Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 12, 1 December 2016 — ALOHA MAI KĀKOU, [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ALOHA MAI KĀKOU,

AS YOU MAYALREADY KNOW, OHA does three things: provide resources; advocate for Native Hawaiians on a range of issues; and facilitate collaboration among key stakeholders. We make a difference in our beneficiaries' lives through grants, research, advocacy, community engagement — really the breadth of all we do. One year ago, we pledged to foster a sense of unity between the Board of Trustees and the administration. In this time, we've had many successes — such as the return of Kalani'ōpu'u's treasured mahiole and 'ahu 'ula, whieh leveraged community and international partnerships. And like any organization, we have faced challenges. While we can't avoid all polhieal controversy, we ean say with confidence that together we have developed a focused, consistent, data-driven approach to meeting our beneficiaries' needs, all while promoting organizational integrity and unity. As our Annual Report illustrates, we eonhnue to make inroads on our three main goals, anel we have the data to back this elaim. We don't just tally grant awards — we track how they benefit the community and what impact they have. This document shows how we're working toward our strategic goals and their significance to the Hawaiian community. You'll see examples of shared goals being carried out by community leaders passionate about their work to advance the lāhui. Looking ahead, the Board of Trustees adopted in October a fiscal sustainability plan. In 2015 we faced a sharp increase in legal fees, a market downturn in the third quarter and a rise in fringe benefit costs. Given these circumstances, our Board and Administration eame together this past year for a series of financial workshops, where we plotted a fiiture course for OHA's finances. The fiscal sustainability plan brings into sharp focus our greatest obligation — ensuring that our organization's finances remain sound. From our perspective, this plan puts our organization on a path to fulfilling its responsibility — to future generations of Hawaiians. Simply put, the plan ensures that OHAwill remain solvent for at least the next half centuiy. The plan strengthens policies and guidelines essential to maintaining the financial accountability of our assets when making spending decisions necessaiy for OHA to fulfill its mission. It is an obligation that we are taking seriously as our Board and Administration approach our new fiscal sustainability plan with urgency and unity, demonstrating a firm commitment ffom top leadership at OHAto being responsible stewards of our people's tmst. Mālama pono,

Robert K. Lindsey Jr. Chairperson, Hawai'i Island Trustee Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, Ph.D. Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer

JOINT MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRPERSON AND KA POUHANA/OEO