Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 4, 1 April 2022 — Other People's Pigs... [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Other People's Pigs...

J THE VOICE OF NATIVE V > HAWAIIAN BUSINESS r

By lan Custino, NHCC Member "Native Hawaiian Chamber ofCommerce." The title asserts kuleana that does not always align philosophically. Many Hawai-ian-serving organizations deal with this, often dichotomous, relationship and work towards the "sweet spot" in the Venn diagram of proposed solutions. Some solutions are straightforward, while others are more controversial and downright unpopular. The Red Hill water crisis, for example, is straightforward. Most organizations found themselves lending their full throated support for immediate long-term mitigation ffom the Navy. Ensuring Hawaiian-owned businesses receive their fair share of military and other federal contracts, on the other hand, is not quite as cut and dried an issue. "I komo no ka ha'i pua'a i ka pa'a 'ole o ka pā; Other people s pigs eome in when the fence is not kept in good repair." - Pukui 1217 As Hawaiians, we must keep our fences in good repair, and we cannot afford to tend some areas of the fence and neglect others. Can we press for accountability from the Navy to shut down the Red Hill fuel facility while also continuing to fight for a seat at the table for military contracts for Hawaiian-owned business? Not only ean we, but we absolutely should! As Hawaiian businesspeople, we must advocate for livable wages for Ha-

waiians while also supporting the long term sustainability of Hawaiian-owned, small businesses in Hawai'i. We ean protect wahi pana (storied places) while supporting responsible tourism and development. We should be fighting for money owed to the OfHce of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands while also advocating for state procurement considerations for small businesses. Every issue that affects our people, whether fought in county eouneil ehambers, at the state legislature, on Capitol Hill, or at our most sacred places is a link in our fence that must be tended. It is not realistic to expect that any one organization or person ean do all or be all to everyone all the time. If we all do a little, band together whieh eaeh of us tending our little section of the fence, we ean do it! The Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce continues to build a long term cadence of civic engagement and advocacy to provide our members with more opportunities to tend the fence! You may have engaged with our youth partners at KONO (Ka Leo o nā 'Opio) and their on-going digital talk story sessions. You may have submitted testimony for one of the bills we are tracking. Whatever your interests, talents, skills or capacity there is a link in the fence for you. Join us at www.nativehawaiianchamberofcommerce.org and tend the fence today! ■ The mission of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce { NHCC ) is to mālama Native Hawaiians in business and commerce through leadership relationships and connections to eeonomie resources and opportunities. Follow us @nhccoahu.

NATIVE HAWAIIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE