#Office of Hawaiian Affairs

The reluctance to vote for OHA is a complicated mix of Native Hawaiians who don’t want to participate in an American election system, non-Hawaiians who feel like they shouldn’t decide the agency’s leaders and voters who simply don’t know what OHA does.

The board seeks a mission-driven executive with extensive senior leadership experience, demonstrated organizational and financial management expertise as well as a deep understanding of Native Hawaiian history, culture, values and contemporary issues.

After hearing nearly three hours of public testimony Wednesday, a Maui County Council committee recessed without voting on two resolutions that would refer proposed bills to the Maui Planning Commission to rezone additional apartment-district properties into newly created hotel districts.

The Maui County Council voted 7-1 twice Friday to send the Maui Planning Commission a pair of resolutions that could permanently move roughly 2,056 apartment-district transient vacation rental units into new hotel zoning, over the objection of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, who cast the lone “no” votes.

“It’s hard to celebrate a nation’s independence when they’re responsible for taking your country’s independence,” said Kau‘i Sai-Dudoit.

The Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs voted to advance further evaluation and due diligence regarding a potential acquisition involving KITV and KIKU.

The Maui County Council voted 7-2 on Friday to raise fines for loud vehicle sound systems, advancing a measure that drops an earlier proposal to seize stereo equipment from repeat offenders.

The annual Nā Kamehameha Commemorative Pāʻū Parade and Hō‘olaule‘a returned to Central Maui on Saturday, June 20, 2026, in a vibrant commemoration honoring aliʻi, Hawaiian culture, and community. The parade traveled along Kaʻahumanu Avenue from Mahalani Street to Kahului Beach Road, where crowds of spectators gathered to cheer on participants and celebrate the rich traditions […]

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs supports the federal act that it says “reflects important progress toward a more collaborative and constructive path forward” and removes condemnation as an option.

The program will provide a one-time $2,000 Home Depot gift card to eligible Native Hawaiian homeowners, renters and lessees whose primary residences sustained minor storm-related damage. OHA has allocated $410,000 for the program, making approximately 200 cards available statewide. 

The Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs today voted against a proposal to fund due diligence concerning the potential purchase of local television station KITV Island News and KIKU TV.

Native Hawaiian families impacted by the March 2026 Kona Low storms and flooding will soon have access to direct financial assistance through a new disaster relief program launched by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and administered by the Hawaiian Council.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is supporting a measure approved by a state legislative conference committee that would release $55 million in Public Land Trust funds currently withheld under an annual payment cap.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, led by Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele and Interim Administrator and CEO Summer Sylva, has successfully concluded a three-day strategic delegation mission to Washington, D.C., engaging senior Department of Defense civilian leadership and key members of Congress on the future of military-leased lands in Hawaiʻi.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele is leading a delegation to Washington, D.C., this week to engage with congressional leaders and senior Department of Defense officials on critical issues impacting Native Hawaiians, including the future of military-leased lands in Hawaiʻi and proposed federal funding cuts to key Native Hawaiian programs.

Organizations in Maui County receiving OHA funds for flood recovery include: $20,000 to Maui Rapid Response; $10,000 to Molokaʻi Cares; and $10,000 to Hoʻakā Mana on Molokaʻi.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is now accepting applications for its Kūlana ʻĀina Business Development Program, designed to support Native Hawaiian food entrepreneurs ready to grow and expand their businesses across Hawaiʻi’s food economy.

More information on applying for direct disaster grants and home repair grants available for Native Hawaiian households impacted by the recent Kona low storms will become available.

The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives advanced numerous bills relating to Native Hawaiian affairs that support housing, cultural preservation, and community support.

OHA in collaboration with GoFarm Hawaiʻi, is offering the Cultivating Canoe Crops Course, a six-week agricultural development program on Hawaiʻi Island.