The proposed ceded lands settlement is on the top of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ list of concerns being taken to the 2012 Hawaii State Legislature. Here’s a preview of this and other concerns OHA hopes to address come January 18, 2012, when the Legislature convenes.
Click here for a more detailed list of OHA’s legislative goals in 2012.
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Ma luna o ke ala hoʻoholomua i ʻike ʻia ma ka haʻiʻōlelo kūmakahiki a ke Keʻena Kuleana Hawaiʻi e hoʻomākaukau nei nā paikoʻo kānāwai o OHA no ke kūkala aku i nā manaʻo a ke kaiāulu Hawaiʻi i kēia kau ʻahaʻōlelo e hiki mai ana.
“ʻO ka makakoho ahuwale ka ʻaelike,” wahi a Esther Kiaʻāina, ka Luna Paikoʻo o ke Keʻena Kuleana Hawaiʻi (OHA).
Inā e ʻāpono ʻia kēia ʻaelike kūikawā e ka ʻahaʻōlelo, e hoʻoili ʻia ana he 25 ʻeka ʻāina ma Kakaʻako iā OHA i mea e uku i ʻai ʻē ʻāina lei aliʻi o ka $200 miliona. Ua hiki naʻe i ka ʻahaʻōlelo ke hoʻololi i kekahi māhele o ia ʻaelike. A na OHA e ʻae a hōʻole paha i ia mana hope.
“Na OHA e hoʻoholo i ke kūpono o kēia ʻaelike no OHA a no ka Hawaiʻi. A nui ko OHA ʻiʻini i ka ʻimi i nā manaʻo a ke kaiāulu,” wahi a Kiaʻāina.
He pila hou aku kā OHA i pili i nā ʻāina lei aliʻi. He pila ia e ʻimi ana i ka hoʻololi i ke kānāwai e hoʻokele ana i ke keʻena aupuni hou ʻo ka Public Land Development Corporation, na lākou e ʻimi i ka hoʻohana kūpono ʻia o ka ʻāina na ka lehulehu, e laʻa hoʻi me nā ʻāina lei aliʻi.
“Hopohopo mākou i ke kūʻai ʻia aku o nā ʻāina lei aliʻi e kēia keʻena. Ma lalo o Act 176, pono e ʻāpono mua ʻia e ka ʻelua hapakolu o ka ʻahaʻōlelo,” wahi a Kiaʻāina, “Iā OHA, nāwaliwali ke kānawai a ke keʻena no ia kumuhana.”
ʻO kekahi hou aku hopohopo a OHA me kēia kānāwai, ʻo ia ka pā ʻino o nā pono a ka Hawaiʻi.
“Kūpale ʻia nā hana kuʻuna a kuluma hoʻi a ka Hawaiʻi ma ke Kumukānāwai a me nā kānāwai ʻē aʻe,” wahi a Kiaʻāina, “Eia naʻe wahi a kekahi mau māhele o kēia kānāwai nei, ua hiki ke kāpae ʻia ia mau pono Hawaiʻi.”
No kekahi pila, e kia ana o OHA i ka hoʻoikaika i kekahi makakoho kūmau a lākou, ʻo ia nā ala hoʻonaʻauao kūpono no ka Hawaiʻi, e laʻa hoʻi me nā kula hoʻāmana.
Wahi a Kiaʻāina, “ʻElua nīnūnē nui ʻo ia ke kaulike o ka puʻu kālā me nā kula aupuni ʻē aʻe a me ka nele o ke kālā kahua kula.”
Ma ia pila e hoʻoia ai o OHA i ka hoʻoponopono ʻia o kēia mau pilikia kūmau ke paʻa ka huapuka o ke komikina kūikawā, nāna i ʻimi i ke ʻano e hoʻoponopono ʻia ai kēia mau pilikia.
“Hopohopo nā kula hoʻāmana i ka hoʻoponopono kūpono ʻia o ia mau nīnūnē e kēia komikina,” wahi a Kiaʻāina.
A laila, ʻo kekahi pila e hāpai ʻia nei, e ʻimi ana i ka hoʻokohu ʻia ʻo Pepeluali ʻo ia ka mahina kūhelu no ka hoʻolauleʻa ʻia o ka ʻōlelo makuahine.
Wehewehe mai ʻo Kiaʻāina, “He ʻōlelo kūhelu kēia o Hawaiʻi nei. ʻAʻohe kumu o ka loaʻa he hoʻokahi mahina piha e hoʻomaopopo i ka poʻe no ke koʻikoʻi o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a pēlā pū nā alaina o nā kula kaiapuni ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.”
E ʻākoakoa ana nā lālā o ka ʻahaʻōlelo no ka ʻaha kau kānāwai o kēia makahiki aʻe ma Ianuali 18, 2012.
“Ma ka liʻiliʻi loa, he kamaʻilio ʻana kēia me ka ʻAhaʻōlelo no nā nīnūnē koʻikoʻi i ke kaiāulu. Manaʻolana mākou ua hiki ke alu like ma ka holomua i kēia kau ʻahaʻōlelo,” wahi a Kiaʻāina.
E kele aku iā ʻŌiwi.TV no ko OHA papa helu o kēia mau pila a me nā pila hou aku. A e makaʻala mau mai nō iā ʻŌiwi Kīwī no ka holomua o kēia mau nīnūnē koʻikoʻi.
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The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is reenergized following its annual State of OHA Address earlier this week. And its public policy arm is ready to bring Native Hawaiian concerns this coming Legislative session.
“The priority clearly will be past-due revenues settlement for the public lands trust,” said Esther Kiaʻāina, Chief Advocate for OHA.
If passed by the Legislature, OHA would get 25 acres of Kakaʻako land to settle $200 million in back-rent for ceded lands. Any changes in the Legislature will need final approval by OHA.
“OHA would determine whether or not the settlement is in the interest of OHA and in the interest of our beneficiaries,” explained Kiaʻāina, “And OHA fully intends on going out into the community to get the input of the community.”
OHA has another bill seeking to tie up loose ends in past legislation creating the Public Land Development Corporation, tasked with optimizing the public lands trust.
“Two primary concerns include whether or not the Corporation is able to sell any of these lands?” said Kiaʻāina, “And Act 176, as you recall, provided that a supermajority would have to pass a resolution provided for the sale of that. We are not convinced that the current law safeguards that right. So we would want to make sure of that.”
Another concern OHA has with this bill is the impact on Native Hawaiian rights.
“In particular the impact on customary and traditional rights, which is safeguarded both under our State Constitution as well as under statutes,” explained Kiaʻāina, “There are certain provisions in this bill that waive those statutes, ordinances, zoning, zoning laws, man-use laws, and as a result of that there is a grave concern uh that it will have an impact on Native Hawaiian rights.”
Another bill has OHA strengthening an education model proven to work for Hawaiian students, such as charter schools.
“Two issues of concern has been equitable funding as compared to the other public school systems. And two, the funding needed for infrastructure or facilities,” said Kiaʻāina.
In this bill, OHA plans to make sure these concerns are addressed in the final report by the special Charter School Task Force.
Kiaʻāina explained, “We continue to work with the charter schools directly and have had concerns raised to us as to whether or not all the recommendations in the report are going to be sufficient to meet the needs and concerns of the charter schools.”
In another bill, OHA is asking the State to recognize February as Hawaiian language month.
“Itʻs already one of our official languages. There is no reason why a full month should not be dedicated to the promotion and awareness of the need to not only recognize the importance of Hawaiian langauge but hopefully what the challenges are, which would include challenges in the public school system, our immersion programs and the most important issue is funding,” exclaimed Kiaʻāina.
The 2012 Legislative session kicks off January 18.
“At a minimum we look at it as a dialogue with the State Legislature and a reflection of the concerns of the community. And we are hoping that we can work collaboratively with everyone as we move forward in the upcoming session,” said Kiaʻāina.
For a copy of OHAʻs Legislative Package, visit Oiwi.TV. And stay tuned to ʻŌiwi TV for these and other issues that affect our community.
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