Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 4, 1 April 2017 — Back to Normal: Ho Hum, Business os Usual [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Back to Normal: Ho Hum, Business os Usual

/A no'ai kākou... Nothing frus- /\ trates me more than issues falling through the /^^^ cracks due to inaehon # \bv the Board. While

we are moving ahead with OHA's Financial Audit and Management Review thanks to the leadership of Trustee Keli'i Akina, other important issues have fallen off OHA's radar. For example: (1) REDUCING OHA'S SPENDING POLICY LIMIT: Reducing our spending policy limit to 4.5 percent of the Trust Fund would be a wise move in the current economy. It appears clear that the stock market will

not be a plaee for OHA to look for great returns on our investment over the next few years. The predictors are very gloomy; all the more reason to be cautious and prudent with spending. (2) ELIMINATING THE FISCAL RESERVE FUND: Two years ago, one of OHA's money managers recommended that we get rid of the Fiscal Reserve slush fund. Trustees seemed supportive, but nothing has happened since. (3) PROTECTING KULEANA LANDS: OHA and the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation need to form a partnership as soon as possible to stop outsiders, or anyone, who try to "quiet title" Hawaiian lands. This problem is not going away. (4) PROTECTING MAUNA KEA: I believe that transferring responsibility over Mauna Kea lands to OHA would produce the best "win-win" situation for the State, the University of Hawai'i and all of OHA's Native Hawaiian beneficiaries. What better solution could there be than to put Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands?

(5) SUNSHINE LAW: After two years of fruitless negotiations, the majority of Trust-

ees want to go to trial rather than settle my legal complaint that the Board was not followina Sunshine

Law during closed-door executive sessions. (6) NATIVE HAWAIIAN CONSTITUTION: On February 26, 2016, the majority of the Na'i Aupuni 'Aha participants voted to adopt The Constitution of the Native Hawaiian Nahon. The next step was to ratify the Constitution by taking it out to our people, but nothing has happened since. OHA needs to follow-up on its current status.

• OHA NEEDS TO REVISIT ITS POLICIES AND RULES: Many of our most recent rules were created to punish and control Trustees. We just need to follow the law. We have also tied our own hands with rules that hamper our efforts to help our beneficiaries. We need to find a more efficient way to run our essential programs such as community grants. The current Board leadership appears more concemed with keeping power in their hands rather than attacking tough issues. If they don't change their ways, all OHA will have to show in the next two years is a big, fat zero, because we are right back to where we were before I look the Chairmanship - Nowhere! No progress with the University of Hawai'i and the Thirty Meter Telescope, Kaka'ako, and other important issues. Aloha till the next time. ■ Interested in Hawaiian issues & OHA? Please visit my website at www.mwena akana.org for more information or e-mai.l me at rowenaa@oha.org.

j LEO 'ELELE ^ > TRUSTEE MESSSAGES f

Rūwena Akana Chair, TrustEE, At-largE