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OHA weighs next move following Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s Ceded Land revenue decision |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2010
HONOLULU – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is mapping its next move following today’s decision by the Hawai‘i Supreme Court denying OHA’s petition for a writ of mandamus requiring the 2011 legislature to enact legislation regarding OHA’s past due ceded land revenue claims.
“We naturally are disappointed at the court’s ruling,” said Clyde Namuo, OHA Chief Executive Officer. “However, we note that the court based its decision on its understanding of the technical requirements for a mandamus action. Nothing in the court’s ruling calls into question our belief that the legislature’s position to hold off on these claims is contrary to the Hawai‘i constitution, Hawai‘i statutes and the State’s fiduciary duties owed to Native Hawaiians. We will continue to pursue these claims.”
Decisions by the Hawai‘i State Supreme Court in 2001 and 2006 mandating the Hawai‘i legislature to address these claims were not adhered to after proposals submitted by OHA during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions were rejected. As a last resort, OHA had reluctantly filed the mandamus petition to protect the interests of OHA’s Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.
Revenues owed to OHA are for the State’s use of ceded lands such as the State airports, State hospitals, and Hawai‘i Housing Authority and Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation projects. These past due claims were not resolved in 1993 by
the $130 million settlement. In 2008, OHA and the Lingle administration entered into a settlement agreement that would have resolved these claims for $200 million, but the legislature did not go along with the settlement.
The Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s ruling in previous cases has held that “it is incumbent upon the legislature to enact legislation that gives effect to the right of Native Hawaiians to benefit from the ceded lands trust.”
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Media Relations and Messaging Manager
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Designation of Papahänaumokuäkea Marine National Monument as a World Heritage site |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2010
HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I (July 30, 2010) The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) said today the vote by the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) to inscribe Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as one of 890 World Heritage mixed (natural and cultural) sites in the world is an important recognition for Hawai‘i and the Native Hawaiian culture. The vote also establishes the Monument as the largest site in the world, and the first mixed, as well as the first marine, World Heritage Site in the nation.
“We are very proud of this historic inscription,” said Haunani Apoliona, chairperson of the OHA Board of Trustees. “This event proves what OHA has always supported, which is the need to recognize and protect what is culturally, spiritually and naturally important to Native Hawaiians. With this international backing, Papahānaumokuākea will be preserved for future generations of Hawai‘i and the world.”
UNESCO's World Heritage mission includes:
- encouraging nations to establish management plans and set up reporting systems on the state of conservation of their World Heritage sites;
- helping nations safeguard World Heritage properties by providing technical assistance and professional training;
- providing emergency assistance for World Heritage sites in immediate danger;
- supporting nations’ public awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation;
- encouraging participation of the local population in the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage; and
- encouraging international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural heritage.
With an area of nearly 140,000 square miles Papahānaumokuākea is home to over 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which is found only in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. OHA has firmly supported the Monument’s mission to achieve strong, long-term protection and perpetuation of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands’ ecosystems, Native Hawaiian traditional, customary cultural and religious practices and management and heritage resources.
For more information on the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, visit www.papahanaumokuakea.gov
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Media Relations and Messaging Manager
Office: 808-594-1982
Cell: 808-754-0078
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