OHA TRUSTEE ON KANA`IOLWALU - "STOP & SPEND THE MONEY TO MEET THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS OF OUR HAWAIIAN PEOPLE"
From: Oswald Stender
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2013 7:24 AM
To: 'Mahealani Wendt'; Colette Machado; Peter Apo; Robert Lindsey; Hulu Lindsey; Rowena Akana; Dan Ahuna; Haunani Apoliona; John Waihee
Cc: Kamana'opono M. Crabbe, Ph.D.
Subject: RE: Native Hawaiian Roll Commssion
Mahealani: I guess I should respond to your email inasmuch as I am the one who is struggling with this issue.
First, I always look at the cost/benefit of requested funding-both short term and long term.
In this case, the funding request started at $250,000 then finally at over four million.
The one mission for the Commission was to make a list-not to build the nation.
After spending over three million dollars with a goal of 200,000 registrants, the effort produced 20,000.
When you add what was spent for Kau Inoa, OHA has spent over $10,000,000 for 120,000 registrants out of 500,000.
When Kana'ioluwalu had sign up booths at events that had 300 to 400 people in attendance and then signed up less than 10% of those in attendance, you need to ask "Why".
For the many who I have spoken to-many are not interested; many are confused with all these lists; and many are distrustful of the effort.
So, after 12 years and $10,000,000- I say stop-most Hawaiians are distrustful of this effort and most are just not interested.
At this point, I am not saying "abort"-I'm saying you have done your best, you spent a lot of money at it and it is time to make up the list with what you have, write up your report and spend the money to meet the immediate needs of our Hawaiian people.
The effort to build the Hawaiian nation is a whole different effort (it is not Kana'ioluwalu's mission) and let's continue that effort.
We are not aborting the mission, we need to file a report on that mission.
Spending another million dollars will not get you another 20,000 signatures.
Aloha. Oz
