Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 8, 1 August 2022 — Josh Green [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Josh Green

1 1 I recently released a 10-point plan to address affordable housing issues across the state. Three specific steps the state ean do to help on housing includes: fast-tracking of new home construction with a streamlined and common-sense regulatory process, increasing the amount of puhlie land available for home development, and expanding home builder access to government financing and tax credits to accelerate the production of homes so we ean provide enough supply to meet our demand sooner, not later. 2 1 Hawai'i has a proud and storied history in agriculture, a legacy that enabled its people to not only survive but thrive. And while agriculture is no longer the leading driver of our

economy, it ean be economically viable in Hawai'i onee again. As governor, I will focus state resources strategically to revitalize ag. We ean be competitive on pricing and agricultural job creation, while being mindful to preserve open spaces from over-de-velopment. We must boost our ability to locally produce our food and vegetables. I will also work to renew long-standing traditional Native Hawaiian agricultural practices using tax credits and a renewed commitment to the College of Tropical Agricultural and Human Resources (CTAHR) that continues to find contemporary strategies to support the utilization of traditional aquaculture (fishponds) practices as well as Hawaiian staple crops. 3 1 1 believe there are two important steps that must be taken to increase Hawaiian language access to our keiki. First, we need to work with the College of Education and Hawaiian Studies department in the University of Hawai'i system to grow a pipeline of teachers that ean teach Hawaiian language in puhlie schools. Second, the D0E should develop a curriculum that introduces the Hawaiian language to puhlie school students in lower grades and offer a Hawaiian language course in every Hawai'i puhlie high school. ■ 1. ^ 3. 2. ^ 4