Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2022 — It's Time for Action... [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

It's Time for Action...

J THE VOICE OF NATIVE ^ > HAWAIIAN BUSINESS '

By lan Custino The voice of Native Hawaiian business. In the last few years, the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce (NHCC) has worked hard to live up to this promise. COVID-19 made small business in Hawai'i even harder to do. COVID-19 stretched resources for the small business owner even thinner. COVID-19 made thriving in Hawai'i for Hawaiians seem even more impossible. COVID-19 also brought opportunities. Opportunities for us to look inward - to recalibrate, realign and refocus! Over the last two years, we reached out to our members, worked with other Hawaiian-serving organizations and connected with leaders and lawmakers at all levels. We grew our network, stepped up engagement and communications, and refocused our work to create data-informed opportunities for our members and the broader Hawaiian business community. What's next? Policy and Advocacy! The chamber is building momentum towards a consistent and persistent policy and advocacy cadence to add to our ability to be the voice of Native Hawaiian business. What does this mean? We start with education. In late November we hosted two legislative 101 sessions, one on legislative process and the other on state budget. We will host a number of legislative talk-story sessions to discuss issues and provide advocacy resources and opportunities. The first of these will happen in January, prior to the opening day of the state legislature.

We are working with Kamehameha Schools, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Ofīice of Hawaiian Affairs to support our opio in leading our lāhui to the future we want to see. Through collaborations like Kaleo o Nā 'Ōpio (KONO), multigenerational conversations and work are normalized across sectors. KONO will be hosting their own set of talk-sto-ry sessions during the legislative session. Look for KONO information on their website, www.kaleoonaopio.org or catch up with them on social media @opiopowered. The NHCC will be sending out a survey soon to gauge current priorities and interest. This data will eontribute to focusing our efforts for the 2022 legislative session. Sharing data and information remains a priority. We will continue to engage our members and the broader Native Hawaiian business eommunity through consistent eommunications, meetings and events and networking opportunities. Join us in the work ahead by signing up as a member or joining our eommunications list at our website, www.nativehawaiianchamberofcommerce. org or on social media @nativehawaiianchamberofcommerce @nhceoahu. It's time for action. COVID-l9 has been a huge disruptor, not just for business but for our families. But we're still here. We're here because we choose to focus on opportunities and not dwell on challenges. It's time to create the long lasting change we've all talked about; to pivot to the eeonomie future we want for Hawai'i, and the thriving future we know we need. The chamber is committed to doing its part and living up to our promise to be the voice of Native Hawaiian Business. ■ Ian Keali'i Custino is a consultant for the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and a member since 2014. Ian ean be reached by email at icustino@gmail.com.