.category-resolution .post-meta { display:none; }

ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS

A RESOLUTION

No. 2018 – 42

URGING THE HAWAIʻI STATE LEGISLATURE TO ESTABLISH THE MAUNA KEA MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY

WHEREAS, extensive discussion and advocacy have been focused on improving management of Mauna Kea; and

WHEREAS, the process of discussion and solution-finding within communities is critical to developing a new organizational structure management system and procedure for Mauna Kea; and

WHEREAS, this process of discussion and solution-finding must continue; and

WHEREAS, a new entity to manage Mauna Kea has been identified as a solution to the issues that have led to current and past mismanagement of Mauna Kea; and

WHEREAS, a new entity would increase the accountability of all tenants on Mauna Kea and ensure that each tenant is aware of its obligations and responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, this entity will also provide the necessary stewardship for the sustainable use of Mauna Kea and the proper generation of revenue from that use; and

WHEREAS, this entity will be headquartered on the island of Hawai‘i and will be recognized by the general public and the State as the single point of contact for Mauna Kea’s summit region and midlevel facilities; and

WHEREAS, this new entity will be led by a board whose members have no inherent conflicts of interest regarding Mauna Kea, and who will provide the requisite level of independence, objectivity, competence, relevant expertise, commitment, and willingness to be engaged in order for the new entity to achieve its goals; and

WHEREAS, revenues generated by the entity will primarily be used for the management and proper stewardship of the approximately eleven thousand four hundred acres of lands on Mauna Kea under the entity’s jurisdiction; and

WHEREAS, the intent of the new entity is to supersede all existing entities that are responsible for the management and stewardship of Mauna Kea.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 59th Annual Convention in Kalapaki, Kauaʻi, in the malama of Welehu and the rising of ʻOlepau, this 17th day of November 2018, urging the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to establish the Mauna Kea Management Authority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mauna Kea Management Authority (Authority) shall create access, stewardship, and management policies for Mauna Kea lands, including but not limited to policies pertaining to the protection of natural and cultural resources, all recreational activities, and all commercial uses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Authority consist of nine voting members to be appointed by the Governor from a list of qualified candidates presented to the Governor; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of the Authority include: 1) two Native Hawaiian practitioners or lineal descendants of practitioners of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices associated with Mauna Kea; 2) a Native Hawaiian individual with demonstrated expertise in Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices or Hawaiian history; 3) a Native Hawaiian educational specialist with expertise in either early, secondary, or post-secondary education as evidenced by a college or postgraduate degree in education and a minimum of ten years’ experience in the department of education or University of Hawai‘i system; 4) a Native Hawaiian individual who has expertise in business, accounting, finance, economics, or innovation with a minimum of ten years of business experience in the State of Hawai‘i; 5) an environmental expert with demonstrated expertise in environmental sciences or relevance to the natural resources and ecological attributes of Mauna Kea, as evidenced by a post college or postgraduate degree in biology, ecology, invasive species management, or other relevant field or work history that demonstrates an appropriate level of knowledge of Mauna Kea’s natural resources and ecology; 6) an astronomy expert as evidenced by a post college or post-graduate degree in astronomy or astrophysics who is not currently employed at an astronomy facility associated with Mauna Kea or the University of Hawai‘i Institute for Astronomy; 7) a business expert with expertise in accounting, finance, economics, and innovation, as evidenced by a college or postgraduate degree in business administration; 8) a land management expert with demonstrated expertise in real estate, property appraisal, and leases, as well as subject matter expertise in Hawai‘i’s land use laws; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the members of the Authority be residents of the County of Hawai‘i, and the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be elected annually from among its members, and the day-to-day operations of the Authority shall be led by the Chairperson; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Authority’s organizational structure include but not be limited to six divisions as follows: Enforcement, Culture and the Environment, Revenue Management, Operations, Legal, and Community Relations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mauna Kea Candidate Advisory Council (Candidate Advisory Council) for the Authority be established for the purposes of recruiting, evaluating, and presenting to the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i qualified candidates for nomination to vacant seats on the Authority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Candidate Advisory Council consist of 12 voting members to be appointed without regard to Section 26-34, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, as follows: 1) the representative of the Island of Hawai‘i on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees; 2) a member on the Hawaiian Homes Commission who represents the island of Hawai‘i; provided that this member alternate between the East Hawai‘i member and West Hawai‘i member every two years; 3) the chair of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Astronomy Program; 4) the Executive Director of the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center; 5) the ‘Aha Moku Advisory Committee Hawai‘i Island member; 6) a representative from the Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Moku o Māmalahoa Heiau; 7) the president of the Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce, or the president’s designee; 8) the chair of the Sierra Club, Moku Loa Group, or the Chair’s designee; 9) a representative from the Mauna Kea Observatories; 10) the president of the Hawai‘i Island Contractors Association, or the president’s designee; 11) a representative from the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation; and 12) the Board of Land and Natural Resources Hawai‘i Island member; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Candidate Advisory Council is requested to:

  1. Develop and implement a fair and independent procedure for evaluating candidates to serve on the Authority;
  2. Actively solicit and accept applications from potential candidates;
  3. Evaluate candidates for the Authority on their background, experience, and potential for discharging the responsibilities of a member of the Authority;
  4. Vote by secret ballot to select qualified nominees for the Authority; and
  5. Present a list of at least three candidates to the Governor for nomination and appointment for each vacant seat on the Authority; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Candidate Advisory Council is requested to initiate the recruitment and evaluation of candidates for each applicable vacancy on the Authority within 60 days of a vacancy or at least 120 days prior to the expiration of a member of the Authority’s term; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Candidate Advisory Council is requested to meet annually and at other times as necessary; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Authority is requested to submit a written report annually to the Legislature, no later than ten days prior to the convening of each Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the report include but not be limited to an update on the status of all administrative rules, including rules on the management, stewardship, and protection of Mauna Kea lands and cultural resources; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to Senator Kaialiʻi Kahele, Pelekikena – ʻAhahui Siwila ʻo Ke Aloha ʻĀina as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chairs of the State Senate Committees on Higher Education and Hawaiian Affairs. Chairs of the State House Committees on Higher Education and Ocean Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs. Chair of the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.

The undersigned hereby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Welehu and the rising of ‘Olepau on the 17th day of November 2018, at the 59th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Kalapaki, Kaua‘i.

Annelle C. Amaral, President