 This is Stink Tech Hawai'i, Community Matters here. And welcome to Talk Story with John Wahee. We have an interesting topic and guest this afternoon. Our topic is discussing what we would like Hawai'i to look like be a hundred years from now. What should we be doing, I guess, to achieve this vision? Our guest is Dana Sato, and she is an assistant asset manager for the Kamehameha School. Yes. And that means you kind of run all the property on Oahu. On Oahu, Maui, Moloka'i, and Kau'i. So all of it. So this is interesting to me because you're kind of a really important person. But you are the kind of important person that normally we never get to see. Because you're in the main office for a major institution in Hawai'i, and you're doing important things regarding land. But why would you be in our show? And here we are. Today's topic we're going to talk about here. We should all show the speed. Where should Hawai'i be in a hundred years? This is, by the way, the Hawai'i Business Magazine, the August 2017 edition. Now, how in the world does an asset manager get to be part of this exercise? So there's actually 50 of us that are involved in this. And it's a huge number of people. So there are 50 people from across the state, right? Yes, across the Pai'ana, I know, yes, across the state that's involved in this. So there is a group of businessmen, local leaders. They're part of the Hawai'i Asia Pacific Association, who thought that we need to pull a group together in order for us to be able to set some long-term goals for Hawai'i. But we're a bunch of old people. It's how they started off with. Okay, so the people that were pushing all of this, the business guys said, we are not going to be around in a hundred years. We're going to be dead. So we should get a group of people who might be around in a hundred years from now. Well, not even a hundred years, because none of us would be that old. Well, you never know. Never know, maybe with technology and stuff. But certainly to select 30 and 40-year-olds who are local leaders. So a group of 50 participants were selected. And I'm assuming that this group would be a cross-section of Hawai'i's community. In fact, I think the names of the people who participated are actually found in the magazine. Yes. In the magazine. So you're on here somewhere? Yeah, I'm here somewhere. I think I'm pretty close to it. Number four. Number four. Only because they went by alphabetical order. So D is a good number to have. Okay, well, I'm still impressive. Number four. So they, somebody what? Somebody contacted you? How did you? Yeah, so when that group took a look at it, so then led by Duane Kurisu, who everyone knows is a local businessman. And other members of this HAPA group got together and then they brought in other groups. So they brought in Lauren Nami from Kamehameha Schools. And they brought in Earl Kava'a as a native Hawaiian expert. Yeah, Earl is a well-known cultural expert on things Hawaiian. Right. And so with that group, then they selected people to be members of this vision group, which is called I am Hawai'i. And there's a reason for that, as if you read about our overall vision, the reason why we said I am Hawai'i is the name of this group is because it's no longer a focus of just native Hawai'ians, just local Japanese, just local Koreans, just local Filipinos. We said, you know what? This vision statement has to apply to everyone. So I am Hawai'i, you are Hawai'i, others are Hawai'i. If you're in Hawai'i and this is important, this is part of what you need to work on. So that is something you evolved to. Yes. Right? Yeah. So I want to take you back in the beginning of all of this adventure. So the first day, the day that you walk into a room and you meet some of the other 50 people, I mean, what were your thoughts? I mean, did you walk in there saying, what in the world am I doing here? Or, oh, this is great. Let's get started. What was it like? So two things that went through my mind. First, what in the world am I doing here? Secondly, these are all young kids compared to me. Wow. So I'm not in the 30 to 40 category. You know, you just gave me a little bit of an electric shock, you know? Because if you're, they were young kids compared to you, can you imagine what that makes people? Oh, we're the people going to die out anyway. So it was very interesting because a large majority of the people in this group I did not recognize. So walking into that room, then trying to hear this message about us working together toward a vision when you don't have Polina, when you don't have relationships with others, made it very awkward for myself and I know for others as well. So we've been working on this project for over eight months. Because it takes that long for you to get to know each other, but also to have the heart conversation. When you say heart conversations, what are some of the things that would come up? I mean like, obviously, we all see things maybe a little different, right? So I'm assuming that part of the discussion would be like, you know, I think that we ought to have more business and somebody's saying I think that maybe not. And so, okay, let's take a concrete example. I mean, I am sure that within your group there were people who think that the future of Hawaii needs to have a telescope on Mauna Kea, for example, right? And there are others who believe that maybe the essence of what we are as Hawaii or what you are as Hawaii means that we ought to protect our mountain top or something like that. So what happens when that kind of sub, or did that subject, for example, come up? That specific subject didn't necessarily come up, but very similar discussions happen. And so what actually started off was people were extremely courteous to each other in this group. Okay, that's a good beginning, because we're all from Hawaii, too. And we're all business people, we're all leaders. We're all looking at how we're trying to develop relationships with each other. We needed to sort of measure each other. And so that's why the earlier conversations actually were quite cordial, but did it actually get to the meat of the discussion? No. Okay. No. It took us being much more forthright with each other for us to really dive deep into what the issues were. And the native Hawaiian issues were a big issue, because many within the group did not understand what those issues were, because they didn't have to deal with them. As we sort of talked about in the group, you have the downtown financial people. And then you have the native Hawaiian issues on the outside. This group was intended to bring all of that together in the big table, because we have for so long tried to keep them separate. And not intentionally, but it just kind of happened. Right. And this group- So where does that put you? Because you occupy a very important business position, and somebody in your occupation has to be involved with business-type decisions on a daily basis, yet, given the institution you're working for, which is Kamehameha Schools, there's a kind of a trust, responsibility to native Hawaiians. And so you're sort of trying to balance all of this. But that balancing is actually part of our job, part of Kamehameha Schools' job. As we look at Aina, it cannot just be focused on one or the other, because Aina is so important to us on such a spiritual level as well. But at the same time, we have to be able to cultivate educational aspects, economic aspects, because we have to provide for the endowment, we have to provide for the education. So it's really not much different than what this group was trying to do, which is to find a balance. It's really all about balance. So one of the vision statements is specifically on vision of aloha. Oh, fantastic. Yeah. Let me tell you, first of all, you sat through like eight months of this, beginning nicely, that's typical in Hawaii, getting down to the nitty gritty. And at the end of it, what happened was, apparently, you created this, we're calling it a draft vision. And folks, if you want to see what the work that these people did, get a copy of the Hawaii Business Magazine, and it is their vision statement, 50 people meeting in Hawaii and created this vision statement. And they actually published it, as I understand it, so that people can review it and react to it. Yes. Yes. So that's important. You're looking for feedback. We're looking for feedback. We recognize that this is just a first step, but somebody had to take the first step. Somebody had to have the courage to take the first step. And so that's what we did. And the initiative. And the initiative. I mean, you know, one of the things about visions, as I know a little bit, was that, you know, what it takes is having one, and having one is not that easy. I mean, obviously, you worked on it. You occupy about, what, I don't know, maybe about 10 or 15 pages in here, which is, you know, amazing. The group that worked on all of this came up with nine sectors that they felt were important in Hawaii. And those nine sectors were the Aina, food, economy, energy, education, workforce and innovation, community health, government and infrastructure, and a vision of aloha. How did you decide what these sectors were? I mean, this is like hours of discussion. Yeah. When we first met, we actually met over a two-day period. And we actually worked on our vision statement to start off with individually. And you could see certain things coming out of that already from the mixture of the individuals in the room, that each of us came in with different backgrounds that had various interest areas. And that was probably a good reason why we were selected. In addition to our leadership roles that we play in our different organizations was also our areas of interest. So we have someone from the Department of Education there, an education. Kamehameh Schools is education. We've got the financial side, the business side. We have the banks that are involved in that section. So we have a sustainability person who has a focus on that. That's why we have a food and sustainability. So you have all these cross-conversations. You were particularly involved in one of these sectors, right? Yes. And that was? The INA sector. And which relates on a number of levels, not only because of your job, but because of your background working for Kamehameh Schools and your own interest, probably, as a Hawaiian. Well, I tell you, I want to get into the meat of all of this. And so we're going to be taking a short break for about a minute. And then we'll be back. And when we come back, I'd like to discuss what is this vision? We'll start with the INA one first. Yeah, sounds great. OK. This is Think Tech Hawaii, raising public awareness. Ted Rawson here, folks. You're a host on where the drone leads our weekly show at noon on Thursdays here on Think Tech. We talk about drones, anything to do about drones, drones, remotely piloted aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, whatever you want to call them, emerging into Hawaii's economy, educational framework, and our public life. We talk about things associated with the use, the misuse, technology, engineering, legislation with local experts, as well as people from across the country. Please join us noon on Thursdays and catch the latest on what's taking place in the world of drones that might affect you. Welcome back to Talk Story with John Wahee. We have as our guest this afternoon, Dana Sato, who sat as a participant in the creation of a vision, which you can find in the Hawaii Business Magazine, where in the August 2017 issue, it says, where should Hawaii be in 100 years? Now, Dana, you were part of the AINA discussion and vision. And I find it very interesting that your vision statement is based on sharing the world a model of Aloha Aina, which is something important to native Hawaiians. And apparently, to all of the people that participated in your group, anyway. And so what it appears to be is that your vision was trying to balance, I guess, some of the best things about Hawaii and some of the challenges. How do we keep our farmlands? How do we keep things productive? One of the interesting parts of the vision was when you got down through the specifics. And in the specifics, you called for the creation of a planning body. And there would be some kind of planning. And it was types of experts that, in other words, would put together a planning body of all the experts that they will help us and so forth. And what's interesting to me was that planning agencies exist. The state has a land use commission. They're the city charters. And you talk about coordinating with all of these parties. But what immediately popped up to me was the fact that if you're dealing with long-range planning, obviously your group did not believe that any of these entities was really doing it. Yeah, you hit it right on the head of the nail right there, John. Our group was very much concerned with the fact that as each administration changes with the election, that what we find is we find a switch in the vision and the focus of the agencies that are related that way. And so with that type of change happening, how could we have a consistency in the vision moving forward? Still recognizing that the vision has to be a living document that changes as time goes, because it's impossible for us to know what's going to happen in 100 years. But at the same time, if the vision keeps flowing so much like this, then you really have no vision. OK, so there needs to be a kind of a consistency, kind of a long-term, I guess, stability for things to happen, which is why I think your vision suggests that, which is really interesting, that this planning agency made up of experts not be under the governor. It's not be sort of separate. Yes. And I guess that because governors obviously change every eight years. But who would this commission be accountable to if not the governor? Yeah, I guess as we were talking about it, we sort of looked at as a comparative, would be like the board of water supply in the county in which they're still connected, but not connected at the same time, and it allows for some autonomy for that agency. And so that's sort of how we looked at it this way. We know that it may not be perfect, but we wanted to at least put it out there in an effort that we could get comments from others that might help guide us to a more perfect type of vision with that. Well, one of the interesting things to me was the fact that the old Hawaiian culture, there was a kind of, in my opinion anyway, there was a kind of what I call meritocracy. And that is that if you want to be the top fisherman, then you better be the best fisherman. If you want to be the farmer, you better be the best farmer. There's a kind of thing, I guess, a kind of sense that that was the type of commission that you were heading for. Yeah, and that's true, because as you read the statement, we actually introduced back the idea of the Ahupua'a system, which is a system that's unique to Hawaii alone in management from the Malka to Makai, and the relationships within a Moku, like Waianae is a Moku. The Kona region of Oahu is a Moku. But there are relationships. I remember someone telling me before, and I can't remember where they read this, but when the foreigners first came to Hawaii, they said, there is no central metropolis. And the reason was is because there were all of these Ahupua'as, which were independent communities. And we looked at that as being, you know what? It worked, fed all the people. And there was a sense of order to that. And so our vision, in addition to that planning group, which would be sort of flying at the 30,000 foot level, is getting more communities involved on the Ahupua'a level. And people becoming expert where they were. Yes. I mean, that's the key. I mean, you wouldn't go and ask somebody from one Ahupua'a a question about the other Ahupua'a. Which, by the way, in our daily lives, nowadays, we think everybody can do everything. So anyway, so you got this there. I was just a little concerned, because you can have a meritocracy. But if you're not careful, you're going to be looking for the perfect bunch of human beings. And they don't exist, you know? Well, and I think, so where this actually all started from was a question about what makes Hawaii different from anywhere else. What does make Hawaii different from anyone else? It's actually, as you know, as a governor, it's actually in our statute is the aloha spirit. That's what makes us unique from it. So as we worked on these vision statements, what was key to us was the fact that we need to resurrect in a much bigger, louder sense, again, aloha spirit and aloha. Because we see that as something that's unique to Hawaii, but slowly going away. Having the bumper sticker on your car is not enough, you know? So what we describe is that aloha is in our hearts. And it's our way to a better Hawaii, and it's our way to a better world. I know the bumper sticker thing. I'm driving down the road, and this car cuts in front of me with the aloha. Live aloha, exactly. And I say, as they cut in front of me, law to you too, you know? Exactly. So what you're talking about is like, I noticed that not only the vision on the aina, but all every one of these nine visions starts off with a discussion of values. And many, many times, the concept of aloha is constantly repeated. But not only aloha, laukahi, and many other Hawaiian values, it seems to me like the vision was, in a sense, based on a lot of the Hawaiian culture. Yes, it was. Yes, yes, it was. And it really all stemmed from the word aloha. Values all spin off from the word aloha. And what we all started to recognize and understand is that for any of this to go along, for the unity that we need under laukahi, that sense of unity through harmony comes from aloha. And we needed to also be able to look at what we're envisioning, not just for a better Hawaii, because that's too limiting. The way that we communicate in today's world, we can sit right here. Right, right. And we are communicating in China. Yeah, there'd be somebody maybe in China listening to us right now. Yeah, I hope so. You know, that would be interesting. By the way, I'm waiting for mail from the Chinese fans. Send us in, you know? But no, that's fantastic, because you're right. I mean, the world is so interconnected. You know, Bob Krause years ago wrote a book called The Island Way, which really influenced me. And in the book, he talked about the fact that there is a physiological difference between living on the continent and living in an island. And it had to do with the idea that when there was a lot of space, you can't afford to be a loner. You can't afford to go off and be Daniel Boone and living in the middle of the wilderness in Kentucky and all of that stuff. But when you have to see your neighbor every day and when you're living with limited resources, there is a whole different mindset to how you see the world and the solutions for the problems that you might face. There is a lot of that kind of thinking in these plans. Yeah, you're absolutely right, because that was specifically for our group that worked on the island. That was specifically an important thing for us. Is the recognition that we don't have infinite resources, but the opposite, that we have finite resources. And so when you have finite resources, you need to be able to recognize that you can't be using all the land for everything, that you have to be able to carefully manage and plan those lands to last into eternity. Because there is not as if, well, even off Hawaii Island, although we have additional land that is being built as we speak, those lands we know will not become productive lands for many thousands of years from now. So with the limited resources that we have, how can we best provide for people? We have to have that reciprocal relationship. See, I'm gonna bring a little bit of something else in. You grew up in Hawaii. Yes. Also in Wake Island. Yes. So if you really wanna live on an island, we can spend time on Wake Island. Yes, yes. So anyway, but what it looks like the planet is becoming an island. And so the message, because as we have now 350 million people in the United States, they're no longer continents can be different than islands. So the Hokulea went around the world talking about taking care of where you are, you know, Malama Honua. And it seems like this plan is right fit right into that. Yeah, because by focusing on taking care of what we have, we actually do impact the world and the future. Well, I wanna thank you not only for being with us today, but for participating in this. You and all of your participants, I think it's very, very important that we talk about values, that we talk about a Hawaii that's built on Aloha, which is what this document is about. So folks, get the Hawaii Business Magazine and read all about this and contribute your part. I'm hoping that there's another constitutional convention and you get a chance like we did in 1970 to incorporate this into our state's document. That would be awesome, John. That would be awesome. Well, thank you once again. Thank you, wow. Appreciate having you here.