Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 6, 1 June 1995 — OHA Board Business [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA Board Business

Na kuleana a ka Papa Kahu waiwai

By Ellen Blomquist Public Information OfTicer

APRIL 26 A special meeting of the Board of Trustees was called to order by Chairman CIayton Hee Wednesday at 1 1 am. All members were present except for Trustee Rowena Akana, who was excused. The agenda, the minutes, chairman's correspondence report and administrator's report were all approved. Lawsuit Against DOE and BOE on Hawaiian Immersion. The board approved 7 - 1 (Trustee Billie Beamer dissenting) the filing of a complaint against the Department of Education and the Board of Education to eompel them to offer Hawaiian Immersion education to any student in the public schools who wants it (see story page 1). The complaint also requires the DOE to allow native speakers to teach in the immersion program without teacher certification. The decision on whether to file the eomplaint in state or federal court is still pending. Ka Wai Ola shortfalls. The board approved 7-0 (Trustee Sam Kealoha absent) an appropriation of $20,000 in Ka Wai Ola ad revenue to make up shortfails in the printing, mailing and postage budgets. Grants. The board deferred consideration of grant requests

from Hale Kuamo'o, 'Ahahui 'Olelo Hawai'i, and Wai'anae High School. All requests pertained to Hawaiian language instruction and promotion and the board wanted to ensure that the

requesting organizations had exhausted all possible funding sources (specifically federal monies and grants from 'Aha Pūnana Leo) before relying on OHA funds. The board approved grants to Ka'ala Farm, Kaua'i Habitat for Humanity and Bishop Museum. Ka'ala Farm received $28,529 toward renovations of their Cultural Learning Center in Wai'anae. Kaua'i Habitat for Humanity received $52,500 for general operating expenses (support for a construction supervisor and baseyard improvements). Bishop Museum received $28,465 to continue a cultural intern program begun with OHA operating monies. The purpose of the program is ensuring that native Hawaiians acquire curatorship skills so indigenous collections ean be handled by the indigenous people themselves. (See story this page.) Evaluations. The board approved requests for proposals to evaluate 'Aha Ōpio, OHA's youth legislature, and to evaluate the Higher Education, Recruitment and Retention program. Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council Appointment. The board approved the selection of Roland Ahi Logan to

titt a spot on the Louneu vacated by Walter Ritte. Pai 'Ohana Amicus Brief. The board's attorney, Sherry Broder, recommended that the OHA board file the amicus brief

in the Pai 'Ohana appeal at the same time that the request to file as a friend of the court was made. The board concurred. Ackerman case. The board agreed to withdraw OHA's interest in a kuleana parcel in favor of a Hawaiian beneficiary. Announcements. The chairman announced a special board meeting for May 3, held at the request of Trustee Kīna'u Boyd Kamali'i, for the board to reconsider OHA's water reservation prior to the Commission on Water Resource Management's meeting May 5 to determine standing. The board also deferred consideration of a resolution honoring Mau Piailug and Nāinoa Thompson to that meeting. MAY 3 The special board meeting was convened at 10 a.m. with all members present. The agenda, minutes, and chairman's correspondence report were all approved unanimously. Budget Planner Analyst. The board unanimously approved a contractual position of budget planner analyst to assist the Committee on Budget, Finance and Policy in its investment decisions and budgetary considerations. The services will be eon-

1—1 tracted for two years at $55,000 per year. The board also unanimously approved a contractual secretarial position to assist the analyst. RFP for a Native Hawaiian RevoIving Loan Fund (NHRLF) Orientation Video. In its eapaeity as chief procurement officer for OHA, the board unanimously approved using the competitive sealed proposal method to procure video production services to create a video that will orient prospective loan applicants to the NHRLF. Resolutions. The board unanimously approved two resolutions, one honoring the Hawaiian voyaging canoes Hōkūle'a, Hawai'iloa, and Makali'i as well as the eompanion canoes from the South Pacific and the other honoring Mau Piailug and Nāinoa Thompson as "Chiefs of the Canoe," the highest honor accorded master navigators. The board also unanimously approved a resolution honoring Kupuna Apollonia Day, with Trustee Kīna'u Boyd Kamali'i speaking of the kupuna's service to the community and the community's loss of a "grand lady." OHA Water Reservation. The board approved 6-3 (Trustees Abraham Aiona, A. Frenchy DeSoto, and Clayton Hee dissent-

ing) that OHA file a water reservation of 11 million gallons per day (mgd) from the Waiāhole Ditch to support traditional agriculture on Windward O'ahu ceded lands. The water reservation is being made in preparation for OHA seeking standing to participate in contested case hearings before the Commission on Water Resource Management; the decision on standing is scheduled to be made May 17. The 1 1 mgd coupled with the 13 mgd reservation for interim stream flow previously approved by the board represents the total previously diverted to Central O'ahu. Trustee DeSoto expressed grave eoneem that the water needs of Hawaiians living in Leeward O'ahu be eonsidered. Trustee DeSoto urged that the needs of all Hawaiians be considered when it comes to water rights. Trustee Kamali'i said they were working on it in committee but had to deal with Wai'āhole first because of eompeting interests and impending decision making. Kamali'i said that their top priority was to assure that Hawaiian rights were considered and protected in the law and that water rights were as important to the future of a Hawaiian nation as securing lands.