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Advocacy and compliance present hires, burial‑site work and ocean policy priorities for OHA budget
Summary
The advocacy and compliance teams outlined staffing needs, plans to strengthen island burial councils and a working group to assess whether OHA should assume certain burial‑site responsibilities from the state. The presentation included community training proposals, estimated reinterment costs and a new ocean policy manager post.
Kapāhakū (Advocacy) and compliance staff presented the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees with a budget request centered on staffing, island burial council support, community empowerment and ocean policy work.
Kapaʻahaku (presenter name listed as advocacy lead) described objectives to increase beneficiary engagement in legislative initiatives, expand voter registration efforts and rebuild staff expertise so the office can act as a policy partner across the agency’s MIMO priorities. The compliance team — led in the meeting by Kai Markel and senior archaeologist Kamakana Ferrera — outlined near‑term priorities including stronger staffing for island burial councils, a facilitator for a large burial‑sites working group, and funding for reinterment costs and neighbor‑island responses to inadvertent discoveries.
Compliance staff said a facilitator and administrative support will be needed for the working group that the board approved earlier this year to evaluate transferring some burial‑site duties from the state historic preservation division to OHA. Staff proposed a $50,000 contract for a facilitator and an estimated $30,000 to $50,000 range to cover reinterment materials and related costs (dry goods such as muslin were priced during budget preparation to produce an estimate for reinterment wrapping and associated supplies).
The presentation also described the reinstatement of an ocean policy manager position (previously supported by NOAA funding) to restore OHA’s co‑trustee work on Papahānaumokuākea and other ocean policy responsibilities. Staff said the position was posted and that OHA has been notably absent from some ocean policy forums in recent years.
On homesteading issues, compliance staff asked for specialist contracts (for example, a hydrologist or engineer) to investigate water‑system issues in places such as Anahola and Ho‘olehua where homesteaders report restricted access to irrigation water. Staff also described plans for biannual in‑person legislative‑empowerment and IBC recruitment trainings on neighbor islands and a proposed voter‑engagement media component; the community empowerment line item in the budget includes $30,000 for programming, of which staff identified roughly $12,000 for paid advertising.
Trustees asked about recruitment and retention for manager positions and discussed flexibility to increase salaries to attract qualified candidates; one trustee suggested up to $20,000 in additional flexibility for manager recruitment. Trustees also requested a presentation that explains compliance work and enforcement roles in more detail to help the board and public understand OHA’s obligations and on‑the‑ground activities.
Compliance staff noted they will bring further details and said several hiring recommendations are in process with a target of filling many vacancies by June 30.
