Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 1, 1 January 2019 — My hopes for OHA for 2019 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

My hopes for OHA for 2019

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'm writing my first KWO 2019 article on a 'see forever' but gorgeous, cold, wintry

and blustery Waimea Day. The sky over Moku O Keawe is crystal clear. Transparent. Like

glass. Vog free. It hasn't been this clear since 1984. Our mountains sparkle brightly in the sunlight. This is a recent occurrence. Since Pele decided to eall a 'time out' in mid-2018. For how long? No one knows. It's her secret. From our dining room window, I ean see Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea 'standing proudly in the ealm' on this beautiful morning. The twin Keck's nestled on her snowless summit glisten in the morning

sun. I'm able to see Mauna Loa peeking over her southwestern flank. The Tong mounīain' is being nīele (curious). Peeking to see what Kohala and Hāmākua are up to. And, there's Hualālai. The smallest and most humble of the three. The way the light is bending at this hour. Hualālai is painted a muted blue, That will change as the day wears on. Kīlauea is out of sight thus out of mind. Hidden from view. Shielded by Mauna Kea's massive physique. But from time to time Kīlauea reminds us she's alive and well when she rocks our big island with a 4.0 or 5.2 tremor out of Halema'uma'u. On this the first month of 2019 I want to take a moment to reflect on the year gone by. It was a good year for OHA, despite a critical review by the State Auditor and some unnecessary drama played out in the news. Despite these storms! The OHA Board, with the help of our tough-minded, warrior CEO and battle hardened staff, was still able to move our eanoe forward. We survived the typhoons bent on shattering and sinking our wa'a. With Akua's and your help we eonhnue to serve you as best we ean.

The November election is behind us. 'Get ehanee now.' 1 . We have two new youthful

fresh faces at Your Table at Nā Lama Kukui. 2. We heard your calls Toud and clear.' Your pleas for harmony and unity. The need for us as a Board to work together to serve your interests. To serve OHA's Mission as embedded in statue. '...Better conditions for native Hawaiians.' There's a proverb I rely on. Lean on frequently. Though it's 'Out of Africa.' It has universal applieaīion. 'If you want to go fast. Go alone. If you want to go far. Go together.' You want us to focus on basic needs. 'Bread and butter.' Quality of Life

stuff. Health. Education. Housing. Employment. You want us to partner, eollaborate and work with others to meet our Mission and extend our reach. As OHA we cannot fulfill these basic needs by ourselves. The needs are too great and too many. Our resources are limited. Finite. 3. We will continue to implement the State Auditor's recent recommendations. 4. The OHA Strategic Plan is being updated as the current plan is ten years old. 5. A Fiscal Sustainability Plan awaits approval as well as a 6. Sanctions Policy and Process to deal with Trustees who choose to stray from their fiduciary responsibilities. 7. The OHA audit is moving along. A new wind is blowing across our bow. There is mueh to look forward to in 2019. With Chair Colette Machado as stroker, Vice Chair Kalei'āina Lee steering and the rest of us paddling together. 'The sky is the limit' for our eanoe, I'm very optimistic. Hau'oli Makahiki Hou. In the coming months our articles will focus on Hawaiian leaders.B

Robert K. Lindsey. Jr. TrustEE, Hawai'i