DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM (DBEDT)MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGTUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 AT 1:00 PM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE
Commission Members Present were:
J. Kalani English, Chair
Mehana Hind
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anāJamie Lum-Monte McComber
Richard Onishi
Misty Kelaʻi
Māpuana de Silva-Senate President’s Designee
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Designee
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) Designee
Department of Business, Economic Development
and Tourism (DBEDT)
Governor’s Designee (arrived at 1:10pm)
House Speakerʻs Designee (arrived at 1:25pm)
City and County of Honolulu Designee
Community Member At-Large (arrived at 1:13pm)

Jacob Aki
Jackie Burke
Mamika Carroll
Kanoe Takitani-Puahi
T. Ilihia Gionson
Lynn Martin Graton
Amber Jacroux Bixel
Honey Maltin-Wisot
June Matsumoto
Aina Paikai
Ngahiraka Mason
Jean-Emmanuel Frantz-Senator English’s Office
Kahookele Art
Hawaiʻi State Art Museum
City and County of Honolulu
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association-Bishop Museum
Strategies 360
Pacific Island Institute (PII)----Margaret Ahn
Marlene Hiraoka
Selma Malcolm
Timothy Tiu-Attorney General
DBEDT
DBEDT
DBEDT-Community Member At-Large-Guests:

Staff:

Apologies:
Snowbird Bento

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. via ZOOMPage 2 of 5

CALL TO ORDER
Call to order: The meeting was called to order by Chair English on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, at
1:07 p.m., who welcomed everyone present via Zoom and Facebook.

PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair English invited members of the public to testify at the beginning of the meeting. He
expressed the public will be invited to offer comments at the end of the meeting, too.
Hearing none, he continued with agenda items.

APPROVAL OF JULY 14, 2020 MEETING MINUTES
Minutes of the meeting held on July 27, 2020, were approved, unamended on a motion by Mr.
Ka‘anā‘anā and seconded by Ms. Kelaʻi.
A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners approving the motion: ChairEnglish, Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. Kelaʻi, Ms. Hind, and Ms. Lum. None opposed.

REPORTS
A. DBEDT Report:
Ms. Lum thanked Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā for offering to host the September 8, 2020
Commission retreat at the Hawaii Convention Center.
Ms. Lum raised the question whether Commissioners supported having an in-person
event or whether it could be conducted remotely, via Zoom. Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā stated that
he would be happy to organize a hybrid event to accommodate participants who prefer toparticipate via Zoom.
Chair English asked each of the Commissioners how they felt about participating inperson or virtually. While they all agreed that meeting in person fosters the sharing ofenergy and mana and is more conducive to having lively discussion, Ms. Hind, Ms. Lumand Ms. de Silva said they would participate virtually, while Chair English, Mr.
McComber, Ms. Kelaʻi and Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā said they were comfortable withparticipating in-person.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. via ZOOMPage 3 of 5

Chair English asked that Ms. Lum and Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā assess the situation as the date of
the retreat approaches. If it is not possible to participate in-person, he is committed tomeeting via Zoom. The Chair indicated that the discussion will focus on the Festivaltheme.
Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā indicated that if too few people attend in person, it may not be feasible,
cost-wise, to continue with those plans. He confirmed that adjustments will be made as itgets closer to the date of the retreat.
Mr. Aki said that the meeting could also be hosted at the State Capitol in the Senate
Caucus Room. The room is equipped with a television screen for virtual participation.
B. Commissioners Report:
Chair English asked if anyone had suggestions regarding themes for the Festival. He
reported that he participated in a Zoom meeting regarding cosmogony in the Pacific.
Creation stories from Tonga, the Marquesas, etc. were shared and were inspirational.
The belief that we are one big family in the Pacific can be supported by genealogicalresearch. He was inspired, and it made him think about all the great things Hawai‘i hasto share.
Chair English commented that the Commission will need to think about future fundingfor the Festival. Both Chair English and Rep. Onishi agreed that it will be difficult tosecure funding through the Legislature. There needs to be creativity in funding sources aswell as creating partnerships. As an example, Chair English is considering reaching out toApple to be a Festival partner to help with technology-related aspects.
Ms. de Silva shared an idea presented by her non-profit organization, Hikaʻalani. The
ideas generated for the hale in the Festival Village could be coordinated by Hikaʻalani sothat the Commission would not need to worry about paying for construction and othercosts to build the hale. Hikaʻlani is planning to apply for an Administration for Native
Americans (ANA) grant for this purpose. The idea is to identify communities on Oʻahu,Hawaiʻi Island, Maui and Kauaʻi that would be willing to learn how to build a hale.
Members of the respective communities will be tasked to gather materials to build thehale. Each community would learn about constructing, decorating including protocols,
writing new mele, deconstructing their respective hale and rebuilding it in their island
communities after the Festival. Ms. de Silva stated that if their organization’s proposal isaccepted next year, the grant would be for a three-year period that will be timed well withFestival planning. She also hopes to work with Young Brothers related to shipping. Ms.
de Silva hopes to receive the grant award confirmation by Fall 2021.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. via ZOOMPage 4 of 5

Chair English expressed his thanks to Ms. de Silva for thinking along these creative lines.
He believes these are the types of ideas that will be required as Festival plans continue.
He also mentioned that folks who live in the state of Hawaii and who are from therespective countries would be great resources/partners because they already have an
understanding what it takes to build a hale.
Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā said he is looking at a framework and exploring costs for a virtual
platform to use for the Festival.
Ms. de Silva reported that the Council for Pacific Arts and Culture (CPAC), which she
chairs, is developing a 10-year regional cultural strategy. The plan will include
evaluating the Festivals and how it has been organized and coordinated previously. The
plan will also examine the new idea of a hybrid/virtual Festival. One of the big concerns
is the amount of bandwidth available in some of the countries. Chair English stated thatmost countries now have high speed bandwidth, but the local community does not havethe knowledge/experience to set it up. He further suggested that the Council should
engage with the Ministers responsible for technology in each of the countries. Ms. deSilva believes there will need to be a technology educational component that should also
include a dedicated technical person in each country to resolve these matters. Ms. deSilva stated that these issues will be raised with the Council, and they will provide
guidance to the host country. She is working with Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā on a presentation for
the next CPAC meeting at the end of the month.
Mr. Kaʻanāʻanā reported that he received access to be the administrator for the otherFacebook account that was created for the Festival in the past, and he plans to close thataccount.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Chair English invited members of the public to offer comments. He asked them if they wished tostate their name and organization they are representing.
Hearing none, discussion continued to the next meeting date.

NEXT MEETINGThe next meeting is scheduled for September 8, 2020. Chair English deferred to Ms. Lum andMr. Kaʻanāʻanā regarding logistical needs and requirements and how to proceed with scheduling.
Ms. de Silva suggested that more time be allotted for the next meeting in order to flesh out as
many ideas as possible.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Tuesday, August 11, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. via ZOOMPage 5 of 5

CLOSING REMARKSChair English expressed thanks to everyone for attending the meeting.

Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 1:48 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
10/19/20

Senator J. Kalani EnglishChairDate