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OHA administration briefs committee on implementation status of state audit recommendations for real property
Summary
OHA staff told trustees they have made progress on recommendations from State Auditor Report No. 23‑04 (audit of OHA real property), said some items are implemented, and others are targeted for completion by July 2025 or June 2026; a beneficiary requested copies of updated plans under UIPA.
Germaine Myers, an OHA beneficiary and Nanakuli Hawaiian homestead lessee who identified herself as working in beneficiary advocacy and empowerment, addressed the committee during public testimony and asked for copies of several documents referenced in OHA’s audit response, including the Hawaii real estate tactical and strategic plan, migration and operating plans, and asset plans once completed.
The committee’s land director, Laurie Walker, presented an informational update on OHA’s response to the State Auditor’s Office Report No. 23‑04 (Audit of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs relating to OHA real property). Walker said some recommendations were reported as implemented and the agency has made “significant strides” toward completing the remainder. She noted the auditor followed up in April 2025 and OHA provided an updated response that day.
Walker summarized activities completed or underway since the audit: contracting real estate consultants to support completion of the Hawaii real estate tactical and strategic plans; preparation of migration and operating plans and policies (targeted for July 2025); development of business models and operating plans; and introduction of a 2025 legislative bill addressing Kaka'ako Makai workforce housing. Walker told trustees she was confident most recommendations would be completed within about a year.
Public commenter Germaine Myers requested copies of several documents via UIPA (Uniform Information Practices Act) once they are finalized, including: the Hawaii real estate tactical and strategic plan, migration and operating plans and policies, investment and legacy lands policies, and property asset plans. Myers specifically referenced HRS section 10‑6(1), which requires OHA’s board to “develop and continually update a strategic plan” and asked that OHA comply with that statutory mandate.
Walker acknowledged the materials and thanked staff and trustees for their work on the response; she invited questions and none were raised by trustees during the briefing. The presentation was informational; no committee action or vote was required or taken on the audit response during the meeting.
