Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 3, 1 March 1997 — Enhancing trustee-beneficiary communication [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Enhancing trustee-beneficiary communication

Aloha pumehana kākou. He nui ko'u mahalo a nui iā 'oukou pākahi i ko 'oukou kāko'o 'ana mai iā mākou pākahi, 'o wau a me Colette Pi'ipi'i and me Hannah Kihalani. Ke 'onipa'a nei mākou i ka hana me ka ha'aha'a, me ka 'ōia'i'o, me ke ahonui a me ka 'ōlelo pono no nā Hawai'i. This is my first in a series of forty-six articles over the next four years whieh will allow me to share information and perspectives with well over 67,000 Ka Wai Ola readers (60,000 households plus 7,000 others). These articles will seek to highhght: 1) positive examples of policy-making performance and collective productivity of the OHA Board; 2) outcomes related to Board pohcy, a) that establish and expand organizational partnerships toward enhanced benefits and services for native Hawaiians and Hawaiians, b) that secure new as well as protect current entitlements to native Hawaiians and Hawaiians, and e) that impact poliheal, eeonomie, social, cultural and education systems to benefit native Hawaiians and Hawauans. Monthly, this eolumn will strive to enhanee trustee-beneficiary communication by providing factual information in the examination of issues

and the exchange of ideas and feedback. It will be important to update Ka Wai Ola readers on issues-at-hand as well as to plant the "seeds" for examining emerging issues that impact our Hawaiian community. And finally, feedback from beneficiaries to questions that ean guide trustee dehberations ean be sought. I, along with Trustee-elect Colette Machado and Trustee-elect Hannah Springer, look forward to utihzing these opportunities in cooperation with our beneficiaries. I would hke to update you on the status of the Trustees-elect. The "election challenge" was filed within the 20-day period allowed by law. On Dec. 19, 1996, the Hawai'i State Supreme Court rendered a partial judgement that provided plaintiffs (Akaka and Kealoha) 30 days to present their memorandum of law, whieh upon filing with the court would give the defendants (the State) 30 days to file their memorandum of law, after whieh the plaintiffs would have up to 10 days to reply to the state's memorandum of law, if they desired. Following these dates the Supreme Court would take action. On Jan. 21, 1997, the 30th day following December 19, the plaintiffs filed their memorandum of law.

On Feb. 4, 1997, the 14th day within their 30 day period, the state filed its memorandum of law. It is not certain as of this writing if the plaintiffs will use the additional 10 day period. On Jan. 9, 1997, day 65, only in response to a motion filed in the Hawai'i Supreme Court by Trustees-elect Apoliona (26,757 votes or 51%), Machado (16,184 or 31%) and Springer (15,349 or 30%), the Supreme Court determined that the eleehon challenge did not apply to Apoliona or Moses Keale (18,275 votes or 35%). This judgement cleared the way for the certification of eleehon results in the Apoliona and Keale contests and the administering of their oaths of office. On January 10, 1997, day 66, the oaths of office were administered to Apoliona and Keale by Judge James Aiona. It has been 31 days since taking the oath of office and a total of 97 days (as of 2/10/97) since November 5, 1996, election day. There are 46 months to go. With the support of OHA Trustees, OHA administration and beneficiaries I look forward to a productive term of office. He nui ko'u mahalo iā 'oukou, e nā 'ōiwi o Hawai'i. 'O ke Akua pu me 'oukou pākahi a me ko 'oukou mau 'ohana.

Punana Leo continued from page 13 Need for New Sites The newest Pūnana Leo opened in September 1995 at Kawaiaha o Church in Honolulu and occupies the būilding that housed one of the first Hawaiian language schools from 1835 until the 1896 ban on Hawaiian language. One hundred years later, Pūnana Leo children have returned Hawaiian language to the plaee where our kūpuna were educated through Hawaiian. The communities of Kahuku and Lahaina are now in the process of opening new Pūnana Leo immersion preschools. Opening a new Pūnana Leo preschool ean be a lengthy process lasting as many as three or four years and ean intimidate even the most stalwart of families. However, as demonstrated by the efforts of the parents from Kona, determination is not without its rewards; they have already celebrated two graduations. The parents that maintain the energy to open new sites are the trailblazers that allow other Hawaiian families in their community to pursue Hawaiian language education for their keiki. The process of opening a new Pūnana Leo ean be greatly simplified by using a building that previously housed another preschool program, or perhaps has a neighboring preschool, than performing renovations and seeking site licensure. Without the option of an available licensed facility, families must be creative and industrious in locating and preparing a site for their Pūnana Leo. The securing of facilities is difficult. The Hale Kākoū) Pūnana Leo Support Center ean provide assistance in the process. The spirit and the drive to open an immersion preschool must eome from the families of the commimity. Auhea ' oe e ke kumu ? Like new facilities, the Pūnana Leo is always looking for new teachers to join the ranks of other committed individuals who realize the importance of preschool immersion education. Being a Pūnana Leo teacher requires mueh of an individual, "Ua pā ka naiau," says Nā' ilima Gaison, the lead teacher at Pūnana Leo o Hilo. Gaison has been a teacher for more than ten years. Selfsatisfaction, he says, "is the reward I feel when the child becomes fluent in Hawaiian, and I am able to help the children and their families, the parents, grandparents, and friends that the children have." Ke ala Kawāvauhau, of the musical group Sudden Rush and teacher with Gaison at the Pūnana Leo o Hilo, says, "Even though we're struggling for justice, we eannot overlook the positive things...like the keiki and their opportunity to learn the language, so when I was writing the songvParadise Found' I sat down and thought about my work at the Pūnana Leo and put those ideas into the music." "Paradise Found" and "Don't Blame the Youth," whieh opens with Kawā'auhau talking with a child from the Pūnana Leo o Hilo, are on Sudden Rush's soon-to-be-released second CD Kūvē. Pūnana Leo preschools mean different things to different people, but the underlying goal remains the same and continues throughout the lives of Pūnana Leo ehildren. For more information, contact the Hale Kāko'o Pūnana Leo at 1744 KineLole Street, Hilo, HI 96720, or phone (808)959-4979. In the next article, we will look at the program where most children and families go after the children graduate from the Pūnana Leo preschool. E ola ka 'ōlelo Hawai'i!

Trustee, At-Large