MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGMONDAY, JULY 1ST, 2024 AT 03:00 P.M.
HYBRID VIA ZOOM
Commission Members Present were:
Kalani Kaʻanāʻanā
Māpuana de Silva
Sen. Jarrett Keohokāhole
Jamie Lum-

Makana McClellan
Māpuana de Silva
Rep. Richard Onishi-Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA)
Community
Hawaiʻi State Senate
Department of Business, Economic Development,and Tourism (DBEDT)
Governor’s Designee
Community
Hawaiʻi State House of Representatives

Elise Amemiya
Maka Casson-Fisher-

Office of the Attorney General
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA)

Aaron J. Salā
Hailama Farden-Festival Director, Gravitas Pasifika
Office of Hawaiian Affairs

Apologies:
Shanty Asher
Snowbird Bento
Stacy Ferreira-City & County of Honolulu
Community
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)

Staff:

Guests:CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Kalani Kaʻanāʻanā (Chair) at 3:03pm, who welcomed
everyone present via ZOOM.
WEHENA
Chair Kaʻanāʻanā called upon HTA Staff member Maka Casson-Fisher to provide the wehena(opening). Casson-Fisher performed a Pule Kala in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi with intent for forgiveness forunintentional hurt or harm on a grand scale.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 1, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.
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ATTENDANCE
Chair Kaʻanāʻanā and Commissioners de Silva, Lum, McClellan and Onishi were present.
Commissioners Asher and Ferreira were excused prior. Commissioner Keohokālole joined at3:29pm. Staff Member Casson-Fisher, Festival Director Aaron Salā, and Deputy AG EliseAmemiya, were also present via Zoom.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMSChair Kaʻanāʻanā invited public members attending the ZOOM call to testify on any agenda
items. Chair had shared with the team that they had received correspondence on June 12th fromthe office of the county clerk with a certified copy of Resolution 24-10.7, adopted by the councilof the county of Maui, State of Hawaii on June 7th 2024, which celebrated the 13th Festival ofPacific Arts and Culture hosted by Hawaii June 6th to the 16th. Chair then ensured a scanned copyof the resolution would be distributed to the commission, as well as to inquire if DBEDT could
post the resolution publicly, online. Hearing and seeing no further testimony, Chair proceeded tothe next agenda item.
REPORT ON PERMITTED INTERACTIONS, PURSUANT TO ACT 103, SESSIONLAWS OF HAWAIʻI 2021
Chair noted neither an Admin or Venue Committee meeting took place between commission
meetings. Chair then shared a permitted interaction, given that commission members were all at
the festival at differing times, not necessarily in-discussion, but attending the festival event. AGAmemiya responded this was appropriate for recordkeeping. Hearing and seeing no furtherpermitted interactions from the commission, Chair continued to the next agenda item.
APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 3, 2024 MEETING MINUTESThe minutes were previously distributed and reviewed by commissioners. Chair Kaʻanāʻanārequested a motion to adopt the June 3rd 2024 minutes. Commissioner Onishi motioned,seconded by Commissioner de Silva. With no additional discussion, Chair conducted a roll-callvote. Chair Kaʻanāʻanā, and Commissioners de Silva, Lum, McClellan, and Onishi voted infavor of adopting the unamended minutes of the June 3rd 2024 meeting. Commissioners Asher,Bento, Ferreira, and Keohokāhole were excused. Motion carried.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING THE FESTIVAL
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Festival Director (FD) Salā presented updates on programming, including ceremonies, special
events, and venues, marketing and promotions, observed challenges, and forward momentum.
Sala shared on the Waa Arrival Ceremony, specifically chosen to take place in Hakipuu as it wasthe birthplace of Hokulea. This was a historical occasion that has never happened in Hawaii,welcoming 25 countries in engagement with pacific voyaging canoes and community. FDrecognized Bonnie Kahapeʻa-Tanner of Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and her team’s
work in partnership with the department of Parks and Recreation. FD noted this divisionobserved challenges with plumbing overflowing from the facilities into the kitchen, needing towork through this obstacle at the beginning of the event. The Marumaru Atua, the canoe from theCook Islands, was moved from Kualoa at the invitation of the Polynesian Voyaging Society andNainoa Thompson. They sailed around Oahu from the METC in conjunction with Honolulu
Community College to the Thompson house. Marumaru Atua had departed very early on fromMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 1, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.
Page 3 of 4Tahiti, staying for the duration of the festival, and only just recently departed from Oahu due tounsafe weather conditions.
Regarding the opening ceremony, Hawaii has officially held the longest opening ceremony inFestPAC history to date, with Guam’s opening ceremony being just under eight hours. The
festival village opened on June 7th, with the first major event being the sister city signing- a
historic occasion between the Cook Islands and Honolulu, connected to state departments 7 for70, on the main festival stage. The Young Pacific Leaders Program (YPL) annual engagement ishosted through the US Embassy and New Zealand took place over the course of the festival, andhas tripled their funding as result of this engagement. Dr. Kirk Campbell shared with the state
department US Embassy and New Zealand, recognizing how meaningful this event was to theYoung Pacific Leaders program. Several different iterations of this program are in effectregarding entrepreneurship, international diplomacy, women’s entrepreneurship, etc. A total of
13 or so programs are supported by YPL. Mara Hosoda hosts this program out of her office inthe US Embassy in Auckland and reached out to FD early on to ask if there were any possiblesynergies to utilize FestPAC as a platform for the YPL program. This represented Hawaii’s firstengagement with YPL- with gratitude to Hosoda and the New Zealand US Embassy, andMakanani Sala of Gravitas Pasifika who majorly assisted in composing this event.
Regarding the ecumenical service, this was a departure from services in the past as countries
were invited to share hymns and scripture. There was a slight logistics challenge with the audio
equipment on this date, however the event carried on successfully. With acknowledgements toKawaiahao Church’s senior pastor Ken Makuakāne and ministered music by Buddy Naluai,
Papamakua, Wendell Davis, Rennie Mau, Kahu Hailama Farden, and Reverend Falelua Falelua.
FD then shared he had numerous feedback comments on the festival’s opening ceremony, with ayouth group from Micronesia opening the ecumenical service being a favorite for many.
Chair took a moment to state that reporting for the festival would take some time to finalize, asinvoices are still being received and being responded to in regards to FD Sala’s final report infulfillment of his contract to DBEDT.
Chair then requested that the admin committee assist in these preparations.
Chair then asked of Commissioners Onishi and Keohokālole to inquire to legislature to see if thecommission could sunset earlier than August of 2025, and if in the next session the commission
could consider legislation that would allow them to end sooner.
FD Sala continued his report, noting that the last of delegations had departed on June 29th. GPand team continue to follow-up with those voyaging by sea daily. FD then shared that Chair
Kaʻanāʻanā has given the commission a series of deadlines for final reporting. Of the challenges
observed- regarding meal distribution, as a result of movement across Oʻahu island, foodtransportation became difficult. As well as individuals that shouldn’t have been receiving foodtaking meals, with less for intended individuals. FD Sala acknowledged Jayme Mokulehua andJigs Santos from their team for their efforts to resolve many issues.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 1, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.
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PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING ADMINISTRATIVECOMMITTEE UPDATE
Chair deferred the agenda item as there was no meeting of the administrative committee.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING VENUES AND
PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE UPDATE
Chair deferred the agenda item as there was no meeting of the venues and programmingcommittee.
UPDATE REGARDING VISION INSIGHTS COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC IMPACTREPORT
Chair informed the Commission that the draft report of the community and economic impact isanticipated to be received on August 15th.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Kaʻanāʻanā invited public testimony. Hearing and seeing none, Chair proceeded toannouncements.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Chair Kaʻanāʻanā and commissioners expressed gratitude to the commission, community
partners and the many stakeholders for their long-lasting commitments and contributions to thishistorical event. Chair reminded commissioners that a meeting would be planned to hug and cry
it all out and that there will be time in-person to meet and decompress.

Chair then stated that the next meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 5th 2024 at 3:00pm.
Hearing no further announcements, the meeting was adjourned at 3:47PM
Respectfully Submitted,Aug 27, 2024

Maka Casson-Fisherfor Kalani Kaʻanāʻanā
ChairDate