Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2017 — Kano Ke Kihi Poʻohiwi — Building a Strong OHA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kano Ke Kihi Poʻohiwi — Building a Strong OHA

\ li ī hen I was a haumana at % l\ ī the Kamehameha Schools,

\ / \ ī studying Hawai\ī \ī ian language, I V V collected hundreds of 'ōlelo no'eau, many of them from our beloved kupuna Mary Kawena Pukui. To this day, my mother Marian Lupenui Akina continues to add to my collection. One of my favorite sayings is Kano ke kihi po'ohiwi - Strong (hard) are the shoulders. That's my vision of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. A strong OHA promotes a strong Hawaiian people. And that's good for everyone in the state. For when OHA

is strong, the needs of our beneficiaries for housing, jobs, education, and health care are met. This also benefits all citizens, relieving taxpayers of the burden of shouldering alone the needs of homeless andjobless Hawaiians. For OHA to be strong, it must be financially sustainable. Last month, Ka Wai Ola featured OHA's recent efforts to achieve Ananeial sustainability. This is a good step in the right direction. But in order to be effective, it will require your trustees to exercise tremendous discipline. We must:

1. Reduce spending As trustees, we must be willing to reverse the trend of the

past several years in whieh we have been spending more than we are earning. 2. Stop depleting the fiscal reserve - We must protect the intergenerational equity of the trust rather than spend it down. 3. Stick to our mission We must ensure that what we spend on is fully for the betterment of Hawaiians in the areas of housing, jobs, education, and healthcare. 4. Increase revenues We

must find creative and responsible ways to increase the revenues of OHA for the sake of beneficiaries. 5. Strengthen our checks and halances - We must embrace opportunities for greater transparency and accountability, as well as ensure that our organization stays committed to our Ananeial sustainability plans. As the new year begins, I look forward to working together with my fellow trustees to make sound, informed decisions as we hold ourselves accountable. Let 2017 begin with the vision of a strong OHA that builds a strong Hawaiian people. Kano ke kihi po'ohiwi! ■

<LEO 'ELELE v www.oha.org/kwo | kwo@OHA.org TRUSTEE MESSSAGES f NATiVE HAWAiiAN » NEWS | FEATURES | EVENTS

Keli'i Akina, Ph.D. TrustEE, At-largE