DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM (DBEDT)MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FESTPAC) MEETINGFRIDAY, MAY 22, 2020 AT 10:00 AM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE

Commission Members Present were:
Senate President’s Designee
House Speaker’s Designee
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) Designee
Community Member At-Large
Community Member At-Large
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (arrived at 10:10am; leftat 10:35am)
Governor’s Designee (arrived at 10:30am)
Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism (DBEDT)

J. Kalani English, Chair
Richard Onishi
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā
Māpuana de Silva
Snowbird Bento
Mehana Hind-Monte McComber
Dennis Ling

-Jacob Aki
June Matsumoto
T. Ilihia Gionson
Donalyn Dela Cruz
Honey Maltin-Wisot
Maka Casson-Fisher
Kana'e Keawe
Kanoe Takitani-Puahi
Mgahiraka Mason
Eric Chang
Blaine Kia
Amber JacrouxBixel
Marcus Mazon
Jackie Burke-Senator English’s Office
Pacific Islands Institute (PII)
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NHHA)
Strategies 360
Strategies 360
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority
ArtistCity & County of HonoluluRepresentative for New Zealand Delegation
EastWest Center
Outrigger Resorts
Bishop Museum
Bishop Museum
ArtistMargaret Ahn-

Attorney General’s OfficeJamie Lum
Marlene Hiraoka
Selma Malcolm
Scott Tome-

DBEDT
DBEDT
DBEDT
DBEDT

Guests:Staff:

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Friday, May 22, 2020 via ZOOMPage 2 of 6

CALL TO ORDER
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chair English on Friday, May 22, 2020, at
10:03 a.m., who welcomed everyone present via Zoom and Facebook.
APPROVAL OF May 5, 2020 MEETING MINUTES
Minutes of the meeting held on May 5, 2020, were approved on a motion byRepresentative Onishi and seconded by Ms. de Silva.
A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners approving the minutes:
Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā, Mr. Ling; Rep. Onishi, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Bento, Chair English.
REPORTS
A. DBEDT Report:
Mr. Ling reminded the Commission that there is $738,677.04 within the PAʻI Foundation
contract. In addition, there is an appropriation of $585,715.73 that will lapse at the closeof the current fiscal year, June 30, 2020, unless it is encumbered. There is also $10,000
in FESTPAC Trust Fund at DBEDT that was a donation from Stanford Carr andAssociates. Mr. Ling also mentioned that the Governor had previously released the$100,000 hold back prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, however, that amount has been
rescinded due to the current state budget situation. This amount is not reflected in thetotal available as mentioned.
B. Commissioner de Silva’s Report on the Council of Pacific Arts and Culture Meeting:Ms. de Silva reported that she participated in a great meeting with the Council of PacificArts and Culture (Council or CPAC) on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. The Council made thedecision to honor Hawai‘i’s request to postpone the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts andCulture (Festival or FESTPAC) until 2024. New Zealand will bid for the 14th FESTPAC
to take place in 2028.
Ms. de Silva also explained that there will be a working group of nine countries that will
begin to explore revamping the format of the Festival. The Council oversees the Festival
and although it has continued in the same format through the years, there is anopportunity to revamp the program. The working group will consider incorporating
virtual activities for the 2024 Festival in Hawai‘i. In addition, a timeline needs to be
developed and approved by the Council. Without guidelines, Hawai‘i will have difficulty
moving forward although some groundwork can begin.
The Council also agreed upon looking for activities to present from now until 2024.
There is some concern that leaders representing some of the Pacific nations may forget
about the Festival. To avoid this situation, the Council would like to continue to keep
everyone connected and engaged. Most countries have a Minister of Culture and Hawai‘iMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Friday, May 22, 2020 via ZOOMPage 3 of 6

does not have a designated entity to serve in this capacity. Some at the Council meeting
asked if the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is Hawai‘i’s point agency for Hawaiian culture.
The Council would like to have culture to be at the forefront of all planning,
programming and decisions. Hawai‘i is interested in following that line of thinking, too.
The Youth Ambassador Program was well received and there is much interest in thisprogram. New Zealand has organized a group that was initially planning on participatingin 2020 FESTPAC in Hawai‘i. They have plans to continue the Youth Ambassador
Program, virtually, between now and 2024.
Ms. de Silva said that the Pacific Communityʻs (SPC) summary of the discussion points
from the CPAC meeting indicated that there would be a hybrid Festival held in 2022, but
Ms. de Silva does not recall this discussion during the meeting. Ms. de Silva indicatedthat she reached out to Ms. Kuiniselani to obtain clarification on this matter. Ms. deSilva summarized the key points of the CPAC meeting as follows: (1) the 13th Festival ofPacific Arts and Culture has been postponed until 2024 and will be held in Hawai‘i; (2)the proposed hybrid festival format was accepted; (3) member nations will continue topursue activities between now and 2024; and (4) the Council would like to continuecommunication in the development of the Youth Ambassador Program.
Mr. Kaʻanā‘anā mentioned that some of the individual practioner groups will be having
meetings between now and 2024 to understand what their new formats could look like.
These meetings, themselves, could be considered as Festival activity leading up to the2024 event.
The Chair further commented that the CPAC meeting was 4.5 hours long, there was a lot
to discuss, and the overall results were positive. He thanked Ms. de Silva and Mr.
Ka‘anā‘anā for participating in the meeting. It will be a whole new way to plan and view
the Festival. Ms. de Silva commented that some of the smaller countries have concernsthat their limited internet connectivity may affect their participation in some of the virtual
portions of a hybrid Festival.
Next StepsRep. Onishi asked how is Hawai‘i going to function going forward. He commented
further about the structure of the Commission, as well as funding beyond the current
fiscal year. Rep. Onishi asked what Hawai‘i would be responsible for between now and2024. He commented that the Commission will need to look at how it needs to berestructured in support of FESTPAC. Chair English concurred. The Chair also feels thatwhat Hawaiʻi develops will become a template going forward.
Chair English mentioned that the Legislature will reconvene on June 15, 2020. He andRep. Onishi will discuss options related to legislation that will continue the life of theCommission through 2026. If a bill is not possible during this session, he and Rep.
Onishi will make these proposed amendments during the regular session of 2021.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Friday, May 22, 2020 via ZOOMPage 4 of 6

With respect to the existing funds, Chair English commented that it may be best to addthat funding to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) because there may beprogramming and other activities that will occur in the near future. It may be moreconvenient for the Commission to access its existing funds if the funds were located atHTA. Mr. Casson-Fisher (HTA) commented that he and Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā will discuss thismatter further with their leadership.
A working group of eight countries plus Hawai‘i will continue to work on the YouthAmbassador Program. The countries included in this working group are: Hawai‘i; NewZealand; Cook Islands; Australia; French Polynesia; Palau; Wallis and Fortuna; Fiji;
Norfolk Island. Most of these countries have good connectivity; however, some mayrequire resources in the future.
Rep. Onishi explained that from the House, they will be able to work on legislation. He
expressed that he and Chair English can look at the bill and develop a draft to move theCommission forward. He also suggested that the make-up of the Commission bereviewed as well. He commented that he is not sure whether the make-up of theCommission should be from an organizational standpoint or from the standpoint of anindividual’s personal credentials.
Mr. Marcus Mazon (from Bishop museum) asked if plans are to schedule the Festival inJune of 2024. Ms. de Silva indicated that if the intention is to use the dorms at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi, then the Festival will need to be held when school is not insession. Instead of the Festival being held for two weeks in 2024, it will be held between
seven to ten days, as part of a hybrid festival. This recommendation was made to theCPAC. The Festival will most likely be held in June 2024.
Ms. de Silva also commented that countries are interested in giving artists the opportunity
to connect with the world through the Festival. Incorporating a virtual component will
help a great deal in allowing artists to present their art around the world. Chair English
mentioned utilizing a virtual platform like the PlanetIMEX.com. This virtual platform
incorporates meeting rooms, the ability to have discussions, etc. The benefit of utilizing
a virtual platform is the ability to keep the information as a permanent record that could
be used as a resource later. The Chair encouraged everyone to visit the site. Chair
English thanked Ms. Matsumoto for introducing the IMEX site to him.
Chair English suggested that the Commission develop a new logo and theme. He has
asked Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā to begin resetting the overall marketing pieces for the Festival.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY: (Submitted via ZOOM):
Ms. Mason congratulated the commissioners for achieving a generous resolution toFESTPAC going forward.
Mr. Kia (Outrigger Resorts) expressed that it was the right thing to do to move thedate of the Festival. There is a big gap to fill and continued discussions with the otherMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Friday, May 22, 2020 via ZOOMPage 5 of 6nations need to be made. He said we all need to keep united, in lokahi (in unity andharmony) and move in the right direction.

NEW BUSINESS:A. Chair English asked for a motion to officially move the Festival date to 2024. Ms. deSilva made a motion to move the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture to June
2024. Rep. Onishi seconded the motion.
A Rollcall vote was requested with the following Commissioners approving themotion: Mr. Ling; Rep. Onishi, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Bento, Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā, Mr.
McComber, Chair English.
The vote was unanimous and the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture will beheld in 2024 as a hybrid Festival.
B. Chair English, as a reminder, cautioned DBEDT to remove the old logos and use theones without the year 2020.
C. Rep. Onishi provided an update regarding his discussions with the University ofHawaiʻi (UH). He informed UH about the new Festival date as 2024. UH expressed
appreciation for being kept in the loop. They are open to whatever and however theCommission decides regarding transferring additional funding for dorm
reservations/deposits. As a reminder, UH already has a deposit so the Commission
will need to keep this in mind. UH is open to working with the Commission going
forward. Chair English thanked Rep. Onishi and indicated the need to makedecisions by the end of the fiscal year.
Mr. Ling reported that there are also deposit funds at the Convention Center. He also
expressed the option of working with HTA regarding the balance of available funds.
D. The Chair suggested that the next meeting be held as soon as possible since the end ofthe fiscal year is approaching.
Rep. Onishi stated that finances should be reviewed as soon as possible. Hesuggested that we work with Ms. Ahn regarding the consideration of moving
FESTPAC funds forward and revising the budget to include special events that may
be required between now and 2024. He suggested that the balance of funding be
moved to HTA as a source for coordination, supplies and technological requirements
for future programming.
Ms. Ahn understands that the Commission would need the most flexibility. She
suggested that a meeting between Mr. Ling, Mr. Ka‘anā‘anā and herself be scheduled
as soon as possible.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Friday, May 22, 2020 via ZOOMPage 6 of 6

DATE OF NEXT MEETINGThe next meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 29, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. via ZOOMADJOURNMENTThe Meeting was adjourned at 10:42 a.m.
Respectfully Submitted,_________________________________
Senator J. Kalani English
Chair

May 29, 2020________________________
Date