Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, December 8, 2016
Akina OHA: “Crucial Recommendations for Achieving Fiscal Sustainability”
By Keli'i Akina PhD @ 5:49 PM :: 6764 Views :: OHA

OHA Trustee Akina Urges Policy Changes on Spending, Transparency

Trustee Keli‘i Akina’s comments before vote for OHA BOT Chair

News Release from Office of OHA Trustee Kelii Akina, December 8, 2016

“I am taking my first fiscal duty very seriously which is to cast my vote for chair but I have not had certain advantages that my colleagues here have had. You’ve had the opportunity to look in the hearts of fellow trustees. You know how they have worked. You’ve looked at their character. You know the person. I do not have this privilege. Instead, in order to exercise my vote I had to do due diligence, and do the following to prepare myself for this day. I had to read through the minutes, comb through the comments and the positions taken by the trustees, I had to look through the financial documents, read through the fiscal sustainability reports. I had to do my research in order to set up a set of criteria. In other words, on what basis would I cast my vote? Again, I did not have personal considerations, and so I am going to make the assumption which I believe is correct, that all of you have aloha for the Hawaiian people, that all of you care about building a strong OHA.

The criteria I have come up with have to be very specific. Our number one need at OHA is to build a strong fiscal sustainability, in other words take the trust and protect that trust, grow that trust and ensure that trust is used to meet the needs of the Hawaiian people. And so I had to ask whose policies, whose statements in the minutes, whose record best demonstrated a commitment to fiscal sustainability? At the outset, I am grateful for the work that was done in the last term by the administration –thank you ka pouhana, and your team- on producing a fiscal sustainability program that was featured in Ka Wai Ola most recently.

In comparing that with the actual financial statements, our team which we put together of economists and advisers, distributes “Crucial Recommendations for Achieving Fiscal Sustainability.” It’s a document that I sent over the last two weeks to each of you as trustees. And I’ll submit it to the chair now, if you don’t mind just for the record here so that it can be available to everyone. What this shows, after a careful analysis of the financial statements of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, is that the Fiscal Sustainability Plan is a good start. But it is only a good start. The Board has authorized that direction. In order to be successful, there needs to be certain discipline in the exercise of policy that affects five areas. And if we don’t have those policies in place, we will not be effective.

That is my criteria. Who on this Board has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring the following are honored? Let me tell you what they are.

Number one: we must reduce spending. As Trustees we must be willing to reverse the trend of the past several years in which we have been spending more than we have been earning.

Number two: we must stop depleting the fiscal reserve. In other words, we must protect the intergenerational equity of the trust rather than spend down at the rate we have been spending.

Third, in our spending, we must stick to our mission. There are many things we spend on but what we have to do is ensure that the spending is focused on the betterment of Hawaiians- housing, jobs, education, health care. Not political programs.

Fourth, we must increase revenues aggressively. We must find creative and responsible ways to increase the revenues of OHA for the sake of beneficiaries. Projects like Kaka‘ako Development need to be fast tracked.

And fifth- this is extremely important- we must establish and strengthen our checks and balances, both at the Board and throughout the administration. We need to embrace opportunities for greater transparency and accountability as well as ensure our organization stays committed to our financial sustainability plans.

In closing, I would like to say I have high hopes for the future of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.”

---30---

Power Point: Crucial Recommendations Presentation

PDF: Crucial Recommendations for Achieving Fiscal Sustainability 

“This report includes a comprehensive assessment of OHA’s current financial condition. The report also includes recommendations for the development of the Fiscal Sustainability Implementation Plan that was authorized by the Board of Trustees through action item RM#16-08.“

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT