THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS


 

Sightings from The Catbird Seat

~ o ~

August 31, 2006

FOLLOW THE MONEY
NATIVE HAWAIIAN ECONOMICS

By Bumpy Kanahele

OVERVIEW

The following mana’o is in preparation to provide an immediate Economic plan to counter federal funding programs which provide the elderly, children, health, housing, education, employment programs and services to the Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiian) people. The Kanaka Maoli community have the worst social conditions in Hawai’i. In fact, the Kanaka Maoli are the worst economically distressed population in Hawai’i.

Economic Self determination means that the Hawaiian people have an undivided interest in the land and natural resources, but also in the wealth (kala) of our Ali’i, public and private trusts and agencies. Billions of dollars of Hawaiian trust funds in cash are in at least the top three financial institutions today, Bank of Hawaii (BoH), First Hawaiian Bank (FHB) and American Savings (ASB) in which they have benefitted hundreds of billions of dollars in leverage.

If this is so, then hundreds of Millions to BILLIONS of dollars in local Banks now are making tons of money through a 10 to 1 capital leverage formula. We’re not talking about service fees and interest rates, these fees are merely “added value” to the Banking business, we’re talking about a 10 to 1 leverage of profit-making potential.

OHA is a great example of this leverage, I believe in 1998 to 2000, they had something like 300 to 600 million dollars in First Hawaiian Bank, with their “capital leverage formula” that is 3 to 6 billion dollars in leverage to lend and invest in the community. The other thing to know about FHB is that it is owned by Bank Nationale de Paris of France. This means that Kanaka Maoli funding is also financing programs and projects in other countries, and that is just FHB.

As for Bank of Hawaii (that’s my Bank!) it makes you wonder whose Bank that really is. Of course it also makes you wonder about Connie Lau, Kamehameha Schools Trustee CEO who is also the CEO of American Savings Bank (ASB). One of the biggest shareholders of ASB is multi-national corporation, Helco.

This is just a small portion of what we find when we Follow the Money….

And, you can continue to Follow that Crooked Money Trail at…

http://bumpykanahele.com/hawaiian_economics.php


 

July 20, 2006

OHA buys Wao Kele forest land on Big Island

By Rod Thompson, Star-Bulletin

HILO » The Office of Hawaii Affairs has completed the purchase of 25,856 acres of forested land known as Wao Kele O Puna south of Hilo, the agency announced yesterday.

“OHA is acquiring the area to protect the natural and cultural resources on the land, to guarantee that native Hawaiians can continue to exercise traditional and customary activities on the land, and to ensure that OHA can pass it on to a sovereign governing entity,” an OHA statement said.

OHA Chairwoman Haunani Apoliona called the purchase a “gifted moment” in increasing the assets of native Hawaiian people. The Hawaiian culture-based Pele Defense Fund asked the Trust for Public Lands to buy the land in February 2005. With $3.35 million of the $3.65 million purchase price supplied by the U.S. Forest Service, the sale to the trust and then to OHA was concluded Friday, OHA announced.

The term “wao kele” refers to the wet, lush middle elevations between the coast and the dry mountain uplands. Although few people lived there in ancient times, coastal dwellers often went upland to collect resources there.

Starting two miles downhill from the present Puu Oo eruption site and stretching another nine miles, Wao Kele O Puna was a site of controversy in the 1980s when a large geothermal energy development was planned in the native ohia forest by True/ Mid-Pacific Geothermal Venture.

Environmentalists and Hawaiians opposed the project, sometimes in demonstrations that resulted in arrests. The Pele Defense Fund sued to halt drilling.

Opponents credited demonstrations and the lawsuit with stopping the project. True/Mid-Pacific said it could not find a usable geothermal resource.

Meanwhile, land ownership shifted. The initially state-owned Wao Kele O Puna lands were traded in 1986 to Campbell Estate. In turn, the state received Campbell’s Kahaualea lands immediately uphill.

Advocates of the exchange said it was fair because Kahaualea had better native forest, with fewer invasive non-native plants.

In 1983, eruptions began that covered much of Kahaualea with lava. Preservation of Wao Kele O Puna provides a source of plant and animal life to restore the new lava lands, OHA said.

Read the entire article at…

http://starbulletin.com/2006/07/20/news/story06.html

~ ~ ~

For more, GO TO > > > The Puna Connection


 

June 30, 2006

OHA GAINS TITLE TO WAIMEA VALLEY

OHA Press Release, by Manu Boyd

HONOLULU — On June 30, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs became the legal owner of Waimea Valley, after months of negotiations and hard work. The 1,875-acre valley, located on Oahu’s North Shore between Kawailoa and Pupukea, is rich in historical and cultural significance. The National Audubon Society currently manages the property and will continue to do so as long-term management plans are negotiated.

On Dec. 7, 2005, the Honolulu City Council considered a settlement offer which would have subdivided the valley. Faced with large protests from the community and many organizations, including OHA, the council rejected the settlement, and renewed negotiations over the fate of the valley began.

On Jan. 5, 2006, the OHA Board of Trustees authorized the purchase of Waimea Valley, committing an amount not to exceed $2.9 million for that purchase. Later that month, Waimea’s former owner, New York developer Christian Wolffer, accepted a $14-million offer to settle the long-running lawsuit over the city’s 2002 forced purchase of the valley through condemnation.

In addition to the $5 million the city placed in escrow to pay for the valley, the remainder of the $14 million purchase price was shared by OHA ($2.9 million), the U.S. Army ($3.5 million), the state Department of Land and Natural Resources ($1.6 million) and the National Audubon Society ($1 million, advanced by OHA pending lease negotiation).

OHA Administrator Clyde W. Namuo stated that, “We are very grateful to all of our partners in this transaction who have worked so hard to protect this sacred place. After the headlines in January that announced that a basic settlement had been worked out, thousands of hours were spent by scores of people to make this transaction happen.

“We acknowledge the contributions of the City Council and the Mayor; the Legislature, Governor and BLNR Chair Peter Young; the Trust for Public Land and the U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii; and the National Audubon Society in making this happen. In each of our organizations, many staff have been working on this since January, and they should be gratified to know that work has come to bear fruit.”

“The bottom line is that the ahupuaa that is this valley is going to remain intact,” said OHA Chairperson Haunani Apoliona. “OHA will ensure that Native Hawaiians will have a direct benefit and relationship with Waimea Valley. OHA will also ensure that the people of Oahu, the State of Hawaii, the nation and the world grow in respect for, are renewed by, care for and support, learn from and celebrate this land of our ancestors, Waimea Valley.”

OHA’s holding title to Waimea Valley ensures protection and preservation of cultural and natural resources for Native Hawaiians, the entire Hawaii community and the world.

A rededication ceremony is being scheduled for early August to mark the transition of ownership.

www.oha.org/content.asp?contentid=561

< < < FLASHBACK < < <

December 8, 2005

Council votes 9-0 to kill Waimea deal

By Will Hoover. Advertiser Staff Writer

In a stunning example of people power, five Honolulu City Council members changed their minds yesterday and voted against an agreement to split Waimea Valley between the city and New York investor Christian Wolffer.

Although the vote was unanimous, 9-0, the decision really went to the parade of more than six dozen speakers who told the council in no uncertain terms that the community was ready to take its chances in court.

The speakers were backed up by the Audubon Society and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, which pledged to come up with the money needed to match whatever price a court ruling decrees. The rejection of the deal yesterday means the next move is a February court date.

Not one person who spoke yesterday at Honolulu Hale was in favor of accepting the Wolffer deal, which they feared could lead to development of the 1,875-acre valley.

“Don’t settle, don’t settle, don’t settle,” Nancy John of the North Shore Outdoor Circle told the council.

“This is what the people want.”

North Shore resident Linda Bard added, “I would like you to listen to what is being said today.”

State Department of Land and Natural Resources director Peter Young also offered his agency’s assistance. Young pointed out that come what may, the DLNR would have the final say on what can be done with Waimea Valley, which is zoned conservation land.

“With the overwhelming opposition that’s been expressed here, it would be difficult for the Land Board to even consider issuing a permit for any use in the back of the valley,” he said.

FATEFUL DATE

Amid the outpouring of public sentiment, Councilman Nestor Garcia — one of the four who voted against the preliminary settlement agreement last month — said O’ahu now had another reason to remember Dec. 7.

Garcia said Dec. 7, 2005, would be remembered as a day when people came together to make their will known, and put their trust in elected officials to make the right choice.

“By showing up and expressing your opinion on this issue so important to, not just yourself, not just for the people of Hawai’i, but for those future generations not yet born, you have made a difference,” Garcia said. “And I applaud you.”

Councilman Charles Djou had led the effort to accept the settlement, saying it would lead to arbitration and the city’s best option, considering its weak financial position. He said the events of the past few days made him change his mind.

“I have long been concerned over the finances of making the numbers work on this,” he said. “We have long been looking for a white knight, and I think we have found it in the Audubon Society.”

“I still have concerns that there are a number of unknowns as to how the Audubon Society is going to make the financial numbers work.”

But he said that the Audubon Society’s commitment, coupled with the financially flush Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ pledge to back any effort to purchase and protect the valley, won him over.

‘CITY CAN’T LOSE ON THIS’

“I think William McCorriston, Wolffer’s attorney, has run circles around the city’s legal counsel,” said attorney James Case, who had done pro bono work for the Stewards of Waimea Valley, a group that has fought for years to keep the valley intact.

“But the city can’t lose on this. It has a good hand, and they should play it in court.”

McCorriston, spokesman for Wolffer, had been silent until yesterday because of a gag order preventing him from discussing the case. But he had plenty to say after the outcome.

“Our primary objective right now is to prepare for trial,” McCorriston said.

He said he planned to contact Mayor Mufi Hannemann, whom he praised as having acted fairly and honorably throughout all negotiations.

McCorriston reserved his ire for National Audubon Society President John Flicker, whose testimony McCorriston watched on television.

Flicker flew in from New York last week on short notice to try to broker a way for his organization to facilitate a financial package in concert with other public and nonprofit agencies and organizations interested in protecting the valley.

“This resolution could open the door to development in the valley. We don’t want any possibility of that happening,” Flicker said. “This settlement should be voted down, which would give all of us time to come together and negotiate a settlement price that’s acceptable.”

McCorriston seemed most upset by Flicker’s statement to the council that Wolffer’s claims for legal damages were groundless and that, in fact, the investor had stood to make a windfall off the settlement deal.

As for his client, McCorriston said Wolffer’s reaction to the news was one of relief.

“He had a lot of seller’s remorse about making that (settlement) proposal. So he is actually quite comfortable with the decision,” McCorriston said.

“He’s always felt, and I agree with him, that he has a strong hand of cards to play at the trial, and that his ultimate wish is to have the land back.”

ACQUIRED LAND IN 1996

Wolffer acquired the valley in 1996 when he became principal owner of Attractions Hawai’i, which owned the valley and Sea Life Park. Wolffer sold Sea Life Park, but kept the valley, promising to leave it intact.

He tried to sell it four years later as a private residence, but environmental groups argued that the valley is a precious cultural treasure that had been occupied by ancient Hawaiians for hundreds of years.

Much of the valley’s lower 300 acres — which would have gone to the city — are marked by ancient cultural sites. However, none of the 1,575 acres that would have gone to Wolffer under the agreement have been surveyed.

To ensure the valley would remain undeveloped, the city initiated condemnation proceedings. It put $5.1 million, the valley’s assessed value in 2001, in escrow; Wolffer has indicated that he considers the valley to be worth at least $18 million.

Waimea park seller Attractions Hawaii, headed by Wolffer, filed for bankruptcy in 2001 to prevent Bank of Hawaii from foreclosing on the property and selling it at auction. The bankruptcy has since been terminated.


 

March 27, 2006

OHA mulls bid for Moanalua Valley

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) _ The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is considering making a bid for two properties at the edge of Honolulu of environmental and cultural significance.

OHA trustee Dante Carpenter says he and his colleagues may pursue Moanalua Valley and Moanalua Gardens as part of the organization’s ongoing effort to acquire land that has a traditional importance to Hawaii.

The nonprofit Moanalua Gardens Foundation says the valley is culturally important because it was designated as the center of hula and chanting by Oahu King Kakuhihewa in the 1600s. The property was later home to Lot, who later became Kamehameha V.

But another group, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, has already submitted a five-point-five (m) million dollar bid to buy the three thousand, 714-acre property.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources would become the landowner.


 

February 12, 2004

OHA portfolio grew nearly
30 percent last year

By Vicki Viotti, Honolulu Advertiser

A portion of the trust fund that pays for Office of Hawaiian Affairs beneficiary programs has grown by nearly 30 percent in the past year, according to a quarterly report issued yesterday to OHA trustees.

The trust fund is fed by the OHA share of revenue from lands ceded from the kingdom of Hawaii after it was annexed by the United States. Since Feb. 28, 2003, the fund’s portfolio managed by Russell Investment Group has increased in market value by about 28.7 percent and now is worth about $164 million, according to the report.

The group is proposing shifting about 10 percent of OHA investments into the “private equity”sector. These are privately negotiated investments in companies that generally are not public.

The proposal received the backing of the OHA resource management committee and must be approved by the board of trustees.

Also yesterday, trustee Rowena Akana proposed hiring a second lobbyist to assist efforts to pass the Akaka bill for federal recognition of Native Hawaiians. Last May, OHA hired the Patton Boggs firm to lobby in the Senate, setting aside $450,000 for the contract.

Akana cited a prediction by U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye that the bill could cross over from the Senate in April or May, leaving little time to lobby the House of Representatives.

Trustee Oswald Stender, committee chairman, said Patton Boggs has said “the time is not right” for such a push; the proposal was tabled for two weeks.

However, Akana maintained that talks should begin quickly “so we can be ready to hit the ground running” during the slim window of opportunity that an election year presents. She suggested working with lobbyist Jack Abramoff of the firm Greenberg Traurig.

Akana cited Abramoff’s strong connections to House Republican leaders as being among his credentials.


 

January 4, 2006

Lobbyist Abramoff’s Clients Made
Donations to Sen. Inouye

KITV 4 News

KITV has learned that Sen. Dan Inouye was among dozens of Congress members who received campaign donations from lobbyist Jack Abramoff or his clients.

Abramoff on Wednesday pleaded guilty to felonies that insiders say have brought corruption to a new level in Washington. Abramoff admitted bribing members of Congress.

Abramoff pleaded guilty in Florida and Washington courts to five felony counts. As part of his pleas, Abramoff will help investigators determine if gifts and donations from him and his clients helped buy favorable treatment from lawmakers.

Inouye received a total of $6,000 from Abramoff’s Indian clients during the years 2002 to 2004. He received $2,000 from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, $2,000 from the Pueblo of Sandia and $2,000 from the Agua Caliente Band.

In a written statement, Inouye said those tribes contributed to his campaigns for years before Abramoff retained them.

Rep. Neil Abercrombie received $2,000 in 2002 from the Agua Caliente Band before they became a client of Abramoff. Abercrombie received two donations from the tribe in 2001 and once in February 2002. Abramoff began working for the tribe in July 2002.

Abercrombie is a member of the House committee that handles Indian affairs.

Abercrombie said he and other committee members got donations from the Indian tribe because it already trusted them to do the right thing. Not because Abramoff was trying to buy influence.

“He’s a sleaze bag. He stole from his clients who gave him money in good faith,” Abercrombie said.

“If any tribe wishes to have its contribution from any year returned, I will gladly do so,” Inouye said in his statement.

Abercrombie said he will not return his donation from Abramoff’s Indian tribe client because that would imply the tribe was guilty of wrongdoing when it’s Abramoff who cheated them….

For more, GO TO > > > The Bureau of Indian Affairs


 

Audit of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Report No. 05-03, April 2005

Summary

With over $300 million in assets, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is constitutionally the main vehicle for the State to meet its trust responsibilities to native Hawaiians and Hawaiians….

OHA has shown little improvement in its ability to serve Hawaiians since our last audit in 2001. We found that the Board of Trustees still has not provided the State with a comprehensive master plan for bettering the conditions of native Hawaiians and Hawaiians….

We also found that OHA is still grappling with the effects of poorly planned reorganizations. During FY2001-02 and FY2002-03, OHA hired numerous employees to fill a variety of positions, including key managerial positions. Yet, in the midst of organizational change, OHA lacks basic policies and procedures to guide the actions of its staff, and its organizational charts and functional statement are inconsistent. This situation is compounded by confusion among program directors on how OHA’s priorities translate into the agency’s budget.

In addition, we found that OHA’s casual administration of its finances does not demonstrate respect for its fiduciary duty to all Hawaiians. Certain protocol and trustee expenditures appear questionable.

In addition, tighter oversight of the Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund is needed to prevent deterioration of loan recipients’ financial condition. The fund continues to experience high delinquencies and defaults among its loan recipients, jeopardizing the availability of resources to future Hawaiian entrepreneurs….

Conclusion

After being in existence for over 25 years, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs continues to operate like a fledgling agency. The constitutionally and statutorily identified leader of the Hawaii community has yet to present the State with a comprehensive master plan to marshal public and private resources to better the conditions of all Hawaiians. It is still struggling to put its own house in order and remains casual in the administration of the funds over which it has a fiduciary duty of loyalty to its beneficiaries. Overall, OHA has shown little improvement in meeting its obligation to improve conditions of all Hawaiians. Until it focuses on development of a comprehensive master plan as a priority, OHA’s leadership role and trust obligations to its beneficiaries will remain unfulfilled.

Marion M. Higa
State Auditor
State of Hawaii


 

June 7, 2001

OHA should purchase Waimea Valley

Editorial by John Waihee IV, Star-Bulletin

One who wishes to succeed should be alert to every opportunity, like one who catches birds by imitating their cries.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, caught in a tug of war between aspects of being a perpetual trust and a quasi-government agency, has developed some unproductive qualities.

Whether it has been a sense of paranoid fiscal conservation, the inability to agree, or just an inordinate focus on the same old tired businesses, many golden opportunities have passed us by. Fortunately, as the spring of opportunity flows eternal, for every opportunity missed, another arises. The chance for OHA to acquire Waimea Valley on Oahu’s North Shore is one such opportunity.

The acquisition of Waimea Valley should not necessarily be viewed as a purchase, but as a shifting of some of OHA’s investments. Currently OHA’s portfolio, which has recently been fluctuating between $300 million to $400 million, is almost entirely in stocks and bonds. Diversifying the portfolio to include land investments would lessen our dependence on the market. Should OHA receive Waimea Valley’s nearly 1,900 acres at around the city’s appraisal of $5.5 million, it would not only be a valuable investment, but one that our beneficiaries could see and experience.

From a cultural standpoint, obtaining Waimea Valley for the Hawaiian people is awesome. From its 6,000 types of plants, including 400 endangered indigenous species, to its two major heiaus, including Pu’u O Mahuka — the largest sacrificial temple on Oahu, Waimea Valley is truly the quintessence of Hawaiian culture. Who better not only to understand, but to perpetuate and protect these treasures than the Office of Hawaiian Affairs?

Having a place where Hawaiians could gather together also would help give OHA an identity. Currently OHA does its business out of rented space and offers most of its programs, grants and scholarships through other organizations. Having something of substance that the beneficiaries could relate to, OHA would help provide a spiritual connection. An ahupua’a rich in Hawaiian culture, values and tradition such as Waimea Valley would achieve this perfectly.

Attaining Waimea Valley could even help the Hawaiian cause for federal recognition. One of the many intentions for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in its conception was for it to be a model for sovereignty. The acquisition of a land base is essential for OHA to fulfill this goal.

Finally, Waimea Valley could also be a source of economic development. As a perpetual trust, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs must look for ways to become economically autonomous.

While Waimea Valley will never accomplish this in and of itself, it could still serve as a revenue base. As landowners, OHA would have exclusive rights to charge user fees to non-Hawaiians, or to seek joint partnerships within it. With its lush vastness and breathtaking waterfall, Waimea Valley could be a moneymaker while still preserving its cultural identity.

In the end, the acquisition of Waimea Valley by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is an extraordinary opportunity that has much going for it. What the future holds for this wondrous place is uncertain. Hopefully, the opportunity of Waimea Valley will not end up as another lost one.

John Waihee IV is a trustee
of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

http://starbulletin.com/2001/06/07/editorial/gathering.html


 

April 7, 2005

OHA plans new home
on Kakaako oceanfront

The complex would also present “living”Hawaiian culture

By Rick Daysog, Star-Bulletin

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs wants to build a $32 million oceanfront headquarters in Kakaako that would also serve as a “living” Hawaiian cultural center.

OHA Administrator Clyde Namuo unveiled the agency’s preliminary plans yesterday for a three-level office complex, including taro patches and facilities for hula and the Hawaiian martial art of lua.

Namuo said OHA would conduct a feasibility study for the 5.2-acre parcel once it receives a tentative go-ahead from the state Hawaii Community Development Authority, which controls the land.

From there, OHA will seek a long-term lease from the authority, said Namuo, who noted that the entire project could be completed in 2 1/2 years.

“When we looked around at Hawaiian cultural centers, there is none on our entire island. We saw this as a significant void,” said Namuo.

The complex will be more of a “living cultural center” than one that houses exhibits and artifacts, he said.

The property, which lies on ceded lands at the Ewa end of Kakaako Waterfront Park, is occupied by a 70,000-square-foot warehouse whose tenants are on month-to-month leases.

Namuo provided preliminary details of OHA’s plans during a regular meeting of the development authority’s board.

He said OHA has asked the state to pick up about half of the construction costs, since a large portion of the property will be dedicated to community use. The state Senate recently approved a bill providing about $6 million in funding, Namuo said.

He said OHA also is looking at several alternatives, including selling bonds, to pay for costs.

The development authority’s executive director, Daniel Dinell, said OHA’s proposal provides a “cultural bookend” to efforts to redevelop Kakaako.

Besides the recently completed John A. Burns School of Medicine, the University of Hawaii is building the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii next to the OHA property, while the HCDA is reviewing proposals to redevelop 36.5 acres along Kewalo Basin.

Kamehameha Schools also plans to redevelop the Honolulu Ford property on Ala Moana.

“The fact that it’s more than a headquarters in that it incorporates a cultural center is exciting for us,” Dinell said.

OHA leases about 20,000 square feet of office space for its current headquarters at 711 Kapiolani Blvd. According to Namuo, the agency pays about $1 million a year in rent.

In 2002, OHA looked at leasing the nearby Ala Moana pump station property but shelved the plan due to cost. Redeveloping the 105-year-old sewage pumping station would have cost as much as $200 million, Namuo said.

Before that, OHA and Kamehameha Schools looked into relocating OHA’s offices to the Bishop Museum in Kalihi.

That proposal, spearheaded by Kamehameha Schools, called for the development of a $50 million Hawaiian cultural center to house various Hawaiian agencies and alii trusts.

Namuo stressed that OHA and its trustees regard themselves as a transitional agency that will dissolve once Congress recognizes Hawaiians’ sovereign status and Hawaiians set up their own government. When that happens, the complex likely will be transferred to that entity, he said.

“Ultimately this will become part of the new native Hawaiian governing entity,” he said.


 

March 1, 2000

OHA correct to seek clarification of status

Honolulu Advertiser Editorial

So what’s next?

Following last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Rice v. Cayetano, that’s the question on the minds of the trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and most everyone else in this state.

OHA’s board made a smart and prudent move in hiring expert counsel to help them peer through the murky possibilities, not only to identify the dangers and opportunities, but to seek to turn them to the benefit of OHA’s Hawaiian beneficiaries.

To begin with, they have moved to intervene in the endgame of the Rice case. The Supreme Court justices have now signed their opinions, which should be certified in a matter of days. Presumably the case then would be remanded to the appeals court and Judge David Ezra’s Honolulu District Court for disposition.

That’s where the OHA trustees hope to receive some guidance on the practical implications of the high court decision. Yes, their election was improper under the 15th Amendment; now, does that mean they must be replaced — as Gov. Ben Cayetano asserts — immediately, or can they serve the remainder of their terms?

OHA’s new law firm, McCorriston Miho Miller and Mukai, will represent OHA in those proceedings. But the firm’s new partner, former state Supreme Court Justice Robert Klein, will also bring unique qualifications to exploring the possibility of taking some sort of action in the state court system.

All of this is proper and desirable. OHA as an institution represents the will of the people of Hawaii, as expressed by the 1978 Constitutional Convention, and as such does not deserve to be buffeted by political whims and ambitions.

We advise the OHA trustees not to allow themselves to think of the McCorriston firm’s mission as, to put it bluntly, saving their jobs. This might be tempting, in that McCorriston was hired to do just that for the former Bishop Estate trustees.

The two cases are as different as apples and oranges, except in that both sets of trustees serve the beneficiaries of important trusts. It is the McCorriston firm’s job now to help OHA ensure the best possible outcome for its beneficiaries.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2000/Mar/01/opinion1.html

 

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Internet References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Hawaiian_Affairs

www.oha.org/

www.oha.org/content.asp?contentid=465

www.oha.org/content.asp?contentid=458

www.state.hi.us/auditor/Reports/2005/05-03.pdf

www.grassrootinstitute.org/

www.punawelewele.com/halepai/iulai/multicent.htm

http://nature.org/pressroom/leadership/art11950.html

http://starbulletin.com/specials/oha.html

http://starbulletin.com/97/03/03/news/story5.html

http://starbulletin.com/2000/02/23/news/story1.html

http://starbulletin.com/2000/03/20/special/

http://starbulletin.com/2000/10/06/news/story4.html

http://starbulletin.com/2000/11/08/news/story6.html

http://starbulletin.com/2004/01/18/news/story5.html

http://starbulletin.com/2005/04/07/news/index3.html

http://starbulletin.com/2005/11/17/news/story08.html

www.starbulletin.com/2005/12/08/news/story01.html

http://poinography.com/index.php?p=1554

www.environment-hawaii.org/396tpf.htm

www.environment-hawaii.org/100board.htm

www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/hawaii/projects/

www.doi.gov/oia/Islandpages/palmyramain.htm

www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/wpp/page2.html

http://hawaiiankingdom.info/C608676235/E20060107142357/

http://www.indianz.com/News/archives/002477.asp

http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/010557.asp

http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/011315.asp

http://www.worstof.net/News/2004/000990.asp

http://blog.hawaiiankingdom.info/

www.officeofhawaiianaffairs.com/

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410535

 


 

MORE TO COME


 

 

For further Hawaiian-kine affairs,
GO TO

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A Connecticut Yankee in King Kamehameha’s Court

Aloha, Harken Energy!

Apollo Advisors

Birds in the Halls: The University of Hawaii

Birds in the Lobby

Broken Trust

Buzzards of Paradise

Dirty Gold in Goldman Sachs

Dirty Money, Dirty Politics & Bishop Estate

Flying High in Hawaii

Gensiro Kawamoto: How to Pluck a Billionaire

Investigating Investcorp

How to Pluck a Non-Profit

Pimps to Power

The Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation

The Nature Conservancy

The Puna Connection

The Vultures in Maunawili Valley

Paradise Paved

The Peregrine Fund

Predators in Paradise

RICO in Paradise

Songs of The Drug Vultures

Sukamto Sia: The Indonesian Connection

The Nests of Osama bin Laden

The Great Nest Egg Robberies

Vultures of the Sandwich Isles

Who’s Guarding the Hen House?

Office of the U.S. Trustee vs. Harmon

Yakuza Doodle Dandies



 

 

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Last Updated on September 1, 2006 by The Catbird

 

 

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