Kudos to Hawaiian Council

By Ammon Baldomero

Here’s everything about how the Hawaiian Council (HC) is bending the state to its will and entrenching itself in the state’s tourism industry.

HC was born out of decades of Hawaiian activism dating back to the 1960s. The council’s founders were mostly female legal and policy experts who, during the cultural rebirth, observed that awareness was high, but organization was poor.

In 2001, the women formed a coalition and called themselves Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA). Last year it rebranded as Hawaiian Council (HC).

For the first 17 years, HC operated as both community lender and de facto think tank for Native Hawaiian policy. More recently, HC has prioritized financial services – which is where CEO Kūhiō Lewis comes in.

Kūhiō inherited a lemon in 2018. His first official piece of mail was an eviction notice for the office. Staring into the abyss, he pivoted the nonprofit from policy to economic development determined to build wealth for Hawaiians and cultivate rising ʻŌiwi leaders.

He brought the council back from oblivion. During the pandemic, HC became one of Hawai’i’s go-to financial institutions for distributing millions in government relief to local nonprofits and struggling families.

Since then, it has expanded into for-profit activities like buying companies and real estate.

In 2020 they partnered with local small businesses to launch The Mākeke – the Amazon/Etsy of Native Hawaiian products. So far, the online store has done $5 million in sales.

Then in 2023, HC’s Kilohana division won a 2.5-year, $27.1 million destination management contract from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

In 2024 they ramped up their investments, purchasing 43 acres in Hilo to build 88 single-family affordable homes for local families; purchasing leading event production company, Hawaiʻi Stage, to service Native Hawaiian and visitor events; and launching Nā Lei Aloha lūʻau at Hyatt Regency Waikīkī Beach, the industry’s only all-Hawaiian all-hula show.

In 2025 HC purchased Hawaiian retailer Nā Mea Hawaiʻi and produced Hawai’i Calls / Advancing Hawai’i to the World, a televised talent competition.

In the past two years, HC has graduated more Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) drivers than the entire UH system; operated a work development program for carpenters, electricians, solar, firefighters and police; launched the KūHana business accelerator to help small businesses create business plans and get funded; opened a disaster relief center on Māui; and built 66 modular homes for Lahaina survivors.

Reflecting on the council’s rise, they have three priorities: changing the world’s perception of Hawaiʻi and Native Hawaiians; housing Hawaiians; and getting Hawaiians good-paying jobs.

It will be a few years till we see the fruition of their efforts and it’s likely some won’t go well – which is a good thing! In failing they learn Silicon Valley’s guiding principle: fail fast, fail often.

Investing means both failure and learning. Then iterating based on that learning. It’s painful and scary, like dropping in on a wave, but vital to progress.

Kūhiō and the council should be celebrated for their “go for broke” mentality. Their moves are a refreshing change from Hawai’i’s seemingly risk-averse culture.

Ammon Baldomero is a writer and former analyst at Bank of Hawaiʻi and Zions Bancorporation. To read more, subscribe to his digital newsletter, “Hawaiian Luminary,” where he discusses Hawaiʻis politics, economy and culture.