Waimea Valley needs to be Saved from OHA
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Chair Haunani Apoliona, Administrator Clyde Namu‘o, Deputy Administrator Mona Bernardino, and Director of Land Management Jonathan Scheuer are programmatically and financially mismanaging Waimea Valley. According to OHA sources, Apoliona led a charge to release $4,567,511 of Trust funds to support Hi‘ilei Aloha LLC, Hi‘ipaka LLC, and Hi‘ipoi LLC in January 2008.
By June 2008, Hi‘ipaka LLC managers who are also state employees Namu‘o and Scheuer with the support of Apoliona and Hi‘ilei Aloha LLC manager and state employee Bernardino forced Hi‘ipaka LLC Executive Director Gary Gill to resign and announced in a June 5, 2008 report that Hi‘ilei Aloha LLC, Hi‘ipaka LLC, and Hi‘ipoi LLC are operating in a deficit. The June 5, 2008 report stated that the deficit was $614,809.70. This is absolutely appalling, because in January 2008 OHA under Apoliona authorized $4,567,511 of Trust funds to support Hi‘ilei Aloha LLC, Hi‘ipaka LLC, and Hi‘ipoi LLC of which $2,276,882 was released. In less than six months, OHA leadership lost $2,891,691.71 in Trust funds. Where did all the Trust funds disappear too?
Waimea Valley employees have publicly shared that the leadership of Apoliona, Namu‘o, Bernardino, and Scheuer has brought chaos and dysfunction to Waimea Valley. Furthermore, these individuals on numerous occasions have lectured employees to stifle the truth from being told. Waimea employees have publicly stated, “Waimea Valley needs to be saved again, only this time OHA’s beneficiaries will need to save the Valley from OHA itself.” Waimea Valley employees have also shared grave concern that the underlying intent of the OHA LLC leadership “is to replicate Waimea Falls Park exactly as it was, with some additions from the Polynesian Cultural Center when possible.”
It is evident that Apoliona, Namu‘o, Bernardino, and Scheuer have no intent serving Hawaiians at Waimea Valley to strengthen cultural identity and connections to the ‘āina (land), rather Apoliona, Namu‘o, Bernardino, and Scheuer only discuss “how to best entertain the tourists by having smiling Hawaiians on display.”
OHA’s current leadership (Apoliona, Namu‘o, Bernardino, and Scheuer) is clearly mismanaging Waimea Valley. OHA is not addressing the needs of the Hawaiian beneficiaries by continuing to use Waimea Valley as a tourist attraction. OHA symbolizes a top heavy over spending bureaucracy that neglects those they are mandated to serve. The community needs to save Waimea Valley from OHA, because OHA is a “Broken Trust.”
We the people need to take action by holding OHA’s leadership accountable by voting for new Trustees in November 2008 OHA election. Say NO to Apoliona at the polls, as Apoliona lacks honesty, integrity, and compassion. Anyone but Apoliona.