Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 4, Number 7, 1 July 1987 — Programs Committee [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Programs Committee

By Moanikeala Akaka

Trustee, Hawai'i

We 1 rustees were hnally able to hold our first Programs Committee meeting on Friday, June 12, at our Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board Room in Honolulu. For months, this Trustee has been encouraging these meetings as Program ' division and lower-level staff have been getting little direction from senior staff.

The Trustees are the policy-makers of this institution, while staff's role is to implement that Trustee policy. OHA committee and sub-committee meetings are necessary. All of OHA is going through imp»ortant, much-needed reorganization. Since OHA's ineephon in 1980 and subsequent to my eleehon in 1984, I have continued to advocate for an ongoing process of review and evaluation of this institution. So no one ean say that this Trustee has been an apologist for OHA for I have even been forced to sue my fellow Trustees (in Fall, 1985) because they did not consult with me on the selection of staff for my Hilo office. Judge Shunichi wisely supported my position. I am somewhat optimistic about this period reorganization as we finally begin to set down with Administrative Counsel Mililani T rask and Planning Officer Wendy Roylo Hee to create infrastructure, policies, and procedures where there has been none in the past. In the meanhme, the Trustees should not be emasculated nor have "our hands tied" as the management audit inhmates. Through a laek of committee meetings, some senior staff have been exercising unwarranted decisionmaking and position-taking on behalf of we OHA Trustees. That is unacceptable and it is hme for the Trustees to do a systematic and thorough review. We Trustees have a fiduciary responsibility to our beneficiaries, yet senior staff in some instances, including the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, have overstepped their bounds, whieh is part of the purpose for this reorganization. The Trustees' ability to perform our legal obligation has been greatly diminished by laek of having sufficient staff support. Successful reorganization of the institution will be dependent upon our ability to have independent staff support. The democratic process is being crippled. Programs Committee is comprised of what has been the Land and Natural Resources, Health and Human Services, Culture-Education, and Eeonomie Development Divisions in the past, and this change was recommended by the Management Audit. The Operations and Development and the External Affairs Committees

are also Management Audit recommendations. This Trustee was appointed Chairperson of Programs Committee by Moses Keale, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Members of the committee are Rod Burgess, Chubby Mahoe, Unele Tommy Kaulukukui, Clarence Ching, as well as Vice Chair Louis Hao and Chairman Keale. Programs staff gave an insightful orientation and update of what has been transpiring in the division this past year. Our next Programs meeting we will begin to analyze the past and present in these areas and what . has been lacking, and thereafter utilize this information in planning future direction. James Moa, Eeonomie Development Officer, will give an update on eeonomie development at our next meeting. As Programs Chair, I feel it necessary that I work closely with my program division officers as should any responsible elected offieial, while the administrator is to oversee day-to-day implementation of Trustee direction. There is mueh to be done, and a biennium budget passed through the last legislature that has been carried over from before the management audit has nothing to do with Programs in these areas. Also, the legislature has no right to tell OHA how to spend our ceded land funds as happened this past session. AHocating ceded revenues should be a part of OHA's autonomy. While education division has funding for some excellent workshops and seminars, I don't consider these programs. Where are the scholarships that our young people desperately need to further their higher education at a time when federal funds and education loans are being cut? Although the Iegislature refused to fund OHA scholarship dollars, that does not stop the Trustees from getting scholarship monies from our ceded trust investment fund. (Although only 50 percent native Hawaiians ean receive trust funds.) However, if Congress passes Health Bill S. 136 and Education Bill S. 360 through Congress, $3,800,000 in scholarships through Kamehameha Schools will be made available to Hawaiians of any blood quantum. I dislike having to break it down like this but the 50 percent blood is imposed upon us by 1920 Department of Hawaiian Homes Act. Land Division has $309,000 allocated yearly from July 1987-July 1989 for Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation. In the past, they have done necessary Quiet Title work. However, mueh attention is also needed in the area of native rights, as well as a more protective attitude toward our aina and resourcesfromexploitation. Aloha Aina, our traditional Hawaiian philosophy to "take care of the 'aina"and sea must be maintained. It is imperative our Land Division malama our aina, ke kai, and their resources for the sake of the present and future generations. That whieh is unique to Hawaii nei is disappearing as paradise. We need creative attorneys that will enable us to protect our 'aina, native, religious, and cultural rights and resources, as well as attorneys who will not be intimidated by developers and government officials that end up being adverse to native justice. So as you ean see, OHA is going through an exciting period of reorganization and re-evaluation. It feels good to be moving forward in a positive direction. There are great hopes for the future in this "Year of the Hawaiian."Malama pono. Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono.