Keliʻi Akina

At-Large Candidate

• Age | 66
• Occupation | OHA Trustee At-large
• Where did you grow up | Honolulu, Oʻahu
• Schooling | Northwestern University (BA), University of Hawaiʻi (M.A., Ph.D.)
• Current residence | Honolulu, Oʻahu
• Website | www.keliiakina.com

1. One of the most important laws in Hawaiʻi is found in Chapter 10 of the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes. It describes a remarkable agreement set forth in the Admissions Act by “The people of the State of Hawaiʻi and the United States of America” to establish a trust for the “betterment of conditions for native Hawaiians.”As an OHA trustee, it has been my kuleana to work with my colleagues to steward this trust, thus bettering the conditions of Native Hawaiians.Chapter 10H recognizes the Native Hawaiian people as the only Indigenous people of Hawaiʻi and highlights the State of Hawaiʻi’s legal obligation to assist the Native Hawaiian people to facilitate their self-governance. That includes the ownership, possession, or use of lands by the Native Hawaiian people, and the promotion of our culture, heritage, entitlements, health, education, and welfare.In order to fulfill this Chapter 10 mandate, trustees must properly manage the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund, which is the primary asset base of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. That is why, when I was first elected to serve as an OHA trustee, I committed myself to protect the trust fund, grow it, and use it to meet the needs of Hawaiians. Specifically, I have made it my priority to protect the trust fund through audits and forensic reviews. These have resulted in significant reforms to OHA and the reduction of fraud, waste and abuse.Now as I seek another term of office, my aim is to grow the trust fund through the development of OHA properties such as Kakaʻako Makai (Hakuone) and Iwilei, as well as by seeking OHA’s full share of the Public Lands Trust (ceded lands) revenue.The major obstacle to fulfilling HRS Chapter 10 is that OHA is not receiving its legally entitled share of the Public Lands Trust revenues from the State of Hawaiʻi. For this reason, I plan to continue working with my fellow trustees to secure a full and accurate accounting of the Public Lands Trust and amounts due to the Native Hawaiian people. We must redouble our efforts to ensure that the federal and state government comply with the law and provide Hawaiians with the revenues we are owed.
2. There are several key opportunities that OHA can pursue to make a positive impact in addressing wai and iwi kūpuna. For example, OHA can continue to assert the legal right for Native Hawaiians to access fresh water and to mālama iwi kūpuna. For iwi kūpuna, OHA can urge the governor to fill open seats on the burial council to ensure that the state upholds its legal and cultural obligations to our ancestors. For wai, OHA can collaborate with other state agencies like DHHL to ensure that vital infrastructure is developed so that homesteaders have access to fresh water.
3. As a Trustee, I have and will continue to collaborate with other governmental and non-governmental organizations to advance OHA’s mission. For example, one of my first responsibilities when I became an OHA Trustee was to lead a committee tasked with reviewing OHA’s annual $3 million commitment to DHHL. These funds were used to help DHHL pay interest on revenue bonds to finance infrastructure, allowing development of nearly 500 homesteads for Hawaiian families. This is a good start, but there are other possibilities for collaboration, including: 1)Developing affordable rental housing projects that offer interim housing to beneficiaries awaiting homesteads; 2) Developing and leasing of DHHL condos and apartments; 3) Fostering commercial development to generate revenue to fund housing. As a Trustee-at-Large, I will continue to push for cooperation between OHA and DHHL. In addition, I will continue to work with non-governmental organizations on ways that OHA and NGOs can improve their partnerships to better serve Native Hawaiians, especially through OHA’s grants program. Collaboration can include assisting more NGOs with OHA’s grant application process and awarding more NGOs with grants so that organizations can serve a higher number of Native Hawaiians.
4. As an experienced Trustee, I have embraced and grown in my fiduciary kuleana to prudently manage OHA’s trust assets on behalf of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and the people of Hawaiʻi. This is why I pursued two independent forensic reviews of OHA’s financial transactions from 2012-2016 which uncovered significant instances of fraud, waste, and abuse. I am grateful that, in response, OHA has implemented policies and procedures to ensure that this does not happen again. I will continue to influence OHA’s policy and strategic direction to ensure transparency and accountability.At the same time, I have collaborated with my fellow Trustees to develop the Mana i Mauli Ola 15-year strategic plan, OHA’s Investment Policy Statement, and OHA’s strategies to develop its property at Kakaʻako Makai. These policy and strategic planning efforts are bettering the conditions of Native Hawaiians. 
5. Since the completion of OHA’s two forensic reviews (i.e., CLA and Plante Moran), OHA has implemented stricter policies within its procurement and grant-making processes to ensure that conflicts of interest do not occur or at least are identified. If a conflict of interest cannot be resolved internally, then intervention should be sought from relevant state agencies such as the State Ethics Commission. I have been a strong advocate for holding OHA, its trustees and its personnel accountable to the Ethics Commission.
6. In the next five to 10 years, I envision that the size of OHA’s Trust will grow to unprecedented levels. With more financial resources, OHA will be able to reach and serve even more Native Hawaiians through its programs. Ultimately, OHA will be even closer to operating as the organization that all we all desire – one that fully meets the needs of Native Hawaiians in the areas of housing, education, health, and economic stability. 

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