Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 11, 1 November 2021 — New Online Directory of Hawaiian-Owned Businesses [ARTICLE]

New Online Directory of Hawaiian-Owned Businesses

By Kanoe Takitani-Puahi Hawai'i's Native Hawaiian Chambers of Commerce and the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA) recently launched Kuhikuhi.com, a project to help direct more customers to Native Hawaiian-owned businesses. "Ihe eeonomie hardships experienced by communities across Hawai'i during the pandemic, coupled with the concurrent national calls for racial justice, brought light to the importance of supporting Native-owned small businesses and keeping hard-earned dollars in Hawai'i," said Kirstin Kahaloa, president of Hui 'Oihana - Hawai'i Island's Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce. "What was missing was a platform for consumers to identify these 'oihana 'Ōiwi. From restaurants to boutiques, lei stands to lawyers, lomilomi practitioners to physical therapists, Kuhikuhi.com gives consumers the information they need to choose to support Hawai-ian-owned small businesses." Kuhikuhi.com is a mobile-friendly website, ffee to businesses and users, searchable by category, by location, and with ratings all to help potential customers find businesses. Building upon a shared commitment to growing loeal,

Native Hawaiian-owned businesses in Hawai'i, Kuhikuhi. eom is a collective project of NaHHA and the Native Hawaiian Chambers of Commerce on Hawai'i Island, Maui, O'ahu and Kaua'i. Funding was provided by the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, Kamehameha Schools, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. "NaHHA has long worked to connect kama'āina businesses with the visitor industry as a way to capture more visitor dollars and keep them in Hawai'i," said Mālia Sanders, executive director of NaHHA. "When we realized the opportunity to build an online directory that could keep dollars circulating in Hawai'i's economy while supporting Native Hawaiian-owned businesses, we knew this was a key resource to uplift our communities. We encourage all Native Hawaiian-owned businesses to sign up!" Constructing the website was a collaboration with Movers & Shakas, a program that recruited professionals to work remotely in Hawai'i during the pandemic in return for volunteer service with loeal nonprofit organizations. NaHHA was paired with Dante Moore, a tech entrepreneur and design consultant from New Jersey. 'As a Black entrepreneur, I'll go the extra mile to support minority-owned businesses. Platforms like these are so important as they reveal opportunities to connect, collaborate and problem solve on a broader scale," Moore said. "While working alongside the Kuhikuhi team, I

learned to surf from a Hawaiian instructor, ate at several 'ono Hawaiian-owned restaurants, and took gifts from Hawaiian-owned shops home. Now with the launeh of Kuhikuhi.com, everyone ean find those authentic experiences and support Hawai'i's Native economy." Over 10,000 Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs make up about 11% of Hawai'i's self-employed workers, according to a DBEDT report published in January - and those numbers do not account for entrepreneurs with other full-time employment. The data also shows Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs tend to be younger than other entrepreneurs in Hawai'i. "Businesses across Hawai'i struggled during the pandemic," said John Ka'ohelauli'i, president of the Kaua'i Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and owner of Sole Mates in Kapa'a, Kaua'i, and HawaiianCheckers. eom. "As people begin to visit again, and even as our kama'āina start shopping again, resources like Kuhikuhi. eom are important to help people find our businesses." Listing a business on the website is free - visit Kuhikuhi.com and look for the "Add Listing" tab at the top. For more information and kōkua, email info@kuhikuhi. eom. ■ Kanoe Takitani-Puahi is the director ofprograms at the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association.