Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 11, 1 November 1989 — OHA Board Business [ARTICLE]

OHA Board Business

By Ed Miehelman Public Information Officer

The Sept. 30 business meeting of the OHA Board of Trustees was held at Hoolehua Congregational Church, Moloka'i. Trustees present were Chairman Kaulukukui and trustees Akaka, Burgess, Ching, DeSoto and Hao. Trustees Kahaialii, Keala and Mahoe were excused. Blueprint

Administrator Richard Paglinawan summarized the major concerns expressed during statewide informational meetings on OHA's draft Blueprint for Native Hawaiian Entitlements. The meetings were held Sept. 13 and 14 on Kaua'i, O'ahu, Moloka'i, Maui, and Lana'i and Hawai'i. The main eoneem identified was that the previously announced deadline for comment and testimony on the draft Blueprint did not provide sufficient time for study and response. The recommendation therefore was to restructure the Oct. 16 and 17 formal trustee hearings and extend the deadline for input by the Hawaiian community with an additional series of informational meetings and hearings on the Blueprint. It was the consensus of the board that these meetings and hearings should extend well into 1990 and perhaps beyond. Paglinawan gave a report on his multi-purpose mainland trip Sept. 9-21. Paglinawan and OHA's Government Affairs Officer Jalna Keala visited mainland Hawaiian groups and organizations to introduce the Blueprint and other I Luna A'e projects, sign up registrars, enroll Hawaiians in Operation 'Ohana, and provide a general status report on recent OHA activities.

The locations covered included the Los Angeles area; Utah; Washington, D.C.; Washington state and Northem California. The administrator reported that response to the presentations was uniformly positive and enthusiastic. He said many mainland Hawaiians traveled long distances to attend the meetings. The mainlanders, he said, are highly motivated and eager to respond to the Blueprint with comments and suggestions. They greatly cherish their culture and want very mueh to be a part of decisions affecting Native Hawaiians. Trustees held hearings on Oct. 20 in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento; and on Oct. 23 in Salt Lake City, Seattle and Arlington, Virginia. "Back To The 'Aina" The board conditionally approved co-sponsor-ship of "Back to the 'Aina," a TV special on the subject of Hawaiian Home Lands. The KHNL production, moderated by Lynne Waters, wasinitially scheduled to run on Oct. 11 with a rebroadcast on Dec. 22. Approval was conditioned on review of the program tape and the possibility of OHA participation. Legal Policy Waiver Unanimous approval was given to a waiver of board policy whieh prevents the Native Hawaiian

Legal Corporation from representing Native Hawaiian clients when both plaintiff and defendant are Hawaiians. The matter concerns the estate of Elizabeth K. Bangay and a "quiet title" action involving a parcel of land on Hawaii. The waiver in this case does not represent a "taking" of any Hawaiian interest but allows for naming of two family members asdefendants with the stipulation that their rights will be reserved and that they will be dismissed from the suit. The board's waiver was conditional on written approval by those defendants. Iosepa Resolution

The board unanimously approved a resolution honoring the Hawaiian pioneers who founded the Mormon settlement of Iosepa, Utah, in 1899. This year, the Iosepa Historical Society of Hawaii eelebrated the 100th anniversary of the settlement. continued on page 6

Board Business

/rom page 2. with a week of functions including the unveiling and dedication of a memoiial monument in losepa on Aug. 28. The resolution says, in part: ". . . the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs . . . wishes to express mueh aloha for those courageous pioneers who left Hawaii to follow their faith, and sends mahalo to the organizations that initiated and coordinated the commemorative events honoring the kupuna of Iosepa." The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees is set tor 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at OHA's Honolulu office, 1600 Kapiolani Boulevard, Suite 1500.