On a five-four vote, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees gave a thumbs-down Thursday on a move to explore a deal to acquire KITV Island News and its sister station KIKU TV.
The Conversation got a chance to talk to OHA Chair Kai Kahele on Friday morning in Hilo. He said he is not closing the door on hiring someone to do due diligence on a possible purchase of the broadcast stations, so it may not be over yet.
Interview highlights
On the board's decision not to pursue KITV and KIKU
KAI KAHELE: This was never just about a television station. It is about whether Native Hawaiians are willing to lead boldly in spaces that shape public understanding and public conversation about issues very important to Native Hawaiians. And we often say when Native Hawaiians thrive, the rest of Hawaiʻi and the broader community thrives, and so this opportunity for OHA to invest and diversify its portfolio into very powerful, transformative ways of multimedia storytelling is important, because it not only shapes how the people of Hawaiʻi view us, but also how the world sees us, and most importantly, how we see ourselves and that future. And I will tell you that the vote was close. The conversations we had behind closed doors were very good, thoughtful, and deliberate, and I don't think it's dead. I get the sense that my fellow trustees need a little bit more time; they want to do a little bit more due diligence. I think they felt it was a very reasonable proposition. They appreciated the efforts that I did as chair — to bring this in front of the board to think outside the box at something worth pursuing, and I wouldn't be surprised if it comes back in the very near future.
On the possibility of OHA owning and controlling a major media station in Hawaiʻi
KAHELE: The opportunity to have powerful messaging in media is important in a media market that is being consolidated by the most powerful monopolizing billionaires in the country. We see whether it's the Murdochs or the Ellisons that are consolidating media. To have one station owned by a non-billionaire in Hawaiʻi is something I get excited about. I think it's huge for Hawaiians. I think it can create a very inclusive, transparent, integrity-filled public messaging, and it's something that is out of the box, and that's why I like it. And we are, and will be, if the board approves this acquisition or moves to the next step, we are looking for partners that would ultimately want to partner with OHA to acquire this, because we think it's really important, and we are, of course, working and have been talking to our brothers and sisters in Aotearoa Indigenous media. Māori TV is nothing new, and it's a great model that exists in New Zealand, and it's one that we look to maybe follow. I have a feeling we're going to continue to pursue this, and more to come on that.
On how OHA would use media to support the Native Hawaiian community
KAHELE: This is actually mission-driven. It doesn't drift from OHA’s core mission. It augments it, it expands it. That's something that we're really interested in, the opportunity to develop Native Hawaiian workforce leadership pathways and communication and technology to be able to have a greater visibility and a normalization of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and Native Hawaiian values within the public discourse is something that I think really is important. Communication and controlling the narrative is a powerful tool to advance the interests of Native Hawaiians beyond the Native Hawaiian community. The reality is that Native Hawaiians represent about 22% of the state's overall population of 1.5 million residents. If you look at the different branches of government, that percentage is pretty reflective of Native Hawaiian representation. And so, at the end of the day, if we want to move the needle on Native Hawaiian interests, Native Hawaiian values, educating the community, Native Hawaiian culture, we have to look beyond the Native Hawaiian community to the broader community, appeal to that community, and that's what I think this gives us an opportunity to do.
This story aired on The Conversation on May 29, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this interview for the web.
