Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 2, Number 10, 1 October 1985 — Save Hapuna!! [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Save Hapuna!!

By Moanikeala Akaka Trustee, Hawaii

As trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for Hawaii Island, elected statewide, it is my responsibility in the spirit of Aloha Aina, "to love the land, take care of the land", a tradition passed on from our kupuna (elders). We must stand up and be counted for the present and future generations and say "no" to United Airlines'

attempt to put a hotel, condominium and single family structures next to Hapuna Beach. P!acing this development on the Big Island's most popular white sand beach will be robbing residents while use-priority will go to only those wealthy enough to pay Mauna Kea Beach Hotel rates. In a democracy for the good of the majority, residents should eome before the few outsiders — United Airlines multi-national corp>orations, tourists and other special interests. Self determination means that we the people living here should be ab!e to determine land use policies not just those interested in personal gain. This island is our home, not our R & R (Rest and Recuperation) station. United Airlines has the audacity to advertise Hawai'i as "our (United Airlines) little corner of the world" yet they have no concept of our state motto, passed on from our Kupuna, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono; the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Here, there are taints of the Nukolii struggle: the developers are trying to kill an initiative to let the people decide the fate of the only open white sand beach on this island. United Airlines, county officials and contractors want this development for purely eeonomie reasons. We must not allow these forces to buy off the election process as happened in Nukolii. Those'of ūs who lov# ānd tiSe Habtina must helpto protect her from this proposed development and back the initiative to protect this special beach already crowded daily. We Hawaiians have always shared with all who have eome to our shores, but this recent attitude of multi-national corporate incursion would exclude all but the most affluent from the beach that has traditionally been open to all of the people. As a Hawaiian, I must insist on the right of all of Hawaii's people retaining access to our beach resources. 1 say this not only as an OHA trustee; but this is Moku (island) O Keawe and 1 am from the Keawe lineage. Abner Paki, father of Bernice Pauahi Bishop, benefactors of Bishop Estate, is my great-great-great grandfather and he was also hanai (adopted) father of Queen Lili'uokalani. Malama Pono. Cherish the good.