloha Mau," whieh she donated to OHA in November 201 5. - Photo: Courtesy