OHA and UH Hilo sign memorandum of understanding reaffirming commitment to Hawaiian language revitalization

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) and the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UH Hilo) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) reaffirming OHA’s long-standing commitment to Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani College of Hawaiian Language and its work to revitalize ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

The signing at Haleʻōlelo, the college’s home on the UH Hilo campus, capped a two-day visit to Hilo. Trustees met with community members the previous evening and toured the college’s laboratory school programs on the Nāwahī campus in Keaʻau — including Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu (a Hawaiian-medium K–12 school) and Pūnana Leo infant-toddler and preschool programs.

The partnership between OHA and the college goes back nearly 30 years. Act 315 (1997) established Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani as the focal point for the state’s Hawaiian language revitalization efforts and designated roles for OHA and ʻAha Pūnana Leo in establishing and supporting the college. Act 226 (2001) reaffirmed these roles and directed the University of Hawaiʻi to partner with OHA and others to secure ongoing funding. Today’s MOU formalizes that commitment through joint program planning in language revitalization, teacher preparation, curriculum development, and the Hawaiian-medium education pathway from preschool through the doctoral level.

“ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is the foundation of who we are as a lāhui,” said OHA Board of Trustees Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele. “Almost 30 years ago, when the college was in its infancy and was beginning to take root here in Hilo, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs made a commitment to Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani that it would support it as it began to grow, inspire, and empower Native Hawaiian kanaka to reclaim their ancestral language. That is the commitment we are reaffirming today.”

OHA trustees allocated $620,000 for the college over fiscal years 2026 and 2027 in OHA’s biennium budget, supporting the college’s Kahuawaiola graduate certificate program and Hale Kuamoʻo Hawaiian Language Center. A companion funding agreement is being finalized through the university’s contracting process. 

“We’re just so honored that OHA is here at Haleʻōlelo today, and we’re excited to sign this MOU with them because working together, OHA and UH Hilo — particularly Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani — is going to allow us to have more teachers in Hawaiian immersion pathways, and to educate more students fluent in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi for all sorts of careers,” said UH Hilo Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. 

Growing the next generation of Hawaiian-medium teachers

Kahuawaiola, the college’s accredited graduate certificate program, prepares educators to teach through ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in Hawaiian-medium and Hawaiian-focused schools. The MOU expands support for teacher training and credentials through mentor teacher stipends, undergraduate scholarships, wraparound support, travel for professional development, and instructional materials. This past summer, Kahuawaiola candidates taught Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu’s elementary grades 1-8 summer program at Haleʻōlelo as part of their training — putting Hawaiian-medium methods into practice with keiki from the college’s own laboratory school.

“The potential of future work together with OHA and Ka Haka ʻUla, and the support that OHA has provided, is critical to the success of our language, and therefore, very important to the growth and the viability of our communities,” said Kaʻiu Kimura, director of Ka Haka ʻUla o Keʻelikōlani. “This agreement directly supports the people carrying out this work — from mentor teachers to incoming students.”

Creating the materials Hawaiian-medium classrooms depend on

The MOU also advances curriculum and assessment work at Hale Kuamoʻo, which designs, publishes, and distributes instructional resources for Hawaiian-medium and Hawaiian-focused schools — available to schools, families, and the public through its online store. Funding will reconvene the Hawaiian Language Lexicon Committee (Kōmike Lekikona) to expand modern Hawaiian vocabulary in Māmaka Kaiao and related resources, hire student assistants, create and distribute instructional materials, and integrate resources with the Ulukau Digital Library. “A child can’t learn in Hawaiian without books in Hawaiian, and a teacher can’t teach science or math without the words to do it. Hale Kuamoʻo makes sure those resources exist,” said Kimura.

The MOU aligns with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan, particularly its strategy to support education through Hawaiian language medium and focused charter schools. Both partners say the agreement is a foundation for more collaboration ahead. “We’re grateful for OHA’s trust, and we take seriously our responsibility to deliver on it,” said Irwin.