MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGMONDAY, MARCH 14, 2022, AT 3:00 PM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE
Commission Members Present were:
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā, Chair
Maenette Ah Nee-Benham Snowbird Bento
Māpuana de Silva
Jarrett Keohokālole
Kēhaulani Puʻu-Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) Designee
Governor’s Designee
Community Member At-Large (Arrived at
3:21 p.m.)
Community Member At-Large
Senate President’s Designee
City and County of Honolulu Designee

Lynn Martin Graton
Ngahiraka Mason
Monte McComber
Aaron SalāMālia Sanders
Kanoe Takitani-Puahi
Pris Texeira-Public Member
Public Member
Public Member
Festival Director
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
Public Member

Apologies:
Sylvia Hussey
Jamie Lum

-Richard Onishi-

Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA)
Department of Business, Economic Developmentand Tourism (DBEDT)House Speaker’s Designee

Gregg Kinkley
Selma Malcolm
Timothy Tiu
Scott Tome-

Office of the Attorney General
DBEDT
DBEDT
DBEDTGuests:

Staff:

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 14, 2022, at 3:00pm via ZOOMPage 2 of 5

CALL TO ORDER
At 3:03 p.m., Chair Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā welcomed all present via Zoom and Facebook Live andnoted that no member of the public was present at the public meeting location. Chair thenconducted roll call of Commissioners: Chair, Ms. Ah Nee-Benham, Ms. de Silva, Mr.
Keohokālole, Ms. Puʻu. Chair noted that Commissioners Hussey, Lum, and Onishi wereexcused, and that Ms. Bento would later be joining the meeting.
Chair turned over the wehena (opening) for today’s meeting to Festival Director (FD) Aaron Salāwho performed an oli (chant).
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMSChair Ka‘anā‘anā invited members of the public to testify on the agenda items. Hearing none, heproceeded with the rest of the agenda items.
APPROVAL OF FEBRUARY 14, 2022, MEETING MINUTES
The minutes were distributed and reviewed by Commissioners. Chair asked if there were any
comments or changes to the minutes. Hearing none, he asked for a motion to be made and it wasmade by Ms. Ah Nee-Benham, seconded by Ms. de Silva. A roll call vote was requested withthe following Commissioners approving the motion to approve the minutes of February 14,2022: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. Ah Nee-Benham, Mr. Keohokālole, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Puʻu.
Motion to adopt the February 14, 2022, minutes, unamended, was unanimously approved.
REPORT ON PERMITTED INTERACTIONS, PURSUANT TO ACT 103, SESSIONLAWS OF HAWAIʻI 2021
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā reported that the Administrative Committee (AC) met on February 28, 2022, at
3:00 pm. The contents of that meeting will be discussed in the next agenda item. No otherpermitted interactions were held since the last Commission meeting.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING ADMINISTRATIVECOMMITTEE UPDATE
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā reaffirmed and clarified that the fund development or fundraising function has
been merged with the AC. Changes to the membership of the committee were made and the fourcommissioners participating on this committee will be Ms. Ah Nee-Benham, Ms. Hussey, Mr.
Keohokālole, and Chair Kaʻanāʻanā. The AC will be led by Commissioner Ah Nee-Benham.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā turned over this portion of the AC’s report to Ms. Ah Nee-Benham. Ms. AhNee-Benham expressed that much of the content of her report will be presented in the FestivalDirector (FD) report. To summarize, the FD brought the AC up to date regarding the FestPAC
website. He also plans on working with University of Hawaiʻi students to develop a moreinteractive website. The FD also updated the AC regarding the role of the Native Hawaiian
Hospitality Association (NaHHA) in providing a professional conference organizer training
which would benefit FestPAC staff and help with the overall planning and implementation of theFestival. There also will be opportunities for friend-raising and fundraising activities in July
2022. The FD will provide more information in his report since there are points for discussion asMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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well as decisions that need to be made by the Commission. Ms. Ah Nee-Benham also mentionedthat the AC report was enclosed with today’s meeting materials.
Chair asked for any questions and hearing none, he moved on to the next agenda item.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING VENUES AND
PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE UPDATE
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā clarified that the Venues Committee (VC) will be adopting the function ofprogramming to its scope. He confirmed that Commissioners Lum, Puʻu, Onishi and Bento will
be serving on VC. The VC will be led by Commissioner Lum and he expressed appreciation toMs. Lum for leading this committee.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING THE FESTIVAL
DIRECTOR REPORTFD Salā began his report by expanding upon the overview provided earlier by Ms. Ah NeeBenham. He reported that a new website is being developed and that NaHHA will be setting up
a new landing page that will be active soon. The FD is planning for the relaunch of the FestPAC
2024 website in June 2022. For now, the site will remain dormant. It should take approximately
two months to redesign and relaunch the FestPAC website. He also will be developing a social
media strategy that will include TikTok and LinkedIn as a more robust fundraising strategy isexecuted.
The FD reported that he met with Mr. Dave Moss, Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi SymphonyOrchestra, Mr. Hanalei Kaʻanapu of Haka Entertainment and Mr. Alan Yamamoto, producer andformer radio executive to discuss the Waikīkī Shell event planned for July 1-2, 2022. The FD
spoke of this event during the last Commission meeting and discussed this idea with the AC.
Comments received were to consider a Friday and Saturday event with Friday being a VIP byinvitation-only event and Saturday being open to the public. There will be no financial burden
imposed on the Commission. The goal is to inform the public about FestPAC and begin a more
active fundraising strategy.
The FD reported that the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra already has July 1-2, 2022 reserved andthat they were initially thinking about partnering with Mr. Kaʻanapu to present Moonlight Mele.
Partnering with these producers will the FD and Festival Commission the opportunity to share
more about FestPAC to the greater public. It was mentioned that the event could also be used as
an opportunity to invite hoteliers and bankers to learn more about the importance of FestPAC toHawaiʻi and the Pacific with hopes of securing funds for the Festival. The FD envisions
socializing the Festival and begin implementing a fundraising strategy through events such as
this.
The FD reported that once he is able to finalize the Festival Village and auxiliary venues, he willdevelop and present a budget to the Commission at the next meeting. He indicated that once thebudget is approved, he will begin fundraising efforts.
The FD reported about a photo exhibit of the Pacific Gathering Guam, FestPAC 2016, that will
be hosted by the East-West Center (EWC). He continues to have ongoing conversations with Mr.

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, March 14, 2022, at 3:00pm via ZOOMPage 4 of 5

Eric Chang and other EWC staff that will further help in hosting FestPAC in 2024. He also
continues to meet with Mr. Jonathan Johnson of the State Foundation on Culture and Arts andMs. Mary Hattori of the EWC. These discussions will contribute toward helping with future
staffing for the Festival office. The FD also acknowledged Mr. Kūhiō Lewis and the Council for
Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) for their willingness to assist with FestPAC 2024 which
he appreciates.
Moving forward with the Festival Village and auxiliary venues, the FD and Commissioner Lumhave been in discussion, and he will be requesting that regular standing VC meetings bescheduled.
Lastly, in preparation for the next Council of Pacific Arts and Culture (CPAC) meeting in April,
the FD and Ms. de Silva met on March 8, 2022 and have been in discussion regarding overalllayout of the Festival Village. The FD is waiting to receive dimensions of McCarthy Mall andLegacy Path and expects to receive this information from University of Hawaiʻi (UH) President
David Lassner’s office soon. In the next Commission meeting, the FD will present a schematic
drawing of the Festival Village and auxiliary venues for Commissioners to review. The FD will
also have an updated budget and marketing strategy (including social media) for Commissioners’review and approval.
Chair informed members that Ms. Bento had joined the meeting at 3:21 p.m.
Mr. Keohokālole raised a question regarding the space of McCarthy Mall and whether theamphitheater could also be used. The FD and Ms. de Silva addressed this question and noted thatspace is premium at both areas of the UH Mānoa Campus. McCarthy Mall would be best for theFestival Village and the Legacy Path will be used for auxiliary venues including a lomi
(Hawaiian massage) tent, feather lei making and other arts. Andrews Amphitheater could be usedas the main performance venue although other venues may need to be considered since not all
performances could be performed there. Ms. de Silva expressed that her biggest concern ishaving enough performance space for all countries attending. Chair said that he will allow
committees to conduct due diligence first then present recommendations to the Commission.
Ms. Ah Nee-Benham said that regarding the friend-raising and fundraising event, the AC wassupportive of the idea. They requested that the FD gather more information and present hisfindings to the Commission. Chair acknowledged and thanked the July event partners for theirsupport. The FD expressed a huge mahalo (thanks) to Mr. Dave Moss for considering apartnership for the July 1-2, 2022 weekend that the Symphony had already reserved.
PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION REGARDING THE 35TH
COUNCIL OF PACIFIC ARTS AND CULTURE (CPAC) MEETING IN APRIL 2022Chair Ka‘anā‘anā reported that the 35th Council of Pacific Arts and Culture (CPAC) will bemeeting soon. Chair has been in discussions with the FD and Mr. Monte McComber who has
been the liaison with CPAC in planning and preparing for Hawaiʻi’s presentation about FestPAC
2024 that will be included on the agenda. Ms. de Silva is Chair of CPAC and Mr. Salā willrepresent the Commission at the Ministers’ meeting. Mr. McComber will be representing theCommission at CPAC. Ms. de Silva is Chair of both groups. Chair indicated that it will be theMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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6th meeting of Ministers and the 35th meeting of CPAC that will be held virtually. It will be agreat opportunity to check-in with both groups and provide an update regarding our plans for
FestPAC 2024 and progress to date.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited the public to again offer comments. Hearing none, he moved intoannouncements.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
No announcements were made at this meeting.
NEXT MEETING – APRIL 11, 2022
The next FestPAC Commission meeting is confirmed for Monday, April 11, 2022 at 3:00 pm.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā adjourned meeting at 3:31 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,Kalani Ka‘anā‘anāChair

04/10/2022
DateFestPAC Venue Committee Meeting
Monday, March 28, 2022
3:00 p.m. via Zoom
Minutes
Attendees: Jamie Lum (Chair), Snowbird Bento, Representative Richard Onishi, Kēhaulani Puʻu,
Aaron Salā, Kureha Pambid
Ms. Lum stated that the purpose of today’s meeting was primarily to get an update fromFestival Director Salā about his meetings with the UH-Mānoa about the use of McCarthy Malland Legacy Path for FestPAC 2024 and to get feedback that can ultimately help him develop amore accurate and realistic budget. Ms. Lum turned the meeting over to FD Salā.
FD Salā introduced Ms. Kureha Pambid who is on contract to assist him with FestPAC.
FD Salā shared a map of the UH-Mānoa campus, highlighting the areas being discussed –McCarthy Mall and Legacy Path. He then shared individual renderings of each area. He said theplan is to use McCarthy Mall as the Festival Village site and Legacy Path as a venue to featurecollective work/demonstrations of artisan groups (e.g., carvers, weavers, etc.) Andrews
Amphitheater will be the main stage for features performances by delegations. Regarding theFestival Village, the ideal situation would be to build temporary wooden structures for each of
the participating delegations, but this will be dictated by available funds. At minimum, wewould provide tents with covered sides (3 sides), tables and chairs.
Discussion
Rep. Onishi suggested to FD Salā that the Festival Village budget should be based on having
wooden structures, as this is the higher cost scenario and can be scaled back if fundraising goals
are not met.
Ms. Bento said there might be volunteers willing to help with the construction orapprenticeship programs such as the one at Honolulu Community College, thus saving laborcosts. Rep. Onishi said there were some preliminary discussions with groups like the carpenters
union and BIA about donating labor for the Festival Village. He offered to help FD Salā makecontact with these groups.
There was some discussion about possible designs of the wooden structure, including covering
them pili grass or coconut fronds. Both Ms. Bento and Rep. Onishi pointed out that weather
conditions in Mānoa need to be considered when designing and building any structure.
FD Salā also stated that signage in the Festival Village will be important, and that has to bebudgeted for, as well.

1Ms. Lum asked FD Salā what he envisions for the Legacy Path space, as far as structures. Hesaid he felt it could be less formal, using tents for example. Ms. Bento agreed and suggested
that larger tents, possibly 20ʻx40ʻ size, could be used to feature artisans in shared spaces.
Follow-up Items1. FD Salā and Ms. Pambid will work on adding more details to the the renderings forpresentation at the next scheduled FestPAC Commission meeting on April 11 th.
2. FD Salā will schedule a meeting with Rep. Onishi to discuss meeting with the carpenters
union, BIA, and other industry groups about the possibility of donating labor forconstruction of structures for the Festival Village.
Committee members agreed to begin meeting at least one time in between regularly scheduled
Commission meetings in order to continue moving forward with venues planning, andeventually into programming.

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