Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 1, 1 January 2005 — Board passes biennium budget increasing support of Hawaiian programs, grants [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Board passes biennium budget increasing support of Hawaiian programs, grants

Editor's note: This month, space for Trustee Apoliona 's eolunm was supplemented by space alloted to Trustee Oz Stender. Eō e nā 'ōiwi 'ōlino, nā pulapula a Hāloa, mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau, a puni ke ao mālamalama. Aloha e nā kūpuna kahiko, nāna e ho'oūlu mai nei iā kākou e holo pono, a loa'a e ka lei lanakila. E hana kākou me ke ahonui, pili me ka hā a ke aloha, 'oiai e kūlia i ka nu'u a kau i ka 'iu o luna. Action on OHA's hiennium budget for Fiscal Years 2005-06 and 2006-07 was completed in December 2004 by the Board of Trustees following two days of trustee budget workshops and a decision-making meeting of the Asset Resource Management Committee convened by Trustee Carpenter, chairman, and Trustee Stender, vice-chair. Highlights in the approved budget include increased funding levels that OHA

will seek from the State Legislature (in general funds) to be matched by OHA (in trust funds) to increase services provided by ALU LIKE ine., the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and Nā Pua No'eau for the benefit of our Native Hawaiian community, statewide. In the area of grants through our GSPD program and new GSPD/BOT initiatives, the trustees have authorized $5.4 and $5.6 million, eaeh fiscal year, to be available for community-based projects consistent with the goals of the OHA strategic plan. OHA's legislative and constitutional mandate is to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Our community grants will continue to fund accountable and resultsoriented partners in education, housing, health, human services, eeonomie development, land and water rights, and culture. We stand ready for the year 2005, a year of challenges and opportunities, a year

to deal with unfinished as well as new business. In the area of carryover priorities from calendar year 2004, OHA will renew efforts to support passage of the Native Hawaiian Reorganization Act, also known as the Akaka bill. We commend all members of our Hawai'i congressional delegation for diligent navigation of the legislative and political hurdles these many years, the governor for testifying before the U.S. Senate expressing her support on behalf of the citizens of the State of Hawai'i along with her outreach to the White House on behalf of Native Hawaiian recognition, the Hawai'i State Legislature for their annual legislative resolutions of support for Native Hawaiian self-determina-tion and the many leaders in Hawai'i, from the Hawaiian benevolent societies, the communitybased associations, the island caucuses, to families and individuals, Native Hawaiians, residing in our

homeland and elsewhere; and the national groups of Asian, Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic, the Alaska Federation of Natives, and the National Congress of American Indians. We ask all supporters to renew and focus total efforts in 2005 for the re-introduction of the bill in the first days of the 109th Congress, passage and enactment into law. For those "kānalua" in 2004, I say, read the bill (find it online at nativehawaiians.com). "Last year the Akaka bill underwent three revisions, and we recognize the revisions were eontroversial to many in the Hawaiian community. But after taking time to read the bill for understanding of context and intent of language, and after loeal, national and international experts weighed in, many critics, who also understand how to effect legislation, have modified their See APOLIONA on page 12

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Haunani Apoliona, MSW Trustee, At-large

APOLIONA from page 1 1 stance to say enact the bill in its best version currently possible. Yes, the best possible bill rather than no bill at all." (Footnote 1 ) May those postured in their "2004 positions of uncertainty" transition to positive "2005 positions of resolve for passage" of this historic legislation for Native Hawaiians, moving reconciliation forward. A second carryover priority from 2004 is organizing the Native Hawaiian governing entity. At this stage, a community coalition struggles toward agreement on the steps to move the process forward. Since February 2004, five meetings, inelusive of Native Hawaiians from eaeh island and the continental U.S., have occurred. A product of the collective effort of the coalition is the mission statement: "To establish a process that will provide the Hawaiian people with a mechanism for achieving self-gov-emanee through self-determina-tion." "We encourage the coalition to stay focused on the mission, be disciplined and visionary as there is an urgency to create a nation if we are to stave off the legal attacks on

Hawaiian trusts, rights and entitlements. We must remain focused upon our expressed outcome. We must advance or we will recede." (Footnote 2) Further, we know there are over 400,000 Native Hawaiians in all 50 states, with just over 50 percent still residing in Hawai'i. In order for a comprehensive and serious effort to organize our Native Hawaiian goveming entity to go forward, all Native Hawaiians must be notified and included in the process, if it be their ehoiee. On Jan. 17, 2004, the 1 1 1 th year anniversary of the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, OHA trustees and Native Hawaiian leaders launched Kau Inoa at Ali'iōlani Hale, the site where the decision by the Fegislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom was made to overthrow Queen Eili'uokalani and her government. It seemed fitting to return to the historic site where our Hawaiian government was extinguished to stand up and proclaim publicly our declaration for organizing a new Hawaiian government. Native Hawaiians, here at home and beyond our shores, must participate in the process for Hawaiian governanee. Kūpuna, mākua and 'ōpio must step forward - sign up - be

counted and participate. We have conducted Kau Inoa outreach sessions on the U.S. continent speaking to hundreds of Native Hawaiians in San Diego, Orange County, Fos Angeles, Sacramento, East Bay, San Francisco, Denver, Salt Eake City, Phoenix, Fas Vegas, Portland, Seattle, Tacoma, Chicago, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland to name a few. We have been greeted with enthusiasm and commitment; and they are organizing. Indeed, the strength and success of Hawaiian governanee will be measured by the foundation upon whieh it is built. That foundation, we all agree, is the enrollment. Our message should eeho to the far corners of Hawai'i nei, the nation and the world, saying to every Native Hawaiian in Hawai'i and elsewher that it is our responsibility, our privilege, our kuleana. Although OHA has the resources to fund this effort, ultimately the Native Hawaiian community - leaders and members - must drive the cause by stepping forward and enrolling themselves and 'ohana wherever Native Hawaiians are found. Regardless of your position - status quo, independence, kingdom, nation-within-a-nation or other model of governance - the

enrollment, Kau Inoa, is a personal declaration of "I am Hawaiian, and, I am proud of it." A third priority of unfinished business carried into 2005 for full focus and attention is reconciling the matters related to ceded land revenues, disputed and/or overdue, to the Native Hawaiian trust administered by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Success in these discussions will establish an asset base that will transfer to the Native Hawaiian governing entity, led by principled Native Hawaiians leaders, in the future. The transition and supportive transformation will include both the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Department of Hawaiian Home Fands. We will join with the Department of Hawaiian Home Fands wherever possible along this path of transition for the puhlie trusts, moving closer to the paradigm of Native Hawaiian governance fashioned by Native Hawaiians. Ka'i mai e nā hoa kui lima, lei 'ia i ka 'ula o ka lehua. Akāka wale ho'i ka mana'o i ka 'ā o ka lamakū awakea. Footnote 1 & 2: OHA Chairperson 's Remarks at OHA Investiture, December 1, 2004. 1/48 ■