Two well-known candidates are competing for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs at-large seat in the upcoming general election.
In the crowded primary, incumbent Keliʻi Akina was the top vote-getter with former trustee Lei Ahu Isa trailing behind. They move forward to the general election, beating out five others.
OHA is a semi-autonomous agency created to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. The agency is funded by income from a public land trust, which includes land taken during the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
"I think both candidates ran away with it in the primary," said Jacob Aki, president of the Oʻahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs.
"When you look at the numbers, obviously Keliʻi did come about 10,000 votes ahead of Lei (Ahu Isa) in the primary, but with the rest of the candidates now out, it will be interesting to see where their votes go," he continued.
Lei Ahu Isa
Ahu Isa was an OHA trustee from 2014 to 2022. She’s currently a broker for Hilton Grand Vacations. She comes from years of political experience, serving as a member of the Board of Education and the state House of Representatives.
If elected, she said she wants to revise the agency’s strategic plan.
"It’s missing a fourth leg. So I want my fourth leg to be called Ea. … Ea means health governance (and) self-recognition," she said.
Ahu Isa said she’s running because outgoing trustee Mililani Trask asked her to.
"I have history. So people know me. They should know me. … If they don't want me back in there, that's fine. You know, I'm still doing what I have to do for the community. And I show up at things. When I say I'm going to do something, I do it," Ahu Isa said.
Aki said OHA races are based on name recognition and that candidates need to spend money in order to get their name out there. Compared to Ahu Isa’s previous campaigns, Aki said he’s been seeing more of her signs.
"She’s increasing her game but to the extent in which she can complete any kind of on-a-ground game, or even with the money as compared to what her opponent is doing, I think it's gonna be very very challenging," Aki said.
Keliʻi Akina
Akina has been a trustee since 2016. He’s currently president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi, which promotes policy and accountable government.
If re-elected, he wants to push for an inventory accounting for all ceded land revenues.
"This is a problem because 20% at least of the public lands trust or the ceded lands are supposed to go to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for the needs of the Hawaiian people, and without an accounting by each State Department for that, it's impossible to tell what is coming through," Akina said.
"The reality is only a small portion of what Hawaiians deserve is currently going to Hawaiians."
Akina has been an outspoken critic of OHA and called for a forensic audit, which was eventually published in 2019.
He says OHA has come a long way with transparency, although Ahu Isa disagrees.
Issues at hand
Aki said both candidates come from various perspectives and have a different outlook on how OHA should run. He said they should agree that the most pressing issues facing Native Hawaiians are housing, health issues and education.
Aki says these issues, however, are not new.
"Yes these are valid issues but these are issues that OHA is not equipped to tackle. OHA is not a service provider. OHA is not a housing agency. OHA is a fourth branch of government. That is really involved in the community. And is this holding space for resources," he said.
The general election is Nov. 5 and voters can expect to receive ballots in the mail in mid-October.
