Three incumbent trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs retained their seats on Wednesday, while a former Native Hawaiian congressman also secured a spot on the board.
Six candidates competed for four OHA seats. One seat was secured during the Aug. 10 primary election, with the remaining three decided in Tuesday’s general election.
Among the winners was incumbent Keli‘i Akina, who defeated Lei Ahu Isa for an at-large OHA Board of Trustees seat. Akina received 60.73% of the vote, totaling 165,273, while Ahu Isa garnered 39.27%, or 106,885 votes. In the Aug. 10 primary, Akina received 40,836 votes, while Ahu Isa secured 30,860 votes.
The remaining three at-large trustees are Keoni Souza, Brickwood Galuteria and John D. Waihe’e IV.
During the Aug. 10 primary election, Kaiali‘i “Kai” Kahele secured a decisive victory for the Hawaii island trustee seat on the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board, winning outright with 56.7% of the vote.
The OHA seat for Hawaii island was held by Trustee Mililani Trask, who will not be seeking reelection and had formally endorsed Kahele for the position.
Kahele garnered 19,088 votes, far surpassing his closest competitor, Ka‘apana Aki, who received 5,457 votes.
For the OHA Kauai-Niihau trustee seat, incumbent Dan Ahuna, who has represented the islands since November 2012, received 131,099 votes, or 55.93%, and was elected over Laura Lindsey, who collected 103,299 votes, or 44.07%.
Incumbent Luana Alapa secured the Molokai-Lanai resident trustee seat with 142,124 votes, or 59.91%, defeating R. Kunani Nihipali, who received 95,097 votes, or 40.09%.
The remaining OHA board seats not up for reelection this year include Kalei Akaka as the Oahu Trustee and OHA Chair Carmen Hulu Lindsey as the Maui Trustee.
OHA, established in 1978 as a semi-autonomous state agency, focuses on improving the well-being of Native Hawaiians.
OHA awards $500,000 annually in scholarships to support Native Hawaiian students in higher education.
Over the past decade, it has distributed more than $34 million in loans to help Native Hawaiians start businesses, improve homes, consolidate debts and pursue further education, among other community initiatives.
According to OHA, its grants program is “integral” to supporting services aligned with its strategic plan, providing over $12 million each year to fund projects that enhance the well-being of Native Hawaiians.
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