OHA trustees inducted into office

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees elected in 2024 were inducted into their terms of office at an investiture ceremony held Thursday at Central Union Church in Honolulu. 

The event marked the election of trustee Kaialiʻi Kahele (Hawaiʻi Island) and the re-election of trustees Dan Ahuna (Kauaʻi and Niʻihau), Keliʻi Akina (At-Large), and Luana Alapa (Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi).  

With a theme of ʻĀina Aloha” (Our Beloved Land), the ceremony was attended by members of the Royal Benevolent Societies and aliʻi trusts. Current and former state, county and federal officials joined leaders of the Native Hawaiian community, OHA staff, and beneficiaries.

OHA Board Chair Kahele outlined his priorities. 

“The strength of our lāhui lies in our ability to come together,” he said. “OHA, internally and externally, must be a space where our people feel heard, respected and supported. . . By fostering mutual understanding and collaboration, we can build bridges across differences and create a future rooted in shared purpose and aloha.”

Kahele reiterated his call for OHA to create affordable workforce housing in Kakaʻako Makai and said safeguarding indigenous rights and advancing restorative justice will be key areas of focus for the agency in the coming year.

Each of the 2024 elected trustees was called up by OHA Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive Officer Stacy Ferreira and a lei hulu, feather lei, was placed upon them by their family. 

Kahu Ken Makuakāne then gave a blessing and a charge “to serve with pono, with aloha and ʻike kupuna” to mālama the Hawaiian culture, economy, spiritual resources, rights and advance the wellbeing of Native Hawaiians.