 Think Tech Hawaii. Civil engagement lives here. Aloha. I'm Marcia Joyner and these are the ties that bind. Today we are looking at an issue that is real close to us right here at home. And that is we are visiting with Pohai Ryan and she is a candidate for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Aloha Pohai. Good morning. Aloha. Pohai is a Keikioka Aina, a mother, a grandmother, an experienced nonprofit administrator, former state Senate and now she is running for trustee at large for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. And what it says in her literature is to bring effective stewardship of the trust of the trust to enhance economic empowerment, home ownership and educational opportunities for Hawaiians. Wow. That's a mouthful. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. Thank you for inviting me. As you know, as my audience knows, I only ask very dear friends. Yes. And Pohai I have known for, I don't know how many years, but she was a young whippersnapper for Molokai and her mother was the strongest Democrat I've ever met. And Pohai came to work for Brickwood Gulleteria when he was chair of the Democratic Party and there's this young thing learning. So you went on from working for Brickwood to be in a senator of your own and then you were with this non tourism Hawaiian tourism. What is the Hawaiian tourism? The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association was my last immediate position as the executive director. It was created in 1997 by Dr. George Kanaheli and Kenneth Brown. In conjunction with actually the process it took to create Hawaii tourism authority, it went hand in hand. Basically that nonprofit provided was meant to be the cultural conscience of tourism. Oh and that's needed. Yes. It is so needed. And it will never be stagnant. Yes. It is always active. What as the consciousness Hawaiian consciousness of tourism we see so much of this tin can and whatnot. Tell us about the consciousness Hawaiian consciousness of tourism. What exactly is that? Well Ho'okipa or hospitality is an innate value in the culture but today is a very different time for visitors all over the world. It's actually the trend right now that travelers want to be part of the indigenous community wherever they go whatever destination that is. So we're actually in a good time. Hawaiians are in a good time to try and learn more about tourism and be involved. It is the number one industry in our state. It is. I think that we need to benefit more. And also it's about framing our own narrative and the authentic representation whatever that may be. Part of it too is it's a very it's a double-edged sword because as much as we want prosperity through tourism we also have to take care of Malama the island environment. Yes. For lack of better word tourism still tourists still come to Hawaii for that purpose. Beautiful beaches beautiful scenery and it should go hand in hand with the cultural values. So I think it's a really good time for people who are interested in the Hawaiian community to participate in tourism. I wonder when you look at Waikiki and it is so not Hawaiian you know all those high-end stores what happened where did we lose what Waikiki maybe you're too young to remember what Waikiki used to be but but now all of those high-end stores and there's nothing that says this is Hawaii. Well one of the things I did was able to do in my previous job was a lot of research and Waikiki was filled with residents actually and the Ali had their own residents as well prior to that. Princess Kaimulani in Ainao and Queen Dilio Kalani and Pao Kalani. It was the playground of the and we all can see why it's really a beautiful beach. It is. And that is why people come to Waikiki. It is very dense high-rises but there is a trend in blending the contemporary with the Hawaiian design values and Mo'olelo seems to be very important to a lot of the resort management right now. Recently Prince the Prince Hotel Waikiki we reconstructed and did a lot of renovation but they based it on the story of the story place of that property and it's quite beautiful the end product is very beautiful and that seems to be the consciousness of where a lot of the hotels want to go. Actually coming back to making it more Hawaiian or else you're just staying in another luxury hotel around the world. Pretty beaches. So it is an effort and realistically is quite a modern city obviously and it's a very iconic city Waikiki. It has a lot of history though. Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association contributed to the storyboards that you see all over Waikiki. That was one of the projects they did previously and the reason is because to to note the historic marks marking of the different places in Waikiki but also to inform not only tourists but residents as well. Now tell us why you are a candidate for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and for anybody that doesn't know what the Office of Hawaiian Affairs tell us basically what is the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Well the Office of Hawaiian Affairs was created through actually it's part of the state of Hawaii Constitution Article 12 section 5 that creates a body that will that empowers nine trustees to oversee the trust assets in holding for the Hawaiian people and also to work to better the conditions of Hawaiians. So the rule is fiduciary unlike my previous position as a state senator we don't make laws we don't do state policy or administrative rules. It's a fiduciary role and it's a very different campaign I must say. I don't feel stressed about it. It feels very comfortable very natural very purposeful. Okay so as a trustee what what is the job of the trustee? The trustees you say there's nine yes the trustees oversee the CEO who is charged with the administration of the institution itself. The trustees decide one of the primary roles is really to grow the trust assets. One of the things I hope that we will refocus on should I get into the position I really want to focus on that. That's one of the things I want to do because we've gone too far away from that. Is that what the audit was about and the audit and the LLCs was that about going too far? Well my understanding of the audits unless I know the motivation behind the person or person that requested the audit I can't really say. Motivation does matter when you do audit because it depends what you're looking for. Yeah in a government audit though it normally is for audit is done to improve the agency and to make it better. I can see that this is not the first audit where Woha has had negative commenting and not to say other state agencies as well have had audits that did not fare well. Yeah that seems to be the case with all audits. Yes. No audit ever comes back and say hey you did a good job. Because it's meant to correct and improve yeah so hopefully we don't know where the where the facts will take us if there is wrongdoing. That I cannot say personally. What I have found though since I decided to run for Woha is in my research is that there is a big need for correction of systems and processes that's a major thing that needs to be addressed. That's where I'm seeing a lot of the confusion maybe coming from it needs to be tightened up. Going out into the public as a campaign I'm hearing a lot of we just want to see fairness of access to benefits whether they're grants or contracts but also transparency is huge with our public. When now you are running for the office and the election will be at the same time as all at the primaries. Yes. Yes and so how many people are running for the same office. Yeah it is interesting in 2000 the court Cayetano versus Rice ruling ruled that all of Hawaii voters can vote for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs which wasn't the case right at the beginning. Yes. Ms. Freddie Rice did bring the case forward and was successful. As a senator I actually voted for the law to be changed requiring not all hard to have a primary. I will say one of the trustees was not happy with me and she expressed that but I felt that it was another way to give more opportunity to those others who want to serve our community and it's ironic that I am will be in a primary. The law stands that with the three candidate seats that are open this election cycle the three at large seats seven or more candidates there's an automatic primary which we find ourselves. I believe I think there's 17 candidates. 17. Yeah. Oh my. Yeah that's pretty bad it depends how you look at the numbers but I believe everybody should earn the votes anyway. It is very hard work. It is hard. One of the things I find very interesting is that every trustee seat is a statewide seat. So in other words all the voters of Hawaii vote for every seat in the board of trustees which I find interesting since we don't do that in the legislature. Well I was going to say when you're at large does that mean all of the islands. No but it does but all the trustees all of the trustees. It doesn't matter if they represent Oahu or Kauai. I recall when my mother decided to run for OHA back in the day she won Molokai but it was the first election where it was statewide and she ended up losing a seat. Oh of course. Yeah yeah but in the at-large we do represent the entire state but it's not broken down. But can everybody vote. Yes everybody I want to emphasize that. I really everything every trustee seat everybody can vote for it not just at large seats and I really want to emphasize and encourage people to vote. You don't have to be Hawaiian but we need your help. If change is needed then help us bring it. Okay we need to take a break and when we come back let's talk about the the infrastructure of OHA and what it means why and why the rest of us need to be involved. Okay. I'm Ethan Allen your host on think tech's likeable science show. Every Friday at 2 p.m. we delve in the magical magical fascinating world of science. How science applies to your life. Why you should care about science. What impact science has on you and on those around you. Why you need to know some science. It's a fun interesting painless way to learn some good science that you can use. See you there. Hello I'm Cynthia Lee Sinclair. I have a show called Finding Respect in the Chaos. It's all about women's rights and gender equality. It's a place for survivors of abuse to come on and tell their stories and a place for advocates to come on and share important resources so that people can get past the abuse and into the hope and healing that's on the other side. I hope you'll join me every other Friday at three o'clock for Finding Respect in the Chaos. I'm Cynthia Lee Sinclair on think tech of what you dot com. Aloha and we're back and we are visiting with my dear friend Pohai Ryan and Pohai is running for as a candidate for the office of Hawaiian affairs and we were just talking about voting and she has to every island I've had other than governor. Does anybody know which is lieutenant governor which I for federal seats but which I find quite interesting. I really need to look into that more because I will see the resources are high the expending. You have to be careful. You have to have networks or else it's really difficult to get your name out there. Yeah I feel it's important to that me personally to go to the neighbor islands because as someone who grew up on a neighbor island I know how much it means to people that you're you're present. Yes I think so and so often we here in Honolulu are Honolulu. Right here it only happens right here and we don't even now of course with the volcano we we get to see on a daily basis and we get to feel and see oh the people out there yeah yeah so tell me now you mentioned term limits. Yes. Are there no term limits I mean can a person just take a seat and stay for the rest of their lives. If they continue to get elected yes I personally feel that three four year term should be adequate that is enough time to perform as a fiduciary for the Hawaiian community. So I am actually in support of term limits for trustees but it's not something that can be easily done. It would take a referendum or or even a court order but we will have to see but you know most people think all politicians today need term limits so yes I don't know what that would mean but. But do people outside of the Hawaiian community pay attention to OHA? Well I found that people were being very respectful and courteous they felt it wasn't their place to vote and I actually am appreciative of that but we do need the help of the broader community in this election if change is what people want also there are tax payers money that is expended for the operations of OHA and I feel that they should have a say. Well you know we get to hear all of the bad stuff obviously those are the you know that make headline but do we really understand and get to see and know about all of the good stuff because I know that they couldn't stay in business as long if they had not they weren't producing some good. Yeah there are some success stories especially among business clients and programming successful partnerships extensive research and data that is needed for other entities outside of OHA to support and assist programs or projects for the Hawaiian community. I think that it's just very easy to and quite dramatic to report on negative things but we laugh about it among the community because Hawaiians are dramatic that's who we are very fiery sometimes I don't think you should serve as a trustee if you don't have passion to serve our people you should have passion it cannot be all logic. Yes of course now I remember many years ago I was one of the stewards at Waimea Valley and then OHA bought the valley and I think there was an LLC set up to buy the valley and then we didn't hear anything else about OHA and the valley so well I because I'm familiar with the current valley operations I do want to actually commend Richard Pizzolo who was in charge of Waimea Valley now he's finally bought it into the black with his team and his staff out there and it's a very vibrant destination for people to visit but also a community gathering place he le aloha does it is part of he le aloha and I understand there is some concern going on with he le aloha which I am not privileged to really comment on only because I don't have enough information mostly but from what I've seen the success of Waimea Valley it's changed it to a the cultural place it should be and it's quite beautiful and active. Well that's great yeah yeah because we worked hard many many years ago to make to take it from being a circus yeah yeah and into you know back to what it should have been should be. It's quite a spiritual point yes and maybe the stewards now are the appropriate stewards that might be why but if I can say just where it was headed when we came on board yes I remember it was like Ferris wheels and oh anyway that was a long time ago yeah and so how would you let's go back to today and you say that let me read it to of the trust to stewardship of the trust what did you mean by stewardship of the trust well it is the primary duty of the trustees to oversee the trust assets whether they be real estate programs funding I think that one of the first things I would do as a new trustee is really understand the reporting structure as afforded by the trustee board of trustee meeting agendas I think there could be some improvement in that way because sometimes mistakes are made without knowing it's a mistake or there's not enough information without you knowing you're supposed to ask something I think it's important that the trustees be briefed thoroughly before the agendas so they understand what is before them and what should be asked I think that the financial accounting of the the trustees allowances need to be revamped I'm very adamant about that I think it should be consistent and in line with the legislative rules because they're all based on ethics rules and I think it's appropriate and that doesn't mean they won't be able to use it to further their position attend conferences it actually just means that the parameters are clear what about the Mr. Crab what is his job Kamanao Pono Crab is the CEO of the office of Hawaiian affairs and he directly reports to the board of trustees so he's like a manager is that he's much higher than that he is I know the community sees him in different lights I've seen him viewed as the keeper the guide or the navigator of the delivery of services the outcomes that people want to see he is a very great practitioner cultural practitioner Olalo Hawaii meaning Hawaiian language speaker but management he does report to the board directly it is in statute and that is how it's structured is now is he elected or no he is hired by the board by the board he is the only employee hired by the board yes there is a process where people can apply when it is open so does he have a is there a term limit with him no no so the no when his contract is reviewed it's always he has a contract yeah yeah okay and so that if the turnover let's assume that there's a turnover new trustees new trustees does that do anything with his contract um it's my understanding that it's being reviewed right now I could be incorrect but that is my understanding so that probably will be settled before the election is completed if not it is one of the new duties of the new sitting trustees if there will be some but uh I cannot say whether he will be terminated or not oh well no I didn't I'm just or changed or if it will be I'm just looking at the structure yes not because I don't know the gentleman so I don't want to comment yeah yeah yeah and that's appropriate um but it is a process where the trustees review um his evaluation I guess they are the only body that can say he can stay or not now the rest of the employees that each trustee has an office staff so how are they hired um normally they're hired somewhat under the direction of the trustees and that's obvious because you're so that's your office staff yeah yeah it's like the legislature in that way where um you you know as a trustee what you want in your staff people and it varies so the the then you get the trustee gets to hire staff recommend the hire yes okay so he's the ceo but the trustees get to hire their staff their own staff their own staff the rest of the institution staff though is hired through the process of human resources so there is an office of yes they have their own human resource division as well as um leadership body um within each division I think is how they structure it for the hires the recommendations so this is a big operation it is it is what is the budget annual budget do you know I cannot say for sure I did go through the financials um I cannot see what the operating funds are off of my head but um I know that some people were concerned about some of the salaries but really if if the office of Hawaiian affairs is working towards the direction of a governance body we need to pay appropriately um PhDs do get paid higher MBAs do get paid higher um and we cannot expect high quality um staff without the pay being in parity to the private sector now do um they are paid commensurate with what I've seen yes it's pretty much in par um I have not been able to actually access how the staff is structured and I'm sure once he left it I'll be able to access that that's something that needs to be reviewed tell me where does the where do you the money that that the state or trust monies come from from the state where what are the lands where are the well one of the one of the bone of contentions with the office of Hawaiian affairs is the lack of revenue that is due yes to the office of Hawaiian affairs and it is something that um as trustees we are responsible to keep pursuing to collect it so where does that money what where are those lands um they're throughout the state actually and this session legislative session prior to this session was the first time I saw the office of Hawaiian affairs do a basically a very focused marketing effort to educate the community about the seeded lands um and and the trust itself and I felt the film was quite successful but it's the follow-up part in working with the legislature obviously is where the challenge comes in and it's something we have to continue to work on because it is our fiduciary responsibility so the the legislature works with oh in that respect because the state is the basically the lessee that owns the lease lands or payments whether it be um for uh so um revenue generating yeah so if you're uh supposed to get money from let's say the land the land that the airport is on yes does do they have to report do they have to generate a report that says x number of dollars you're speaking about are you speaking about um the state is that who you're referencing um do they these where these seeded lands are yes there is there is a revenue formula that's supposed to be um followed and that is what um oh his position is that we are not receiving the right revenue okay now we have to go oh okay but I'll give you 30 seconds to tell us why we need to vote for you well you know since I was a young girl I wanted to run for oh I was actually discouraged and asked to serve the greater community first which I have I think this point in my life I feel very comfortable and purposeful in this run I asked that um with my experience in the community that people see the value in me sitting as a trustee a new trustee um the time right now I think is a good one change is okay it's not necessarily um targeted any one person or group of people but changes time is now okay well thank you so much my dear and you will come back and talk to us again yes thank you thank you aloha