Enhance Quality of Life
:Home Ownership & Quality Rental Inventories
:Effective Social Services Solutions
:Access and Sustainability of Quality Health Care
:Support for Our Military Community
:Perpetuate Our Host Culture
:Stewardship of Our Natural Environment

Improve Employment, Education & Investment Opportunities

Upgrade Infrastructure and Review Our Master Planning Process

EMC Recommendations

Summary of Recommendations

2005 Final Report

ETHNIC DISTRIBUTION BY COUNTIES, YEAR 2000

Hawai‘i Health Survey 2000; Office of Health Status Monitoring; Hawai‘i State DOH

The health of Hawai‘i’s economy, our quality of life, and ultimately our collective identity is founded on a vibrant Native Hawaiian culture, which in turn relies on a host Native Hawaiian population that is well grounded in Hawaiian culture and values, well educated, healthy, productively employed, and adequately housed.  Yet, significant programs in Hawai‘i dedicated to perpetuating Native Hawaiian culture and providing quality education, health, employment and housing for Native Hawaiians are subject to increasing legal challenges that threaten to undermine positive outcomes in these important areas.

Perpetuation of our host culture includes:

1. Ensuring the survival and thriving of the host population, Native Hawaiians, in this state, in the nation and in the global environment, and
2. Safe-guarding and maintaining the unique multi-ethnic mutually respectful inter-relationships, values and traditional practices which under-gird and permeate what is referred to as the “aloha spirit” among all people of Hawai‘i nei.

Perpetuation of our host culture requires:

1. Familiarity with and knowledge of Native Hawaiian cultural history, traditional values and practices for residents (of Hawai‘i, the nation and the world); AND
2. Acceptance of the cultural practices as “having value” in the multi-ethnic community and business context; protection/ safe-guarding of cultural intellectual integrity; acknowledgement and appreciation of the importance of perpetuating the host culture through a variety of venues (social, economic, educational, environmental, health, military, housing, agricultural, workforce, transportation, tourism, industry, investment,  i.e. areas of the EMC focus)

Perpetuation of our host culture means to continuously and actively reflect the culture in economic, social and political practices and in our living and working environment.

• Existing Hawai‘i State Constitution provisions, state and county laws and regulations, private and public agency policies relevant to Native Hawaiians are overlooked or not actively enforced; and the identification of gaps in protection and safeguards of Native Hawaiian culture and traditions and practices is needed for appropriate future action.

• Although Native Hawaiians comprised more than 22% of the state population in 2001, Native Hawaiian students account for only 13.6% of the total enrollment of the University of Hawai‘i.

• Life expectancy among Hawaiians is the lowest (68.2 years) of all major ethnic groups; and Native Hawaiians lead the nation in incidences of cancer and other diseases.

• As of 2000, Native Hawaiians were more likely to be employed in the labor category of workers and less likely in management and professional occupations.

• Although Native Hawaiians comprise 22% of the state population, they account for more than 40% of juvenile arrests for violent crimes and for 40% of the total incarcerated population.

• Native Hawaiians experience housing problems at a greater rate than non-Natives living in the same environment.

• Nearly half (50%) of all Native Hawaiian households in Hawaii (20,464 households) experience a housing problem of some type, compared to 38 percent of non-Native households.

• The problems with the greatest impact on Native Hawaiians are affordability and overcrowding:  28 percent of all Native Hawaiian households (11,604 households) experience an affordability problem; in the same proportion, 28 percent (11,568 households) experience overcrowding problems.

• Native Hawaiian trusts: the private Ali’i Trusts (The Kamehameha Schools; Queen Lili’uokalani Trust; King William Charles Lunalilo Trust) and the public trusts (Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Department of Hawaiian Home Lands) are being challenged by litigation, especially in recent years.

• The Kamehameha Schools admission policy has been ruled unconstitutional by a panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  This strikes at the basic heritage of the indigenous Native Hawaiian people.

• The Arakaki, et al v State of Hawai‘i, et al litigation which is awaiting court decision could terminate the existing Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands trusts, negatively impacting their beneficiaries who reside in Hawai‘i and citizens of  Hawai`i..

• Adverse rulings in litigation will have major economic impact on Native Hawaiians and the State of Hawai‘i. 

• Federal recognition of Native Hawaiians, through passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2005 (S.147: H.R.309) called the “Akaka Bill”, will affirm and provide the political and legal status for Native Hawaiians, consistent with other indigenous populations in the United States, and protect existing federal (and state) programs which address Native Hawaiian needs. Specifically,
  1. Combined funding for major federal Native Hawaiian programs is in excess of approximately $60 million.  This figure reflects only direct funds and does not include the “multiplier effect” of approximately $120 million for Hawai‘i.
  2. Elimination of programs and activities of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands have possibly five potential types of economic impact.
     1. .  For example, the DHHL lessees would probably not have the $211 million in bank financing they’ve secured to date without the intensive and culturally appropriate technical assistance (home buyer education, financial literacy programs, etc.) provided by OHA and DHHL.
     2. Potential reduced quality and authenticity of Native Hawaiian cultural, historic, and linguistic assets. The elimination of programs designed to protect Native Hawaiian cultural assets   may lead to their degradation and concomitant declines in quality of life and visitor industry authenticity.
     3. Need remains great with fewer resources and expertise. The burden of addressing needs will merely be shifted to other State agencies with fewer resources, some of whom clearly remember years earlier when federal funding was substantially reduced.
     4. Increased potential for polarization. With fewer resources and expertise to address increasing needs, resulting in economically and socially deteriorating communities and neighborhoods, the disparity between the poor and affluent will widen and could begin to unravel the threads of a diverse, stable, multi-cultural community.

• Federal recognition of Native Hawaiians through passage of the Akaka Bill will ensure that Native Hawaiians will have a voice and a seat at the negotiating table with the Federal/State/Hawaiian governing entity to address long overdue matters of concern which involve natural resources, lands and other Native Hawaiian issues.

EMC Committee solutions and actions, in collaboration with public and private sector partners as well as heightened community interest and support, will provide the impetus for a positive momentum of change in Hawai‘i, for the balance of this 21st century and in preparation for the 22nd.