Kauaʻi’s Kaina Makua Portrays Kamehameha
Molokaʻi Wins Culture of Health Prize
The island of Molokaʻi was recently selected as a 2024 Culture of Health Prize winner by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The Culture of Health Prize honors communities at the forefront of addressing structural racism and other injustices to advance health, opportunity and equity. The prize comes with a $250,000 award.
Dr. Kawaipuna Kalipi, general manager of the Molokaʻi Heritage Trust, and Momi Afelin, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, co-wrote the Culture of Health Prize application in honor of Dr. Noa Emmett Aluli, the beloved Molokaʻi family physician and Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana co-founder who passed away in 2022.
The application highlighted efforts on the island of Molokaʻi that include establishing a nonprofit to buy back land; place-based partnerships that are restoring/reclaiming Molokaʻi’s shoreline; promoting locally sourced produce to reinvest profits into Molokaʻi’s food system; developing a portfolio of clean energy projects to achieve 100% renewable energy for the island; and creating a visionary plan to foster resilience in the face of climate change and rising sea levels.
Unlike on other mokupuni, the people of Molokaʻi have long rejected economic dependence on tourism. With a priority on mālama ʻāina, the community is working to address ongoing issues such as limited healthcare services, economic self-sufficiency, and threats to its environment.
Molokaʻi was one of nine recipients of a 2024 RWJF Culture of Health Prize.
Wai Bill Becomes Law
Nearly four years after the 2021 Red Hill fuel spill, and after several years of steadfast community advocacy and legislative effort, the Water Alliance Initiative (WAI) Act was signed into law as Act 197 by Gov. Josh Green on June 6.
The landmark law requires the creation of a WAI policy coordinator position under the Department of Land and Natural Resources and establishes a Red Hill Remediation Special Fund to support long-term clean-up, monitoring, public education and restoration of Oʻahu’s primary aquifer in the wake of the Red Hill disaster.
According to the Red Hill Water Alliance Initiative’s 2023 report, up to 1.94 million gallons from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility may have leaked into the ground over the 80 years that it was in use. The facility, located just 100 feet above the island’s main aquifer, has posed an existential challenge for Oahu’s water security.
“It took over two years of determined community organizing and relentless testimony to push this bill through the Hawaiʻi State Legislature,” said Healani Sonoda-Pale of Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi.
“Act 197 is more than a policy win – it’s a testament to the people’s power. We know that restoring our aquifer and holding the federal government accountable will be a marathon, not a sprint.”
Consultation for Act 80
On June 3, the Sovereign Council of Hawaiian Homestead Associations (SCHHA) opened a Homestead and Beneficiary Associations (HBA) Consultation on Act 80. It will close at midnight on September 15.
Act 80 is a 2017 amendment to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) enacted by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature that changes the eligibility from one quarter (1/4) to one thirty-second (1/32) Hawaiian ancestry for Hawaiian Homes lease successors.
Act 80 only affects inheritance. It does not change the eligibility to receive an initial homestead award. A minimum blood quantum of 50% is still required.
Although Native American Tribal governments have the autonomy to determine eligibility for their beneficiaries seeking land allotments; eligibility for HHCA beneficiaries is determined by Congress.
SCHHA Policy Director Robin Puanani Danner said that Act 80 has “languished for eight years at the State DHHL (Department of Hawaiian Home Lands) and Federal DoI (Department of the Interior) agencies” since Gov. David Ige signed it.
The consultation will compile the manaʻo of beneficiaries and other interested parties to advance the process and urge the U.S. Congress and DoI to approve the amendment. SCHHA will accept written testimony and comments until Sept. 15, 2025.
Virtual briefing sessions are scheduled for July 22 and August 26 at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom (hawaiianhomesteads-org.zoom.us/j/83031175093)
Written testimony can be emailed to policy@hawaiinhomesteads.org, or mailed to 3375 Koapaka St., Suite D-124, Honolulu, HI 96819.
Salis Solo Paddles Kaʻiwi Channel
– Photo Courtesy of the Salis ʻOhana
Green Signs Green Bill
On May 27, Gov. Josh Green signed Act 96 into law, establishing the nation’s first-ever climate impact fee, or “Green Fee” to build resiliency against climate change impacts by providing a regular source of funding for environmental stewardship, hazard mitigation and sustainable tourism.
“Hawaiʻi is at the forefront of protecting our natural resources. [We] cannot wait for the next disaster. We must build resiliency now, and the Green Fee will provide the financing,” Green said.
Following the 2023 Maui wildfires, Green established a Climate Advisory Team (CAT) to develop community-informed policy recommendations – one of which was to establish a dedicated funding source for climate change mitigation and disaster resilience via the transient accommodations tax (TAT).
“Using the TAT to fund resiliency projects ensures that the financial burden of safeguarding our ʻāina and people doesn’t fall upon residents alone,” said CAT lead Chris Benjamin.
The new law increases the TAT rate by 0.75% beginning in 2026 and levies, for the first time, the TAT on cruise ships that port in the state, ensuring that all Hawaiʻi visitors contribute.
“Climate change is here and has been a huge challenge for all of us. The impacts are real. This bill shares the responsibility of caring for our home with those who come to visit,” said Sen. Lynn DeCoite.
The Green Fee is projected to generate $100 million annually.
Dalire Named Miss Hawaiʻi 2025
E hoʻomaikaʻi to Emalia Dalire who was named Miss Hawaiʻi 2025 at the Miss Hawaiʻi pageant at the Hawaiʻi Theatre in Honolulu on May 31.
Competing as Miss Kāneʻohe, Dalire prevailed over 12 other hopefuls. She will go on to compete in the Miss America pageant in September in Orlando, Florida. First runner up was Tatia Denis-McRight, who competed as Miss Moku o Keawe. She will inherit the title of Miss Hawaiʻi should Dalire win the title of Miss America.
Dalire, 19, is a graduate of Damien Memorial School. While still in high school, she took college courses at Windward Community College allowing her to graduate from high school a year early and earn two associate degrees later that year. She went on to UH West Oʻahu, graduating with a bachelor’s of business administration last December.
Dalire is the daughter of Kumu Hula Keolalaulani Dalire, youngest daughter of renowned Kumu Hula Aloha Dalire. She dances for Keolalaulani Hālau ʻŌlapa o Laka under her mother and Kumu Hula Regina Mākaʻikaʻi Igarashi Pascua.
This past April, Dalire also competed in the Miss Aloha Hula competition at the Merrie Monarch Festival, placing third.
OHA Molokaʻi Office Blessing
Fiorello Receives Social Justice Award
Ramsey Fiorello, a math and science kumu at Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School was named a 2025-2026 Hawaiʻi Social Justice Award recipient. Presented by the Social Justice Education in Hawaiʻi Project, the award honors educators who promote equity, cultural pride and community empowerment in their classrooms.
With more than 20 years in education, Fiorello was recognized for her ability to blend math, science and ʻike Hawaiʻi to create hands-on, place-based learning experiences for her haumāna. Her award project will expand Hālau Kū Māna’s “Kūʻi at the Capitol” initiative – a project centered on perpetuating traditional practices of kalo cultivation, poi pounding and ʻike kūpuna while fostering social justice through food sovereignty and sustainable stewardship.
Fiorello will use the award to develop educational resources on kalo diversity, moʻolelo and sustainable loʻi practices.
“This project is not just about teaching students how to kuʻi (pound poi), its about grounding them in ʻike Hawaiʻi, strengthening their pilina to ʻāina, and empowering them to reclaim their ancestral knowledge as a means of resistance, identity and self-sustainability,” said Fiorello.
Kahale Wins Poster Contest
Hilinaʻi Kahale, a fifth grader from Ke Kula Kaiapuni ʻo Pūʻōhala in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, is the Hawaiʻi State winner of the 42nd Annual National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.
– Courtesy Photo
The nationwide contest promotes awareness and engages students, parents, guardians and teachers in discussions about child safety and preventing incidents of lost, runaway and abducted children. Since 1983, National Missing Children’s Day has been observed on May 25.
The Department of the Attorney General’s Missing Child Center – Hawaiʻi (MCCH) is the state contest manager for the annual poster contest with the theme: Bringing Our Missing Children Home.
Describing her poster Kahale wrote, “The picture shows a girl crying because she misses her family. Her tears make a big puddle showing how many other kids are missing and just want to feel safe and loved.”
“I congratulate and thank Hilinaʻi for shining a light on child safety through her creative art work and powerful message of love, hope and awareness,” said Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne E. Lopez.
“Preventing incidents of missing and abducted children is fundamental to MCCH’s mission. This is a reminder to strengthen our efforts and honor the exemplary service of the professionals whose work helps to protect missing children and bring predators to justice.”
OHA Trustees Visit Maui’s Paeloko Learning Center
ʻŌiwi Teachers Recognized
This past March, the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives, along with the Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education (PACE), recognized five exemplary teachers for their work in civic education.
The honorees include ʻŌiwi educators Ric Hanale Ornellas from Molokaʻi High School and ʻĪmaikalani Winchester from Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School.
Ornellas has taught social studies and special education at Molokaʻi High School since 2008. He serves as a class advisor, is on the Youth Civil Rights Committee, and takes a leadership role in organizing the Molokaʻi Youth Summit and the School Community Council. He also served for three years as the school’s Close-Up advisor.
Winchester has taught high school social studies at Hālau Kū Māna Public Charter School
for more than 20 years. He emphasizes traditional Native Hawaiian cultural practices and engages his haumāna in contemporary issues, empowering them to become advocates in their own communities.
“The work of the commission underscores that democracy requires the active participation of informed citizens, and that foundation is laid in our classrooms by dedicated educators,” noted Rep. Amy Perruso, PACE Commission vice-chair.
“These teachers are cultivating an interest in civic engagement,” added Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Justice Lisa Ginoza, PACE Commission chair. “They are empowering students to be informed, thoughtful, and active participants in democracy. The commission is happy to celebrate these wonderful educators.”
The other honorees are Jessica dos Santos of Hawaiʻi Technology Academy, Denise Mazurik of Waiākea Intermediate School, and Janyce Omura of Maui High School.
Hawaiian Who Helped Found Downtown San Diego Honored
Scherzinger Wins Tony Award
On June 8, Nicole Elikolani Scherzinger became the first Native Hawaiian to win a Tony Award. She received the award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Norma Desmond in the Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd.
Scherzinger is a singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality who rose to fame as the lead singer of the R&B-pop group the “Pussycat Dolls” (2003-2009) – one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time, selling over 55 million records worldwide. She is a versatile performer and multiple award-winning singer and songwriter whose film credits include voicing Sina (the mother of Moana) in Disney’s Moana and Moana 2 films.
In addition to being the first Native Hawaiian to win a Tony Award, Scherzinger – who is also part Filipino – is the third Asian to win a Tony Award. The first was Lea Salonga in 1991 and the second was Ruthie Ann Miles, also from Hawaiʻi, in 2015
NSF Cuts Funding for TMT
Due to federal budget cuts, the National Science Foundation can fund only one “extremely large” telescope project and so it will pursue building the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) in Chile, South America – meaning funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) has been cut.
The NSF’s decision is likely due in part to widespread community opposition to TMT and the 2019 peaceful occupation of Maunakea that halted construction efforts and brought worldwide attention to Maunakea as a sacred space, elevating conversations about Indigenous rights and mālama ʻāina.
Kiaʻi mauna are counting this decision as a “win” by default, although there are no illusions that the decision was pro-Hawaiian or pro-environment.
Healani Sonoda-Pale was quoted in a June 1 Star-Advertiser article saying, “It just so happened that the stars aligned and this was a win for Hawaiians. This decision will empower Kānaka Maoli to keep moving forward and remain vigilant to protect Maunakea and all sacred places in Hawaiʻi.”
Gov. Josh Green has deferred comments regarding the funding cuts to the Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. On March 27, the National Park Service listed Maunakea on the National Register of Historic Places, listing the mauna as a Traditional Cultural Property and District by the United States government.
Kīlauea Summit Reopened
