Hawai?i’s primary election is just two days away. While a lot of attention is focused on the Governor’s race, there’s a lot at stake for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as well. HPR Reporter Ku?uwehi Hiraishi has more.
Most of the seats on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs board are up for grabs this election. Two dozen candidates are vying for five of the nine spots on the OHA Board of Trustees.
K?hi? Lewis is the CEO of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
“The Office of Hawaiian Affairs over the year has become a major economic and political player. They have a trust worth nearly $600 million,” says Lewis, “This is our chance to decide who will lead this $600 million trust.”
OHA was established as a semi-autonomous state agency by the 1978 Hawai?i Constitutional Convention. The agency’s mission is to use a portion of the revenues the state receives from public trust lands for the betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians.
Native Hawaiian scholar Davianna Pomaika?i McGregror
“The vision of OHA was to be a form of self-determination for native Hawaiians,” says McGregor, “To have the state acknowledge that resources that it is managing rightfully belong to the native Hawaiian people, and to begin that process of turning over those assets for eventual establishment of a sovereign Hawaiian entity.”
Healani Sonoda-Pale heads Ka L?hui Hawai?i Political Action Committee.
“It actually has a lot of resources that it can utilize in terms of money, land, influence,” says Sonoda-Pale.
She says issues such as the long-term management of Mauna Kea and federal recognition for native Hawaiians are coming to a head in coming years, and OHA?s stance makes a difference. She says OHA impacts non-Hawaiians as well. Take homelessness for example.
“When you look at the houseless issue, our people make up 40 percent of the houseless in Hawai’i,” says Sonoda-Pale, “OHA can really make a dent in that. If they just address the houseless kanaka maoli, they can really help to alleviate a large portion of the houseless.”
OHA’s election is open to all Hawai’i residents, not just native Hawaiians. Sonoda-Pale says a recent state audit critical of OHA’s spending could lead to more residents voting in this race.
“The audit has made people realize that they need to pay more attention to what’s going on at OHA,” says Sonoda-Pale, “When it comes to this election, I think people are ready for new leadership because they’re looking at the audit and they’re thinking this can’t happen again.”
Trustees serve four-year terms with no term-limit. The average term for the current board is 11 years. Lewis, a former OHA employee who once ran for trustee, hopes voters will choose by more than name recognition.
“I think five of the nine trustees, they?re name starts with A. So perhaps people don?t…they don?t know WHO to vote for so they?re just going for whoever’s at the top of the ballot,” says Lewis, “So I would really would encourage the public, I know it’s more work for you but voting with some background and understanding, it’s really important.”
On the ballot this Saturday will be candidates for the O?ahu seat as well as three At-Large seats. The Maui trustee race will be decided in the general election because there are only two candidates.
