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OHA trustees defend process but leave $15,000 sponsorship intact after public concerns
Summary
After public testimony raised concerns that a $15,000 OHA sponsorship funded video production for a $500‑per‑ticket Spirit Fest event with lower-than-expected Native Hawaiian attendance, trustees debated rescinding or amending the prior approval and ultimately left the original approval in place.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees on April 17 reconsidered a $15,000 sponsorship previously approved on March 6 for Kuanaʻa ʻIke’s Hoa Kaua Lahui Spirit Fest 2025, but trustees ultimately left the earlier approval intact after several hours of testimony and board discussion.
Two representatives of Kuanaʻa ʻIke — Ryan Souza and interim executive director Keola Maʻotenga — told the board the sponsorship request sought funds to record and edit roughly 120 hours of event content so material could be widely distributed for free to Hawaiʻi communities. The application itemized $5,000 for audio-visual rental and $10,000 for editing of recordings and listed an in‑kind $10,000 donation to cover production staff; the applicants said the $500 registration fee covered hotel rental costs.
Germaine Myers, an OHA beneficiary and Nanakuli Hawaiian homestead lessee, told trustees she obtained additional documentation by public-records request and criticized the packet that accompanied the original vote. Myers said the application estimated about 150 participants with 40% Native…
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