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Native Advisory Group Ahamoku Pushes Back Against Bill That Would Change Oversight
Summary
Members of the Ahamoku advisory system and affiliated civic clubs opposed HP 2047, warning it would remove cultural autonomy and place the group under state agency control; lawmakers signaled a path to amend and a defect date, and asked for more detail on funding and oversight.
The committee spent substantial time Thursday on HP 2047, a bill proposing changes to the Ahamoku advisory committee — an island‑based body that brings Native Hawaiian generational knowledge into state resource decisions. Multiple civic and cultural organizations, including leaders from Ahamoku, the Kola Foundation and Hawaiian civic clubs, urged deferral and expressed strong opposition to statutory changes that they said would strip the body of its autonomy.
Leymana Damache, speaking for Ahamoku, said the measure “takes the autonomy of the Ahamoku process away from the native Hawaiians with generational and traditional knowledge,” adding that the group has functioned as an advisory entity and must remain so. Several witnesses detailed practical hurdles: limited administrative funding, travel and reimbursement problems for kupuna, and fragmented meeting practices across islands. Testimony cited an annual program budget figure of $286,000 for the Ahamoku program, which speakers said is insufficient to support regular, statewide meetings and meaningful public engagement.
Opponents said the Ahamoku was created to provide independent cultural guidance and that placing it under DLNR control would undermine its purpose. Ahamoku leaders said islands operate autonomously, that they do follow sunshine/open‑meeting law in island meetings, and that logistics and reimbursement delays have driven choices to limit central meetings. Representative Poipoi and others pressed for records, meeting minutes and formalized oversight; lawmakers said the bill’s intent was to strengthen accountability and transparency, not dismantle the advisory structure.
After extended questioning, the committee ultimately passed HP 2047 out with a defect date and recommendations for amendments; the chair and the bill’s sponsor said they would work on language to address where the executive director is housed and to improve administrative supports.
What’s next: The committee recommended passing HP 2047 with amendments and set a defect date to allow further drafting to address oversight, meeting requirements, and funding clarity.
