Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 40, Number 12, 1 December 2023 — Maui on Our Minds and in Our Hearts [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Maui on Our Minds and in Our Hearts

J KANAKA FORWARD > ON THE HOMESTEADS

By KipuKai Kuali'i On Friday, October 20, I welcomed nearly 100 participants to our first-ever Hawaiian Homestead Maui Recovery Roundtable.

Originally, we scheduled that weekend to be our first in-person Sovereign Couneil of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) Leadership Conference since the pandemic. However, we postponed our full conference to focus solely on Maui's recovery ffom the devastating wildfires and hurricane winds of early August. My message to the participants gathered was: "Maui, you have been on our minds, in our hearts and in our prayers since day one. We are here today, with humility and fervor, to hear from you and learn ffom you." I asked folks to speak up throughout the day and to share their mana'o by writing it down on post-it notes at four different easel stations: 1) What's working for our people on Maui?; 2) What's not working?; 3) What Should Be Happening That Is Not Happening Now?; and, 4) What Else Would You Like To Share? Based on registrations, we had 13 homestead associations, three churches and 24 organizations represented. We had folks ffom all islands including six from Moloka'i, 23 from O'ahu and 48 from Maui. Homesteaders eame from Anahola, Ho'olehua, Kahikinui, Kalama'ula, Kanehili, Ka'uluokaha'i, Kaupe'a, Kula, La'i opua, Leiali'i, Pana'ewa, Paukūkalo and Waiehu Kou. A special highlight (and treat) throughout the day included the delicious Hawai-ian-style snacks and meals provided by some of Maui's loeal farmers, churches and homesteaders. We can't thank them enough! Mayor Rick Bissen and Councilmember Tasha Kama both shared remarks. Later, Council Vice Chair Yukilei Sugimura and Councilmember Nohe U'u-Hodgins joined us for luneh sharing a few words. Auīumn Ness from Councilmember Gabe Johnson's office and Christi Keliikoa ffom Councilmember Tamara Paltin's office spent the

day with us. Eight different organizations did resource tabling, including the American Red Cross, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Hawai'i Community Lending (HCL), Lahaina Kāko'o Resource Center, Maui Eeonomie Opportunity (MEO), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Maui County clerks (voter registration). Five panels included: 1) Native Service Providers (w/ CNHA, HCL & TiLeaf Group); 2) Maui Community Volunteers and HUB Resource Providers (w/ Na Kia'i O Maui, Aumana, Makana O Ke Akua, Nānāikapono Church, Living Way Church and In His House of Restoration Church); 3) Voices and Reflections from Homesteads on Maui Resilience Efforts (w/ Homestead Associations ffom Paukūkalo, Waiehu Kou III & Kahikinui, the Ahupua'a O Moloka'i and the Association of Hawaiians for Homestead Lands); 4) Lahaina Kāko'o Resource Center (w/ FEMA, HCL, Sentinel Pacific, Hui Ho'omalu, Haku Ho'oponopono and Hawaiian Homes Commissioner Randy Awo); and, 5) Federal Agency and Other Service Providers (w/ SBA, USDA, HCF, American Red Cross & MEO). Mahalo nui loa to SCHHA's Iwalani McBrayer, Kainoa MacDonald and Rolina Fa'agai, for bringing everyone together and ensuring the roundtable's success. Please join us at the Maui Beach Hotel ffom Jan. 11-13, 2024, for our SCHHA Leadership Conference. We'll have workshops by the state DHHL, our membership meeting and more from our Maui Homesteader Disaster Recovery team. For more info, contact us at info@hawaiianhomesteads.org. ■ A longtime advocate for Hawaiian Home Lands trust beneficiaries and lands, KipuKai Kuali'i is the chair of the Sovereign Couneil of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA), the oldest and largest coalition of native Hawaiians on or waitingfor Hawaiian Home Lands. Kuali'i also serves as the vice chair ofthe Kaua'i County Council and is on the National Association of Counties (NACo) board. After more than 10 years on the continent, Kuali'i moved home in 2001 and now lives in Anahola, Kaua'i where he serves as theAnahola Hawaiian Homestead Association (AHHA) president.