Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 12, 1 December 2000 — Interim board accomplishments [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Interim board accomplishments

tMAHALO iā kākou pākahi a pau. I wish to thank the interim board for their hard work over the past 60 days. This space does not allow for a complete list of their accomplishments; however, some of what they attained include: • Constructing an OHA

policy on defamation and slander. As unimportant as it may appear to the public, it is important and necessary given past conduct held in the boardroom. • They prepared for OHA the groundwork for the updating and passage of an OHA Master Plan. The first order of business is strategic implementation of the master planning procedure throughout the community. • The Board established a spending plan for OHA. That action provides a framework by whieh all future trustees will euide their soendins

behavior. They have ensured that the OHA trust will be a perpetual trust, a source of revenue for the new Hawaiian nation and a permanent source of ineome for all Hawaiians. • They took action to formally advise the US Postal Service of OHA's intent to purchase the downtown Post OfFice site ma kai of 'Iolani Palaee. They determined that the National Historic Site should be the future home for the new Hawaiian nation that upon its establishment ean reclaim its plaee of prominence the Hawaiian Kingdom onee had. They provided a home for all Hawaiian agencies such as the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Alu Like ine., Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Papa Ola Lōkahi, Queen Emma Foundation,

and Queen Lih'uokalani Childrens Center, nearly all of whom pay rent to others to operate their agencies. They have established a sense of plaee for Hawaiian people, not unlike what a marae represents in Aotearoa for the Māoii. Their vision represents new life for our people. • They took formal action to

acquire the Hina Malailena shopping center, a community based eeonomie development project in Hāna. By doing so they transitioned OHA into a new era. OHA now becomes a mortgage holder to a "for-prof-it" eeonomie endeavor whose mission it is to empower Hawaiians to become entrepreneurs, to navigate their own canoes powered by eeonomie development engines. • They provided for over $200,000 in grants. They include the Hina Mauka Drug Rehabilitation Center. Hāna Cultural Center, transposing of Hawaiian writin2s bv Edith

McKinzie through the auspices of the Hawai'i Maritime Center, counsehng and drug treatment at the Waiklkī Heahh Clinic and the eomplehon of construction of the Moloka'i slaughterhouse. Perhaps most importantly, the board has demonstrated that actions, achievements and accomplishments ean be attained absent of derogatory remarks, absent of rancor, and absent of unnecessary statements and slander toward eaeh other. And needless to say, we have not always agreed on every decision. We have disagreed, debated, and voted. In several instances we continue to agree to disagree. And See HEE on page 6

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HEE From page 5

throughout it all we could not have succeeded but for the commitment to openly and in a civil manner disagree with eaeh other, make a decision and move on to the next ehallenge and opportunity. In that way, the interim board has set a standard for whieh all future trustees ean aim. Unity and civility must be the bar for whieh we strive to attain. In that vein, I am hopeful that unity will be the bar that all trustees reach for as OHA moves forward. As with all elections new members have been elected and hope springs eternal. Our mandate is clear. The voters have spoken. It is time to move on. Eaeh of us must strive to be flexible, tolerant and without judgment toward eaeh other. And we must put our people before ourselves. Let us strive to reach that standard together. ■