From October 26 through November 2, 2025, the Mainland Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs and its member clubs will voyage to the 66th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs (AHCC) on Moku o Keawe.
Joining fellow district councils, we will converge on Keauhou, Kona, to host Hawaiʻi Council’s kāhea: “E Mau ke Ea” (sovereignty continues).
By tradition, district councils rotate hosting the annual AHCC conventions. Over three years in the planning, Hawaiʻi Council will welcome some 63 Hawaiian Civic Clubs from the shores of Kauaʻi all the way to Washington, D.C.
AHCC conventions are purposeful and include everything from policy-making and cultural preservation to community unification and advocacy. Founded by Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, AHCC is a grassroots, nonprofit volunteer group dedicated to the perpetuation and cultivation of Native Hawaiian culture.
The Hawaiʻi Council site selection at Keauhou aligns with the Hawaiian Civic Clubs’ commitment to cultural preservation and education.
Keauhou is the birthplace of King Kamehameha III, the longest-reigning monarch in Hawaiian history. After being pronounced stillborn, he was revived in a nearby spring, an event of great cultural importance.
The burial grounds at Lekeleke just south of Keauhou are the resting place of Hawaiian warriors who fell in the Battle of Kuamoʻo in 1819. And a portion of the Kāneaka Hōlua Slide, made famous by the Chief of War series, is also located in Keauhou.
Moʻolelo from lineal descendants share the history of the restoration of Keʻekū, Makole-a, Hāpaialiʻi, and Kapuanoni Heiau and the removal of the Keauhou Beach Hotel.
Every annual AHCC Convention, delegates seize the kuleana – the sacred responsibility and privilege – of policy-making and advocacy.
Before the 2025 AHCC delegation are 94+ proposed resolutions, here are but a few:
- Hawaiian Homeland Issuance of undivided interest to all living beneficiaries
- Teaching of Pre-1959 Hawaiian History across all grade levels
- Strong support to maintain vote-by-mail system
- Affirming support for Kamehameha Schools’ admissions policy
- Affirming Federal Trust responsibilities to Native Hawaiians
- Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana
- Urging the City and County of Honolulu to enact a percentage-based homeowner exemption
- A ban on commercial aquarium collection in State of Hawaiʻi waters
- Calling for the restoration of land to Native Hawaiian stewardship after U.S. Army leases expire in 2029
- Supporting Hawaiian immersion as a vital component of Hawaiʻiʻs education system
AHCC conventions are instrumental in empowering clubs throughout the pae ʻāina and the diaspora. By convening all clubs, the conventions reinforce a shared sense of purpose, solidify Hawaiian identity, and advance the collective mission of strengthening the lāhui.
Details of AHCC Convention with host Hawaiʻi Council can be found: aohcc.org/2025convention.
Paʻahana Bissen served as the third pelekikena (president) of the Mainland Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs from 1995-1998 and the first female elected. She also served as the second vice president of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs from 2000-2004 – the first non-Hawaiʻi resident elected to the AHCC. She currently serves as a board member of the Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club.
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