Administration Committee Meeting
Saturday October 9, 2021
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Zoom
In attendance: Commissioner Benham, Commissioner Bento, Commissioner Kaʻanāʻanā,Commissioner Keohokalole
1. Committee received 7 applications.
2. Prior to the meeting each individual committee member utilized the MQ and DQ scoring
sheet to assess each of the candidates.
3. Committee members assessed the pool:o Disclosure of several potential conflicts of interest was made. Committee
members discussed and agreed that each commissioner would focus theircomments on the MQs and DQs, the merit of the application materials, andcommit to a professional/transparent discussion of the applicants.
o 3 applicants were determined not to meet MQs and DQs. NaHHA will contact
these applicants.
o 4 applicants were identified as candidates to move forward to the interview
process.
4. Committee members reviewed next step procedures:o Monday, October 11th, in public forum committee report will be shared.
Commissioners will be notified that of the 7 applicants, 4 candidates will beinterviewed later in the week. There is no need for executive session.
o NaHHA will contact the 4 candidates to set-up 1:1 interviews with theAdministration Committee.
o Saturday, October 16th Administration Committee will interview candidates.
o Tuesday, October 19th Administration Committee Meeting with NaHHA -Candidate review.
o Monday, October 25th in Executive Session -- full commission to consider final
Festival Director recommendation.
o Monday, November 8th Festival Director Recommendation for ratification.
o Upon ratification NaHHA will contract.
5. Committee members discussed Interview Protocol:
o Each commissioner selected a focused area of inquiry and will draft a primaryquestion.
o Commissioner Benham will gather the primary questions and generate aninterview protocol. Each primary question will allow for further probing.
Meeting was adjourned at 5:00pm

MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 AT 2:30 PM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCECommission Members Present were:
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā, Chair
Maenette Ah Nee-BenhamMakanani Salā
Māpuana de Silva
Jamie Lum-Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu-Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) DesigneeGovernor’s Designee
City and County of Honolulu Designee
Community Member At-Large
Department of Business, Economic Development
and Tourism (DBEDT)
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Designee

Maka Casson-Fisher
Jackie Burke
Eric Chang
Ilihia Gionson
Lynn Martin Graton
June MatsumotoMonte McComber
Ngahiraka Mason
Kīhei Nahale-a
Aaron Salā
Malia Sanders
Kanoe Takitani-Puahi
Pris Texeira
Margo Vitarelli-Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority
Public Member
Public Member
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Public Member
Public Member
Royal Hawaiian Center
Public Member
Public Member
University of Hawaiʻi/Royal Hawaiian Center
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Public Member
Public Member-Community Member At-Large
Senate President’s Designee
House Speaker’s Designee-Deputy Attorney General
DBEDT
DBEDT

Guests:Apologies:
Snowbird Bento
Jarrett Keohokālole
Richard Onishi
Staff:Margaret Ahn
Marlene Hiraoka
Timothy Tiu

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Tuesday, September 27, 2021, at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 2 of 7

Scott Tome-DBEDTCALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā at 2:33 p.m., who welcomed
everyone present via ZOOM and Facebook Live.
Chair called upon Mr. Kīhei Nahale-a to do the wehena (opening).
Mr. Nahale-a introduced Project Kuleana to Commissioners. He shared that the organization’s
efforts were created on the concepts of music as well-being for the lāhui (nation/community ofpeople) and kuleana (responsibility) as what makes music Hawaiian. The Project formulated aprocess that resulted in the creation of 12 videos that featured artists of Hawaiʻi. The philosophyof generational change and response reflects their beliefs that what we do today will sustain us inthe future. Project partners are represented by community members from all walks of life andskill sets. He shared the behind-the-scenes video of Nani Kauaʻi and emphasized that the peopleof Hawaiʻi are a special gift to the world. He thanked the FestPAC Commissioners for doing theimportant work that will instill a sense of a thriving lāhui.
Chair and other Commissioners thanked Mr. Nahale-a for sharing information and the video
about Project Kuleana. He commented that the messages are important as Hawaiʻi shares andreceives cultures from other Pacific Island nations during FestPAC who, in turn, will be sharing
their kuleana, too.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair invited members of the public to testify on the agenda items. Hearing none, he continued
with agenda items.
Chair noted that a written testimony was received in advance of today’s meeting and distributed
to Commissioners prior to today’s meeting.
APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 MEETING MINUTES
The minutes were distributed and reviewed by Commissioners. Chair asked if there were anycomments or changes to the minutes. Hearing none, he asked for a motion and a motion toapprove the minutes was made by Ms. Ah Nee-Benham and seconded by Ms. de Silva. A rollcall vote was requested with the following Commissioners approving the motion to approve theminutes: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. Salā, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Lum, Ms. Ah Nee-Benham, Ms. WongKalu.
Motion was unanimously approved.
REPORT ON PERMITTED INTERACTIONS, PURSUANT TO ACT 103, SESSIONLAWS OF HAWAIʻI 2021
Chair reported that there were Permitted Interaction Group meetings held, pursuant to Act 103,
and he stated that the Administrative Committee and Venues Committee Chairs will provide anupdated report that will be part of today’s agenda. Printed reports of both committee meetings
were distributed to Commissioners prior to today’s meeting.

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ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE UPDATE
Chair noted that for today’s meeting, they will be reporting the overall general process that has
been completed. As such, no candidate names will be mentioned. He turned over this portion ofthe meeting to Ms. Ah Nee-Benham.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham referred to the Administrative Committee’s meeting minutes which
commissioners received. She reported that during the Committee’s meeting, the Festival
Director recruitment process was discussed. She acknowledged NaHHA’s team led by Ms.
Sanders for distributing the Festival Director Job Description (JD) to a number of communityorganizations. She also indicated that it was distributed, internally, within the UH System. She
also requested contact names and organizations of Commissioners’ respective community
contacts that the JD was sent to in order to document the distribution of the announcement of theposition. She requested that Commissioners submit those lists to Ms. Sanders. Ms. Ah NeeBenham mentioned that three applications have been received to date. She encouraged
Commissioners to distribute the JD widely since the deadline to apply is noon on October 5,2021.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham noted that the Administrative Committee (AC) and NaHHA, who will behiring the Festival Director, will be meeting on October 9, 2021, to screen all applications
received by the closing date and time. The AC will be using a template entitled “Candidate
Assessment Sheet”, which was previously circulated to commissioners and included in themeeting materials for today as an assessment tool which is completely derived from the details ofthe JD. The AC will report back to the full Commission at the October 11, 2021 FestPAC
Commission meeting and will be requesting an agenda item for an Executive Session. After theOctober 11, 2021 Commission meeting, the AC and NaHHA will be interviewing candidates
directly. A final recommendation will be made by the AC and NaHHA and will be shared withthe full Commission on October 25, 2021 as an agenda item for an Executive Session. The AC isrequesting a 45-minute time frame for the October 25, 2021 Executive Session in which they will
invite the finalist. On November 8, 2021, the AC and NaHHA will be making a recommendation
to the full Commission to request for ratification regarding the candidate selected.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham also reported that she and Mr. Aaron Salā met with East-West Center
executives to reconnect the work of FestPAC with the East-West Center. They met Ms. Mary
Hatori, Interim Director of Pacific Island Development Programs and Ms. Jill Hamasaki whoconducts marketing and advance communications for the East-West Center. Along with Mr.
Richard Vuylsteke, President of the East-West Center, they expressed their interest in FestPAC
and in working with the Commission again. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham indicated that they will belooking to the East-West Center for connections to the Pacific as well as for office space for theFestival Director once they are officially onboarded.
Chair asked that Commissioners send the JD to their networks to achieve a rigorous outreach toattract as many qualified candidates as possible. HTA distributed the announcement to its entire
database of 18,000 individuals in addition to publicizing the JD through social media.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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DISCUSSION AND ACTION REGARDING MAIN FESTIVAL VILLAGE VENUE
Chair turned over to the next portion of the agenda to Vice-Chair Salā who reported that theVenues Committee (VC) met on September 16, 2021, and that the VC report was distributed toCommissioners prior as well as included as meeting materials for today’s meeting. She reportedon each of the locations noted on the meeting agenda – Location A/Magic Island/Ala Moana
Park; Location B/University of Hawaiʻi (UH); Location C/ Hawaiʻi Convention Center. Ms.
Salā indicated that she is awaiting cost estimates from the Honolulu Police Department (HPD)
and should be receiving estimates soon. Security costs for conducting a long-term event at Magic
Island and Neighborhood Board support for events that are held seven days in a row arechallenges to anticipate if these locations are selected. She expressed that the FestPAC Manual
noted that locked storage must be provided onsite of the Festival Village. With respect toUH/Location B, the VC discussion was very positive and informal discussions were held withUH. UH expressed some reservations because upper campus is considered “ceded lands” so theywill need to identify what might be subject to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA)
requirements. FestPAC’s mission may not fall under UH’s educational mission which will theninvolve additional requirements. The VC expressed that UH is still an excellent candidate forconsideration. Location C/Hawaiʻi Convention Center’s (HCC) limitations regarding offering amain stage on the ‘āina (land/earth) was discussed. To overcome this challenge, Thomas Square
was a possible site for the primary stage. The City and County of Honolulu recently completed
multimillion dollar renovations at Thomas Square which is currently underutilized but culturally
significant for this commission’s purposes.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham asked about whether it would be possible to utilize funding from the HCC
for other venues, however it was mentioned that it is unlikely that that would be allowable. Ms.
Salā noted that if the Festival Village is located at the HCC, it may be necessary to host remote
stages around the island and allow mini marketplaces to be constructed for performing
delegations.
Chair expressed that he does not think the HCC should be the location for the main Festival
Village because he feels that it would be important for the Festival Village to be located in an
open and accessible environment for the community to access. Thomas Square, being located in
the urban core, poses concerns such as traffic congestion and community safety. The Chair
commented that while Thomas Square is in close proximity to the Neil Blaisdell Complex, whenwill the Department of Enterprise Services would be relocating? Ms. Salā reminded
Commissioners that Honolulu is very urbanized compared to other FestPAC locations that havehosted in the past. Although we are unable to offer the same feeling, we can offer a Festival thatwould be economically viable for artisans from the Pacific through the marketplaces.
Ms. de Silva commented that it would be useful to identify what events will require a stage atUH. She asked that consideration be made to decide upon the best location for Hawaiʻi to host
FestPAC and welcome the Pacific nations as opposed to focusing on where funding is currently
available. She recommended that UH be given top priority as the primary Festival Village
location but that doesn’t mean that the HCC would not be used. The HCC could be used forculinary demonstrations, symposia, panel discussions, etc. The Commission should identify
activities that should not be held at the HCC such as the Festival Village. It would beembarrassing to build the Festival Village at the HCC. We could also consider holding a day orMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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two of events around the island in Waianae, Kapolei, Lāie, Kāneʻohe, etc. Those communities
could host some of the delegations.
Chair said he recognizes that HCC has funding available, however, fundraising will still need tobe made for the overall event. He does not believe the HCC should be the main driver because ofavailable funding. He further stated that the main Festival Village needs to become the piko(center) of the Festival and that people are what will add to the authenticity of the Festival.
Regional and satellite offerings such as film, a reception, etc. could be held at the HCC. He
added that there is a myriad of uses that the HCC offers, however, the main Festival Village andstage should not be located there.
Ms. de Silva also expressed concerns about Thomas Square similar to the Chair’s comments.
She believes that the main stage must be located in the Festival Village.
Ms. Ah Nee Benham said more formal conversations with UH System is required. She
commented that the HCC could be used for storage. She supports using a variety of venues
around Oʻahu and added that Kapiʻolani Community College (KCC) also has a great lawn that
could be considered in addition to Andrews Amphitheater for the main stage and McCarthy Mallfor the marketplace.
With respect to weather considerations, Ms. de Silva expressed that part of the charm of being in
the country of FestPAC is being outdoors and experiencing weather of the location.
Ms. Wong-Kalu offered her thoughts that walking and performing through the elements is part ofthe ʻāina. She understands what it means to dance on hot gravel rocks. She agreed with Chairthat being outside is essential to the event. Ms. Wong-Kalu expressed that this would be the last
meeting she will be attending in the capacity as a representative of OHA. Chair thanked Ms.
Wong-Kalu for her time and work on the Commission. He offered her best wishes in whatever
kuleana she will be pursuing.
Ms. Salā thanked everyone for their input. She understands that the HCC is guaranteed becauseof many reasons, however, that an outside venue is preferable for the Festival Village. Although
she has had informal conversations with UH, she will be making a formal request to meet withthe UH System’s leadership. Chair commented that the options are UH Mānoa/West Oʻahu as aSystem and Magic Island as Plan B but that the HCC could be taken off the list. The funding thatis reserved there is non-negotiable, however, he will work with Ms. Salā as to how funds therecould be used. She would still like to keep HCC on the list with the understanding that UH or
Magic Island be considered as potential locations for the Festival Village.
Ms. Wong-Kalu added that Kualoa Ranch is another consideration. She would not be acting in acapacity of a representative of OHA, however, would be able to assist Commissioners regarding
respective locations.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham restated that we are requesting the VC to meet with UH System President
and his team to determine whether UH is a possibility. HCC will be held for other appropriate
uses that need to be determined.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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Ms. de Silva asked whether she would be able to join in on the meeting with UH. She believesthat our request to UH is workable, however, it needs to be presented/approached from a winwin situation so that UH is amenable to our request. Ms. Salā agreed and asked if Ms. de Silvacould also join her in presenting to the Neighborhood Boards regarding other requests. Chairsuggested that he, Vice-Chair Salā, Ms. de Silva as the CPAC representative, and Ms. Ah NeeBenham serve on this Committee. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham stated that she would be wearing twohats – as Vice-Chair of FestPAC and as a UH member. Ms. Ahn stated that provided she does
not have a conflict of interest, it would not be a problem; however, if she feels she is unable toserve because of a conflict in terms of who she is representing, she should take that into
consideration. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham commented that she would like to be most effective andwould like some time to consider her options. Regarding the Neighborhood Boards, Ms. Salāfeels that it would be good to make a presentation to ask for the Board’s support should a request
be made to use Magic Island.
Ms. Wong-Kalu invited Commissioners to contact her if testimony from a community member
may be needed. Chair thanked her for the offer.
Chair commented that the Committee will pursue UH and the City formally. Both tracks haveprocesses and people that will require time for decision-making. He asked that if Commissioners
agreed, the Committee will move forward in pursuing UH as the primary Festival Village
location and Magic Island as a secondary location. Ms. Salā confirmed that she will beproceeding with formal request to UH and the City.
Hearing no further comments during the formal discussion, Chair suggested that decisionmaking be deferred until the next Commission meeting.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited the public to again offer comments. He noted that one written
testimony was received and distributed to Commissioners.
Hearing no further comments from the public, Chair continued with announcements and the next
meeting date.
ANNOUNEMENTS
Chair reminded Commissioners to encourage their network of contacts to apply for the Festival
Director’s position.
Ms. de Silva acknowledged and thanked the Chair for being a great leader. She also thanked
Commissioners for continuing to do the work needed.
Chair thanked Ms. Wong-Kalu for her service to the Commission representing OHA and looks
forward to her continued service as a community member in the future.
NEXT MEETING – OCTOBER 11, 2021 – 2:30-3:30 pm
Chair commented that October 11th is Indigenous People’s Day.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Tuesday, September 27, 2021, at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 7 of 7

ADJOURNMENT
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā adjourned meeting at 3:56 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,Kalani Ka‘anā‘anāChair

10/08/2021
Date