Kalei Akaka has served on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees since 2018. She is best-known for being the granddaughter of the late Sen. Daniel Akaka. She successfully defended her O‘ahu seat in 2022 against Brendon Kalei‘āina Lee.
But this year she faces a strong challenge from prominent cultural adviser Hinaleimoana Wong, also known as Kumu Hina, in the November general election.
This is Akaka’s toughest race since 2018 when she faced off against Esther Kiaʻāina, a veteran state and federal government official, who is currently serving her second term on the Honolulu City Council, representing Windward Oʻahu.
Jacob Aki is president of the O‘ahu Council of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs. He told HPR that OHA’s race for the O‘ahu seat is more competitive than the Maui or at-large contests.
“If you were just to go on name by itself, Kumu Hina would be the underdog,” Aki said. “But with the amount of money that she’s raised and the amount of campaigning, she's out there sign-waving. Her signs are everywhere.”
OHA's Board of Trustees is made up of nine voting members who make key decisions on a $600 million trust and real estate portfolio, including Downtown Honolulu's Kakaʻako Makai area. The trustees serve four-year terms, and there are no term limits. More than half of the seats on the board are up for grabs this year.
Although Akaka's seat represents Oʻahu, all Hawaiʻi voters can cast ballots in each OHA race.
The candidates have similar views on issues facing Native Hawaiians, such as housing, OHA having more say in military lease negotiations, and how to develop Kakaʻako Makai.
Akaka grew up between Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu, and spent summers in Washington, D.C., because of her grandfather's work. She said she wants to carry on her grandfather's legacy.
She points to her experience working at the state Legislature — both the House and Senate as a legislative aide and researcher — reviewing legislation, budget planning and advising.
"It's been so key and helpful in helping me do the job that I'm doing at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs,” she said to HPR. “When it comes to advocacy, when it comes to being able to just pick up the phone and calling a legislator or staff member, and have very frank conversations on how we can collaborate and work together.”
Akaka said she supports the development of Kakaʻako Makai, adding that she’s advocating for the building of a Native Hawaiian Cultural Center.
She wants to advocate for restoring Native Hawaiian names around the island and have signage with moʻolelo and QR codes for more information.
“Also, provide the source of the family, the lineal descendants that are sharing this moʻolelo,” she said.
Kumu Hina is a cultural adviser and the sibling of Hawaiʻi chef Alan Wong. But she’s made a name for herself by being involved in documentaries and local films and has been at the forefront of activism, including during the 2022 Red Hill fuel leaks, the 2019 Mauna Kea protests against the Thirty Meter Telescope, and wind farm standoffs on Oʻahu's North Shore.
She spent 13 years on the Oʻahu Island Burial Council, which operates under the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, with 11 years being chair. She said she’s navigated various perspectives and learned about conflict management by being on the board.
“Those range of perspectives, all sitting in one room, at one table, is not an easy task to navigate. It's not easily mitigated,” she said to HPR “The concerns are not easily mitigated, but I have demonstrated that, by and large, there is a way to ensure that people know how to respect each other, get along, and part of that comes from my background as a teacher, where one must understand classroom management. One must understand how to read the temperature of the room.”
Kumu Hina ran for OHA before, in 2014.
“She didn’t do well,” Aki said. “But this time around, she's running a very serious campaign. It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of effort, and her ability to get out and sign-wave, to use her social media platform to promote herself.”
Kumu Hina said she's running because she can add perspective to the nine-member board.
“It is time to allow my voice to be elevated to a table where it will be given greater credence, greater respect and a greater level of advocacy to echo farther in our community,” she said.
If she's elected, Kumu Hina said she wants to put the Hawaiian worldview at the center of decision-making.
She said OHA has done a better job of being responsive during times of crisis and has been more vocal on issues. But she is critical of OHA's “ability to get along.”
“What is really needed at the table is a voice that can ground the entire body of nine trustees, and no matter how far the discussions go, reel things back to some very simple understanding of Kanaka way of doing things,” she said.
