And she urged the Native Hawaiian community to unite in that fight.

"There is nothing else that is certain to protect native Hawaiian assets in the immediate future; and we cannot accomplish anything if our efforts are not unified."

Apoliona made the remarks this morning in her "State of OHA and the Native Hawaiian Community" speech at Kawaiaha'o Church at the agency's investiture ceremonies to swear-in recently re-elected trustees Rowena Akana, Boyd Mossman, Oswald Stender and John Waihe'e IV, as well as newly elected trustee Walter Heen.

Here is the text of Apoliona's speech, provided by OHA:

Introduction

Aloha mai kakou e na 'oiwi 'olino mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau a puni ke ao malamalama. Aloha e na kupuna, na makua, na 'opio, na keiki a me na kamaiki e 'akoakoa mai nei, ma keia hale pule la'ahia 'o Kawaiaha'o, a maloko i ko kakou mau hale 'ohana a puni ke ao malamalama.

Aloha e na kama'aina a me na malihini kekahi. Aloha no kakou a pau loa. Aloha.

(Translation: Greetings to our esteemed fellow Native Hawaiians from Hawai'i to Ni'ihau and around this brilliant world. Aloha to the elders, adults, youth, children, and toddlers who have assembled here at this sacred church, Kawaiaha'o, in your family homes, and around this brilliant world.

Greetings to longtime residents and newcomers alike. Greetings to us all. Aloha.)

This year marks the 4th State of OHA and the Native Hawaiian community presentation. We welcome this opportunity to share with the community at large, in Hawai`i and away from our shores, what has happened at OHA and within the Native Hawaiian community this past year and where we are focused for 2007.

Challenges of 2006

The year 2006 presented many challenges.

Probably the most difficult of all the challenges was the Akaka Bill and our inability to have the bill survive the "cloture" vote to proceed on the floor of the U.S. Senate this past June. It was truly agonizing to listen to the racist comments made by U.S. Senators on the Senate floor, with their revisionist history and pure disregard for the facts of the history of Native Hawaiians. It was even harder to see Native Hawaiians reveling in celebration with people who support these distortionists.

Although we have not yet been successful in passing the Akaka Bill, we want to thank our U.S. Senators, Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye, for their tireless efforts to find a way to protect Native Hawaiian assets and funding for crucial programs.

We also appreciate the work of Representatives Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case.

We thank Governor Linda Lingle and her cabinet for their assistance with the Republicans in Congress and the White House in Washington, D.C.

Now that the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives have a Democratic majority, we look forward to continuing our work with Senator Akaka, Senator Inouye, Representative Abercrombie, and Representative-elect Mazie Hirono.

We also look forward to working with Governor Lingle, our Attorney General, and others in the State administration in our collective effort to pass this major and critical legislation.

While we anticipate that the political climate in the Congress has improved to favor passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, we will take nothing for granted.

AND ALL OF US, Native Hawaiians and non-Native Hawaiians, who support passage must be diligent and unified in our effort. "I ku`u pono `a`ole e pau." Clearly, the work in Washington D.C. is not finished.

Indeed, we are aware that "conservative ideologues" in Hawai`i and across the U.S. who worked to undermine passage of this Bill are regrouping to work their mischief still, since the November 7 election. They are re-grouping and strategizing ... to "end it for Native Hawaiians." BUT with similar intent, their mischief now includes the undermining of other native people in this country ... American Indians and Alaska Natives. And that's the truth. All native peoples need to makaÿala to the big picture and work in unified effort.

Highlights of Accomplishments in 2006

Despite the difficulties with the Akaka Bill, there were many high points for OHA and the Hawaiian community in 2006. I would like to share a few of the key accomplishments with you today.

In the area of land acquisition & management, OHA completed the acquisition and took title of two key areas: Wao Kele O Puna and Waimea Valley and ahupua`a.

Each transaction was accomplished in partnership with organizations such as the Pele Defense Fund, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), the Hawai`i State Department of Land and Natural Resources, the USDA Forest Legacy Program, the City and County of Honolulu, and the U.S. Army. With these acquisitions, totaling over 27,000 acres combined, OHA is now the 13th largest landowner in Hawai'i.

In the area of health and human services, OHA contributed $1 million towards the Governor's initiative to help the homeless on the Wai`anae Coast and joined with the Hawai`i State Legislature and the Department of Health in funding renovations for Moloka'i General Hospital. In this partnership, OHA provided $800,000 to match $1.6 million from the State Legislature.

In the area of education, OHA continues to fund the Hawaiian culture-based charter schools in the amount of $2.2 million per year. Recent research released by Kamehameha Schools shows Native Hawaiian students in charter schools are scoring higher than their counterparts in regular D.O.E. schools. We are privileged to be a part of advocacy for systemic change in the public school system. In a mere three years, OHA will have deployed $6.6 million dollars to this initiative.

OHA Trustees also approved $500,000 for scholarships for Native Hawaiian children attending private schools and an additional $1 million for scholarships for higher education.

In the area of economic development, I have three special highlights to share.

OHA held the inaugural OHA Business Conference and Expo in May with the support of sponsors like Northrop Grumman Corporation, Bank of Hawai'i, First Hawaiian Bank, Central Pacific Bank, Lockheed Martin, Wal-Mart, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. More than 250 Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs participated. A significant outcome of this conference was the realization of the need for more data concerning Hawaiian owned businesses. Consequently, OHA is funding research which will help to establish some baseline data on Hawaiian businesses.

The Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund is administered by OHA and currently has assets exceeding $26 million. For the past 24 months, OHA has worked closely with the Administration for Native Americans in revamping the program to better meet the needs of the Hawaiian community. We expect to have a completely restructured program ready to be unveiled in February. A primary goal of the revamped program is to have loans processed in 30 days rather than 6-8 months. Please be on the lookout for the announcement of our new and significantly improved Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund program.

Earlier this year, the Trustees approved exploratory funding to determine the feasibility of developing an internet television station. As many of you know, television programs on the internet are becoming commonplace. The development of an internet television station will provide OHA and other Hawaiian groups with the opportunity to get their message out to a whole new generation of Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians in Hawaiÿi and across the world, using a venue which will soon be the norm and not the exception. The messages will span from the traditional to the contemporary, enlightening and educating all, using platforms such as education, cultural preservation, and Hawaiian language instruction to name a few.

To help preserve Hawaiian culture and history, OHA awarded a $1.1 million contract to the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, $2 million to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and $1 million to renovate the Kawaiaha'o Church campus to extend social service programs at the community center being completed in 2008. We assigned cultural monitors under a Programmatic Agreement with the U.S. Army to help preserve sacred sites in the Schofield area.

With the County of Maui, we helped negotiate a settlement for stream water to replenish taro fields.

These initiatives that I have just cited are but a sampling of OHA's accomplishments for the Native Hawaiian community in 2006. A full listing is included as an attachment to copies of the speech that will be provided to you.

o When we held our first State of OHA in 2003, OHA had given out $315,000 in grants and $400,000 in scholarships.

o This year, OHA gave out $8.1 million in grants and $1.25 in scholarships. This represents a significant increase in dollars for grants and scholarships each year.

Grants & BOT Initiatives Scholarships

FY03 $ 314,875 $400,000

FY04 2,553,947 221,000

FY05 5,697,764 500,000

FY06 8,174,689 1,250,000

When OHA provides funds for hospitals, the homeless, public schools, and other programs, OHA targets Native Hawaiians. However, as Native Hawaiian well-being improves and as Native Hawaiians are able to utilize the resources of OHA and put them back into the community, we end up helping all of Hawai'i. In improving the conditions of Native Hawaiians, Hawai'i becomes a better place for everyone.

By putting funds in the community, we are not only building capacity in the community, we are helping to improve the economy. Applying a multiplier effect, for every dollar that OHA puts into the Hawaiian business community, $2 is generated.[1] This is another way OHA and Native Hawaiians are contributing to the over all well-being of Hawai`i.

Our first annual grants report will be distributed as you leave today.

Where We Need to Go in 2007

The theme of this year's Investiture is, Ho'okele Pololei: to voyage ahead, navigate well, persevere.

It is an appropriate theme given that this year is the 30th anniversary of Hokule'a and her reaffirmation of Native Hawaiian courage to rely on our traditions and values to chart our future and press on against all odds.

Hokule`a embodies the spirit of what we Hawaiians can achieve if we are clear on our vision and mission, prepare ourselves, and remain focused and disciplined in carrying out our tasks.

If 2005 and 2006 have been years of challenges and turmoil, 2007 will be the year of clarity, focus of political will, and disciplined action by Native Hawaiians.

For OHA, in 2007, we will continue to refine and enhance our role as advocates for the Hawaiian people as we strive to better the conditions of Hawaiians and native Hawaiians. As in the past, our advocacy will take several paths:

o Legal advocacy

o Legislative advocacy

o Advocacy for cultural preservation and native rights

o Advocacy to improve the quality of life for all Hawaiians

Legal Advocacy:

OHA will continue to aggressively defend any and all challenges to Hawaiian rights and entitlements. Though we view litigation as the last alternative in resolving disputes, OHA has not hesitated to choose this option when the situation has called for such action. Our lawsuits against NASA and the U.S. Army are examples of this.

We do not seek confrontation with those who file lawsuits to question our existence and that of our sister agencies, but we will not hesitate to aggressively defend against these litigations.

Further, OHA will retain the very best lawyers to assist in these defenses. A top-notch defense is costly. The Arakaki v. Lingle case is an example where OHA has needed to spend thousands of dollars in defense of this legal challenge. We expect a permanent, final dismissal very soon. But we are not naive to think that these plaintiffs, whom we have come to know over these six (6) years, will give up.

Legislative Advocacy:

Protecting federal and state funding of Hawaiian programs is critical to the survival of certain programs. The Admissions Act, Hawaiÿi State Constitution, and various Hawaiÿi Revised Statutes recognize the special relationship Hawaiians have with both the State and Federal government. However, this recognition falls short of having the federal government formally acknowledge a "political and legal relationship" between it and the Hawaiian people.

The need to protect these funding sources and programs remains a high priority for OHA. Trustees have been 'onipaÿa (steadfast) in their support of federal recognition for Hawaiians. We expect to remain in support of passage of the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act as a prominent item on our federal legislative agenda.

Federal recognition is good for Hawaiians and all people of Hawaiÿi nei. We urge all to unify behind this effort, for there is nothing else that is certain to protect Native Hawaiian assets in the immediate future; and, we cannot accomplish anything if our efforts are not unified.

At the local level, our legislative advocacy will continue with the State Legislature and the various County Councils.

Trustees will be considering a number of legislative measures which will continue support of Hawaiian focused charter schools. Our legislative package also includes bills that require the Hawaiian language to be taught in public schools. How can we say that Hawaiian is one of two official languages in the State of Hawai`i and not offer it as an option in our public school system?

OHA will again seek legislative approval of a measure to exempt OHA from certain building permit requirements. This will provide us the opportunity to partner with developers who are interested in addressing the shortage of affordable housing in Hawai`i.

We ask that you join us in advocating for our legislative agenda which will make life better for Hawaiians and, in turn, all of Hawai`i.

On the County level we will advocate for the protection of cultural sites and cultural practices. Trustees will soon be formally discussing ways to assure the protection of the much treasured Salt Pans in Hanapepe, Kaua`i. Also, we continue to advocate for real property tax relief for Kuleana landowners.

Advocacy for Cultural Preservation and Native Rights:

In 2005, our staff completed 129 Section 106 consultation reviews. These are requests which OHA is statutorily mandated to comment on as a part of the environmental impact process. We expect this number will increase as our robust economy encourages further construction and development.

In terms of cultural preservation, I am proud to report OHA Trustees provided significant funding to the Polynesian Voyaging Society as they begin their sail of Hokule'a to Satawal and ultimately Japan. Hokule'a continues to be an icon of our cultural renaissance and, for many, provides a tangible sense of hope that times for Hawaiians will continue to improve.

In 2005, OHA unveiled its plans to construct a Hawaiian Cultural Center and OHA Office Building. We have been in negotiations with the Hawaiÿi Community Development Authority (HCDA) for a parcel of land adjacent to the John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kaka`ako. We have been granted a 6-month period during which we have the exclusive right to advance OHA's efforts to develop this property into a first-class Hawaiian Cultural Center and OHA facility. The Hawaiian community is one of the few remaining groups in our State that does not have a cultural center dedicated to preserving its cultural heritage, and we believe there is no time like the present to do it.

Please join us in supporting this very worthy project as our joint funding request is forwarded to the Legislature. OHA Trustees are committed to funding 50% (fifty percent) of the cost of the cultural center and office complex, and urge the Hawai`i State Legislature to join with us in this partnership.

Advocacy to Improve the Quality of Life for All Hawaiians:

We continue to provide financial assistance through grants and awards to various community groups that work for the betterment of Hawaiians. As advocates we work at all levels to assure Native Hawaiians will have access to the best educational programs available, be provided a safe environment in which to live, and have access to reasonably priced health care and housing.

In the area of housing, OHA will continue to work with groups such as Habitat for Humanity to assure that affordable housing opportunities are provided to various Hawaiian families. We will also explore the possibilities of partnering with developers in creating affordable housing opportunities. Recently Trustees approved funds to determine the feasibility of partnering with Pu`ukoli`i in developing affordable workforce housing in Lahaina. We continue to work with institutions such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in the development of mortgage loan packages to help Native Hawaiian families realize the dream of homeownership. Please stay tuned for further developments in this area in 2007.

Of all the challenges we will face in 2007, the most daunting will be passage of a measure to provide federal recognition for Native Hawaiians. As explained earlier, we fell short in terms of getting our bill to the Senate floor for successful consideration in 2006. Time is running out for us to get this work done. Our attorneys have advised us numerous times that federal recognition will provide a legal shield against the attack on various Hawaiian programs. The year 2007 must be the time to move this initiative forward, and we will work with the Governor, our Congressional delegation, and others to get this done now!

In June 2006, Trustees reviewed a staff proposal that focused on creation of a Hawaiian governing entity. The steps identified are very similar to previous community-identified steps, initiated beginning in 1993, by the Sovereignty Elections Commission, Ha Hawai`i, Native Hawaiian Coalition, and 2006 federal recognition legislation.

KAU INOA is a registration program that has been in existence since January of 2004. However, unlike the Akaka Bill, while sustaining the requirement for lineal descendants of the aboriginal, indigenous people of Hawai`i, it assures less complexity in verifying eligibility to participate in the expected process.

Registration is the foundation, the first building block for building a Native Hawaiian nation. Native Hawaiians, regardless of where they reside, must, must register, with KAU INOA. Hawai`i Maoli, the non-profit arm of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, is the repository for the KAU INOA database and insures confidentiality of information. We are closing in on 60,000 registrants. Though that is a significant number, our goal is closer to 200,000 Hawaiians across the U.S. and beyond.

In 2007, our objective is to ramp up the registration, reach out in Hawai`i, across the U.S. and the world to register as many Hawaiians as possible and reach the 200,000 mark.

The year 2007 is also the time when we can begin our initial discussions on building a Native Hawaiian government. The summer of 2007 may mark the first milestone phase.

Our effort will succeed or fail by the political will of our community.

We must advance in this effort or we will recede. And the social, economic, and political tides will not wait for us.

Our kuleana and the kuleana of our `ohana members is to get out and register family, friends and neighbors, young and old, here in Hawai`i or away from our shores. If the registration is weak in numbers it will be a foundation difficult to build upon for substantive and lasting results. Let each of us commit today to do our personal best to register every Native Hawaiian. Let us by our actions give voice to our kupuna, who have left the work for us to finish.

Closing

Before her passing, Queen Lili`uokalani said,

The world cannot stand still. We must advance or recede. Let us advance together. Hold thy breath ... walk shoulder to shoulder.

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole, one who personally witnessed the demise of the Hawaiian monarchy, left these words of wisdom for us:

Stick together and try to agree to the best to meet the most important problem: the rehabilitation of our race.[2]

Mary Kawena Pukui reminds us:

An individual alone is unthinkable, in the context of Hawaiian

relationships.

What is the common theme in these messages? It is ... for Hawaiians to unify and move forward in a "reality-based" context.

As counseled by the theme of today's investiture, Ho'okele Pololei: voyage ahead, navigate well, persevere, the success of our voyage will be measured by our capacity to be unified in our direction and disciplined in our actions.

A unified direction is the biggest challenge we face today. In the absence of a clear, unified direction, we will continue to be vulnerable to those who wish to do us harm through the courts and through public policy.

An undeterred unified direction demands a commitment to forward momentum. As King Kamehameha I advised:

I mua, e na poki'i, a inu i ka wai 'awa'awa. 'A'ohe hope e ho'i mai ai.

(Translation Go forward, brothers and sisters, and drink the bitter water. There is no retreat.)

Indeed there is no retreat. If unified, we can move forward with assurance that the outcome will be pono (right).

While moving forward, let us be imbued with the spirit of our ancestors as expressed nearly thirty years ago by kupunawahine Edith Kanaka`ole with these words that continue to inspire:

Na ka `uhane a na kupuna, e ho`okupa`a ia kakou, me ka puwalu mau kekahi me kekahi.

`O `oukou no na kia`i o na pua mamo no keia wa a keia wa aku malalo o ka malu o na hulu makua.

`O ke aloha, ka `oia`i`o, ka pono, e pa aku ka makani i na pu`uwai, i na mana`o maika`i, i na mana`o `ike i keia pae one, `aina pae one e a`e a pau.

E ... a hui hou ... kakou me ke aloha o ka welina no ka `aina aloha. Aloha no.

May the spirit of our ancestors keep us together, steadfast and unified always, each with the other.

Watch over our children, guide our sons and daughters, hold close our elderly.

May the winds of aloha, truth, and righteousness be ever present in our hearts and minds and extend over the seas to touch the other shores.

Until we meet again ... all of us ... we remain loyal to our homeland bound together by aloha.