Ka`u News Briefs September 13, 2011

New county fire chief Darren Rosario aims to upgrade old fire trucks.  Photo by Julia Neal

LEI KIHOI IS NATIVE HAWAIIAN ROLL CALL representative for Hawai`i County. The commission was established in July when Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed Act 195 into law. The legislation was supported by Sen. Gil Kahele during the 2011 state Legislature. Kahele, a Native Hawaiian himself, testified before the Senate, saying, “This bill is a long time coming… It was discussed by kupuna who are no longer here today…. The Hawaiian people are the host people, and we have greeted all the people who have come here with aloha.”
     Act 195 starts the process that will eventually lead to federal recognition of Native Hawaiians. In addition to Kihoi, the commission is comprised of the at-large member, former Governor John Waihe`e; Mahealani Perez-Wendt, of Maui County; Na`alehu Anthony, representing O`ahu; and Robin Puanani Danner, of Kaua`i.

Lei Kihoi  Photo from
PBS Hawai`i

     Kihoi has served the Native Hawaiian community for more than 25 years. As a former staff attorney for Judge Walter Heen, she wrote and promoted legislation regarding Hawaiian matters. Kihoi, 66, is a trained counselor in ho`oponopono, mediation and facilitation. She served on a number of boards and organizations, including Hui Hanai for the Queen Lili`uokalani Trust, Polynesian Voyaging Society, and the Native Hawaiian Bar Association. Kihoi earned her BS in Education from UH-Manoa, a master's degree in social work from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and her law degree from the UH-Richardson School of Law. A beneficiary of the Queen Lili`uokalani Trust, Kihoi now lives in Kona.
     Said Abercrombie, “These individuals represent various sectors of the Hawaiian community. Each brings experience, talent, knowledge, and skills that collectively create a broad-based team. This team will put together the roll of qualified and interested Native Hawaiians who want to help determine the course of Hawai`i’s indigenous people.” Once its work is completed, the governor will dissolve the Commission. The roll is to be used as the basis for participation in the organization of a Native Hawaiian governing entity. 

Former Gov. John Waihe`e. Photo from OHA

     Former Gov. Waihe`e said, “Now is the time to unify as a people. The belief in our nation-building process is being realized. It has been a long time coming, but today we have a renewed sense of confidence for our people and our future.” 

UPGRADING THE ISLAND’S fleet of fire trucks, some of them decades old, is one of the priorities of Hawai`i County’s new fire chief, Darren Rosario. Rosario took the oath and became the Big Island's 21st fire chief on Monday during a morning ceremony on the balcony of the Hawai`i County Building in Hilo.
     The 44-year-old career firefighter takes over from Darryl Oliveira, who retired Aug. 1 but volunteered until the swearing-in ceremony. 

MORE FLIGHTS BETWEEN JAPAN AND HAWAI`I were announced today by Hawaiian Airlines, beginning in April 2012, pending Japan government approval. If approved, Hawaiian will add daily nonstop flights between Honolulu and Fukuoka, its third destination in Japan. Fukuoka will be the fourth destination in Asia that Hawaiian has introduced recently to its route network, following the launches of service to Tokyo in Nov. 2010, Seoul in Jan. 2011, and Osaka in July 2011.
     Hawaiian's new Fukuoka flights will add approximately 100,000 new air seats annually to Hawai`i from Japan, the state's second largest market for visitors. In addition, Fukuoka Airport's proximity to Korea, China and other Asian countries will enhance Hawaiian's ability to attract customers from other regions of the Asian continent, as well as other cities in southern Japan via high-speed rail transportation. 

THE KA`U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Steering Committee meets this evening at 5:30 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. This is the first meeting in many months, and the public is invited to meet the new consultants who will help the county and the community to complete the plan. 

     Hawai`i Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development has been a sub-consultant for the CDP since 2009 and will continue its work on the economic development and capacity building elements of the CDP. HACBED is a statewide nonprofit that provides community planning, capacity building, and asset building services.

Chris Hart was planning director of
Maui County. Photo from
Small Town Maui Radio

    PBR Hawai`i & Associates was also a project sub-consultant and prepared the Ka`u Community Profile for the CDP. PBR will focus on strategies to develop and preserve Ka`u’s “green infrastructure” and to repair its “nonconforming” subdivisions. PBR Hawai`i has been a full-service planning firm in Hawai`i for 40 years and has an office in Hilo. 

     Chris Hart & Partners is tasked with using community values, vision, and objectives to develop the CDP analysis, policies, and actions related to existing and proposed resort nodes in Ka`u. Chris Hart & Partners is based on Maui and has extensive experience with both private and rural community planning, including both the Lana`i and Moloka`i community plans.