A global consulting firm has been chosen to complete a feasibility study for the development of a Native Hawaiian cultural center in Kakaʻako Makai, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced Monday.
Over the next six months, AEA Consulting and OHA will work on market assessment, community and stakeholder outreach, program and space planning, financial feasibility modeling, capital cost estimates and an implementation timeline.
“We look forward to gathering input and manaʻo at the outset of this process to ensure the Native Hawaiian Cultural Center is guided by community priorities and built upon a foundation of cultural integrity, financial sustainability, and lasting benefits that create enduring value for our beneficiaries,” said OHA Chair Kai Kahele in a news release. “This project is about restoring connection — to place, to culture, and to each other.”
OHA has been moving forward with its plan to develop its nearly 30 acres in Kakaʻako Makai, working with the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to develop housing faster on one lot off Ala Moana Boulevard.
OHA acquired land in the industrial area between Downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī after a partial settlement of unpaid Public Land Trust revenues in 2012. The plan is to build a mixed-use development that includes residential areas and businesses. Proposals to lift zoning restrictions have failed in the Legislature.
Jacob Aki, president of the Oʻahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, said the Native Hawaiian community needs a space for cultural practices and that the community would welcome the idea of a Native Hawaiian cultural center.
“This is something that would be beneficial to the Native Hawaiian community,” he said. “What’s hard is that you have a lot of native artisans and cultural practitioners who have all this knowledge and there is an interest in teaching the art but what is a big inhibitor is finding available spaces.”
He added that some kumu hula and cultural practitioners practice their craft at home or move around due to the high cost of rent at venues.
“If we want to make access to our actual arts more accessible, there needs to be more general spaces,” he said.
Aki said other ethnic communities have culture centers, such as the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, and the Japanese Cultural Center in Mōʻiliʻili.
Senate lawmakers were also pushing for OHA to create Native Hawaiian cultural centers within the state.
Senate Bill 199, introduced by Sen. Kurt Fevella, would have required and appropriated funds to OHA to construct a cultural center on Oʻahu by 2040. The measure died this legislative session.
OHA approved funding for the cultural center in its biennium budget last year. OHA selected AEA Consulting, which has worked with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Grand Egyptian Museum and more.
“The study will equip OHA with the data, community insight, and planning tools needed to make informed decisions about the scope, programming, sustainability, and long-term operations of a Native Hawaiian Cultural Center,” Kahele said. “Most importantly, it will ensure that this center reflects the voices and values of our people.”
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