MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGMONDAY, JULY 26, 2021 AT 2:30 PM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE
Commission Members Present were:
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā
Maenette Ah Nee-Benham
Snowbird Bento
Jarrett Keohokālole
Jamie Lum-

Richard Onishi
Makanani Salā
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu-

Kieleku Amundxon
Jackie Burke
Mamiko Carroll
Ilihia Gionson-

Lynn Martin Graton
Kealii Haverly
Ngahiraka Mason
June Matsumoto
Aaron Salā
Malia Sanders-

Kanoe Takitani-Puahi-

Pris Texeira
Kalei ʻUwēkoʻolani-

Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts
Public Member
Public Member
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association(NaHHA)
Public Member
Polynesian Cultural Center
Public Member
Pacific Islands Institute
University of Hawai‘i/Royal Hawaiian Center
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association(NaHHA)
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association(NaHHA)
Public Member-

Public Member

Margaret Ahn
Marlene Hiraoka-

Deputy Attorney General
DBEDT

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) Designee
Governor’s Designee
Community Member At-Large
Senate President’s Designee
Department of Business, Economic Development
and Tourism (DBEDT)House Speaker’s Designee (Arrived at 2:31 pm)
City and County of Honolulu Designee
Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Designee(Arrived at 2:33 pm)

Guests:Staff:

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 2 of 7

Timothy Tiu
Scott Tome
Apologies:
Māpuana de Silva

-

DBEDT
DBEDT

-

Community Member At-Large

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā at 2:30 p.m., who welcomed
everyone present via ZOOM and Facebook Live.
Chair called upon Ms. Kalei ʻUwēkoʻolani from the island of Maui who was invited to do thewehena (opening). Ms. ʻUwēkoʻolani introduced herself as the kanaka Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian
Programming Manager) for the Grand Wailea Hotel. She expressed thanks for inviting her to do
the wehena.
Ms. ʻUwēkoʻolani provided an introduction of the legends and stories of Maui. Her role at theGrand Wailea is to educate team members, visitors and other ʻohana (families) to share a senseof place, a sense of serving and maintaining the importance of value, history and especiallyculture. She presented visuals of the Grand Wailea’s property and shared stories about thelegend of Maui’s journey to Hawaiʻi which she also shares with new employees. She expressedthat in her role, it is her kuleana (privilege and duty) to continue to tell stories so that guests are
more engaged, involved and appreciative of the host culture. She expressed appreciation forallowing her to share.
Chair thanked Ms. ʻUwēkoʻolani and noted that she is one of the up-and-coming stars within thevisitor industry.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair invited members of the public to testify on the agenda items. Hearing none, he continued
with agenda items.
APPROVAL OF JUNE 7, 2021 MEETING MINUTES
The minutes were distributed and reviewed by Commissioners. Chair asked Vice-Chair Salā toconduct this portion of the agenda since he did not attend the last Commission meeting. ViceChair asked if there were any comments or changes to the minutes. Hearing none, she asked fora motion. A motion was made by Ms. Bento and seconded by Ms. Ah Nee-Benham to adopt theminutes unamended. A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners
approving the motion to approve the minutes: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Vice-Chair Salā, Ms. Lum, Ms.
Wong-Kalu, Mr. Keohokālole, Mr. Onishi, Ms. Bento, Ms. Ah Nee-Benham .
Motion was unanimously approved.
REPORT ON PERMITTED INTERACTIONS
Chair provided a brief overview of the permitted interaction authority and noted that it will be astanding item on future agendas. The Legislature, in Act 103, permitted authorized interactions

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 3 of 7

outside of Commission meetings. Chair requested Ms. Ahn to provide guidance regarding thismatter.
Ms. Ahn stated that less than a quorum may meet for official board business, however, themeeting discussion must be presented during scheduled monthly Commission meetings. As thecommission currently has nine members, five commissioners are needed for quorum to beachieved, and therefore less than quorum would be equivalent to no more than fourcommissioners.
Mr. Keohokālole asked for clarification regarding serial communications and whether this isprohibited. Ms. Ahn provided an explanation that if Commissioners meet in a small grouppursuant to Act 103, those meeting participants may not discuss meeting content with otherCommissioners until it is discussed during a public Commission meeting.
Chair asked whether any Commissioners participated in any permitted interactions that was held
since the last Commission meeting. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham reported that she participated in two
meetings: (1) one with Ms. Lum regarding the Festival Director; and (2) a separate meeting with
Ms. Lum and Mr. Keohokālole regarding the Festival Director and organizational structure of theCommission. Ms. Ahn asked for confirmation that each meeting did not exceed the fourcommissioner limit. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham noted that both meetings were held separately and did
not exceed the allowable number of Commissioner participants.
ENACTMENT OF SB 696 RELATING TO THE FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS (Act103, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021)
A. Extending the Commission to August 31, 2025
Chair mentioned that for those who received appointments from Boards andCommissions, he requested that Commissioners inform staff if a letter was received orwhether one needed to be sent since your initial appointments would have expired inJune. Chair wanted to be sure that new letters were sent to Commissioners representing
community members at large who were appointed and who are not named in the statute.
B. Authorizing a permitted interaction under the Sunshine Law for the Commission
Ms. Ahn stated that pursuant to the Act 103, which gives permitted interaction authority
to the Commission, it should be mentioned that in addition to confirming that a meeting
was held, the meeting content must also be reported during subsequent Commission
meetings held during the month. Chair noted that he will ask Commissioners to reportcontent of meeting discussions during agenda items related to the specific subject matter.
DISCUSSION ON COMMISSIONERS’ TERMS
Chair repeated his earlier statement and requested Commissioners to inform staff if they havereceived new letters from Boards and Commissions.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 4 of 7

DISCUSSION ON FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Chair moved on to agenda item relating to the Festival Director and asked whether a position
description would be discussed during this meeting. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham reported that she is notprepared to do so; however, she reported that she and Ms. Lum, together with other community
members, met regarding this matter. She noted that the position of Festival Director had been
written previously and that it needed to be tweaked to meet the Commission’s current needs.
She further indicated that because she is a new Commissioner, she felt it was important tounderstand the organizational functionality of the Commission in order to get organized for
FestPAC 2024.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham mentioned that after speaking with Ms. Lum, she conducted further
research and reviewed how Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), both held in Hawaiʻi, and other folk life festivals wereorganized and implemented. In the review process, she concluded that, in its current state, theCommission’s organizational framework is dysfunctional. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham believes that
because the Commission is a working commission, it will need to develop an organizationalframework so that a Festival Director and team can be recruited to implement the event. She
indicated that there also will be a need to recruit a Fund Developer in order for planning toproceed. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham wants the Commission to develop an organizational structure thatwould include an organizational team consisting of a Festival Director (and team) as well as aFund Developer, a communications team, etc. She also reached out to Ms. Lum and Mr.
Keohokālole about moving forward in developing an organizational map that would include
identifying functional teams, etc. in order for the Commission to move forward. She asked
whether Commissioners had other suggestions.
Chair expressed thanks to Ms. Ah Nee-Benham and indicated that Agenda Item #10 refers towhat she was speaking about, that is, developing a work plan, subcommittees, templates forreporting, etc. in order for these processes to be aligned.
Mr. Keohokālole agreed with Ms. Ah Nee-Benham and stressed that these organizational plansand decisions need to be completed within the next couple of months. He further stated that
because of the nature of discussions that need to be held, a general timeline should be createdwith benchmarks to work toward. By the end of 2021, related to leadership, the Commission
should have a Festival Director and Fund Developer on board in order for these individuals to
execute tasks from early 2022. He would like to propose this strategy if the Commission isagreeable.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham proposed that a Festival Director (or event director) and Fund Developer
be in place within the next couple of months. These two individuals, along with theCommission, will need to develop messaging and other event planning details. Mr. Keohokālole
believes that other elements of the Commission’s business will need to work in tandem with thework of these individuals. The goal would be to allow 18 months for fundraising andprogramming to be developed in order to create a complete fundraising package that would bepresented to potential funders.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 5 of 7

Chair asked for clarification when referring to titles of these positions since Festival Director,
Executive Director or Event Director were used in conversations. The position would be theFestival Director and the Fund Developer would need to work with the Festival Director and theCommission.
Chair asked how these positions would be funded unless these individuals would be working
without compensation. Mr. Keohokālole stressed that these organizational plans and decisions
need to be completed within the next couple of months. Mr. Keohokālole asked about the funds
that were originally appropriated by the Legislature and that his understanding was that those
funds have been fully encumbered for housing and venue. Chair concurred with Mr.
Keohokālole’s statement. Mr. Keohokālole also asked about other donations that were made.
Ms. Lum reported that there is approximately $9,000 remaining from a donation from Stanford
Carr Development which were undirected funds. She mentioned that $750 was used for web
hosting fees. Mr. Keohokālole asked whether prior to the cancellation of the 2020 event,whether there were any other financial commitments that were pending from organizations suchas the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) or the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA). Chair statedthat a lot has changed at HTA since then; however, there may be some funding available througha contract the HTA has with the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA) and thatsome of those funds may be able to be directed toward FestPAC, but he would need to request
approval in order to confirm this source of funding.
Ms. Lum stated that there was some consideration by OHA at one point in time; however, sincethe 2020 event was cancelled, OHA said that they will reconsider their commitment at a futuretime.
Ms. Wong-Kalu expressed that OHA is currently undergoing organizational adjustments withmajor changes to be made related to levels of leadership, etc. There is great possibility to revisit
commitments that were made previously; however, given the current restructuring of theorganization, she asked for the Commission’s patience at this time.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham commented that the Commission needs to have an understanding where
resources might come from and that these discussions need to be in alignment with the Festival
Director and Fund Developer regarding timelines, communication, etc. She suggested that threeor four Commissioners meet to have a brainstorming session regarding this matter throughExecutive Session or whatever the bylaws may allow. She, however, reiterated that anorganizational framework must be developed in order for concrete work to begin. Chair
responded that the Commission does not have any bylaws. He asked Ms. Ahn whether fourCommissioners would be able to meet on the topics just proposed by Ms. Ah Nee-Benham. Ms.
Ahn concurred that it would be allowable as a permitted interaction. Chair requested that Ms.
Ah Nee-Benham lead this group. The Chair, Ms. Bento and Ms. Salā volunteered to join Ms. Ah
Nee-Benham in this discussion.
Chair indicated that NaHHA’s scope of work with the HTA under its current contract includes
support services for HTA that may be relevant to FestPAC planning. He will review thispossibility further to determine whether NaHHA might be able to be a funding source if
Commissioners agreed and asked whether anyone objected to this consideration. Hearing none,

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 6 of 7

Chair will look into funding availability, possible salary range and position description that will
be discussed by Ms. Ah Nee-Benham’s team before the next Commission meeting. Ms. Ah NeeBenham will present recommendations at the next Commission meeting for approval.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham commented that based upon Mr. Keohokālole’s previous comments, heshould be a member of this subgroup. Ms. Salā agreed and withdrew her name for Mr.
Keohokālole to participate in this group instead of herself. Mr. Keohokālole repeated that it
would be important to identify funding sources in order to get this project off the ground. He
noted that small early funding is sometimes more valuable than big late funding. Ms. Ah NeeBenham mentioned that in-kind services should be considered too and that it would be valuable
when monetized. In addition, she believes that there should be office space designated for
FestPAC staff. Chair indicated that he would check on office space that might be available at the
HTA, if needed.
DISCUSSION ON FESTIVAL VENUES
Chair asked for comments on how to keep this topic moving along. Ms. Bento asked if there
were current listings of venues.
Chair indicated that if we plan on conducting a Waʻa (canoe) Ceremony, Opening and Closing
Ceremonies and the Festival Village, these decisions will help to set the tone for the broader
Festival. ʻIolani Palace was mentioned previously for the opening ceremony and Kapiʻolani
Park for the closing ceremony. For the festival village, the Convention Center, Ala Moana
Magic Island and Keʻehi Lagoon were suggested previously.
Ms. Wong-Kalu requested a meeting with the Chair to further discuss possibilities regarding
venues and would like to have a brainstorming session with the Chair before making her
recommendations public. Chair expressed that he would be available to meet with Ms. WongKalu provided that it is in accordance with the permitted interaction requirements.
Mr. Onishi stated that regarding specific venues, the Commission should make every effort toconfirm venues and make it work. Consideration of alternatives can be made when theoperational team is in place and research related to nuances, costs, etc. can be explored. Mr.
Onishi expressed that he is comfortable with what already has been identified as possible venues.
If the Commission is serious about having the Opening Ceremony at ʻIolani Palace, we should
decide on and confirm this venue. He feels the same regarding reserving Kapiʻolani Park for the
Closing Ceremony. Requirements, dates, timelines need to be revisited again. For the festival
village, Mr. Onishi commented that it needs to have more organizational capacity; however, hissuggestion would be to finalize the opening and closing ceremony locations in order to get theball rolling. He deferred to Ms. Bento regarding the Waʻa Ceremony. Ms. Bento stated that her
first choice would be Ala Moana Magic Island for the Waʻa Ceremony. Chair agreed with Mr.
Onishi. Chair also suggested to defer the balance of agenda items until the next Commission
meeting.
Chair suggested that two small group meetings be held before the next Commission meeting –one regarding the organizational structure and one related to program/venues. Ms. Salā requested

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, July 26, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 7 of 7

volunteers to discuss the Opening and Closing ceremonies and Festival Village. Mr. Onishi, Ms.
Lum and Ms. Wong-Kalu volunteered to participate in this meeting.
DISCUSSION ON REVISIONS TO THE FESTIVAL BUDGETThis item is deferred until the next meeting.
DISCUSSION ON FESTIVAL SUB-COMMITTEES
A. Defining Sub-Committees
B. Organizational Chart
C. 2021 Workplan
D. Objectives, Timeline & Milestones
E. Developing Workplan Templates for Sub-Committees
F. Development of Sub-Committee Progress Reports Template
This item was deffered until the next meeting.
DISCUSSION OF HONORARY FESTIVAL CHAIR
This item was deferred until the next meeting.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited the public to again offer comments. Hearing none, he continued withthe agenda.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
There were no announcements made.
NEXT MEETING
Chair Kaʻanāʻanā confirmed that the next meeting will be held on August 9, 2021, at 2:30pm.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā adjourned meeting at 3:28 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,

Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā
Chair

08/12/2021
Date