MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13TH FESTIVAL OF
PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FestPAC) MEETINGMONDAY, MAY 17, 2021 AT 2:30 PM
VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE
Commission Members Present were:
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā, Chair
Māpuana de Silva
Jarrett Keohokālole
Jamie Lum-

Richard Onishi
Makanani Salā
Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu-

Jacob Aki
Kiele Amundxon
Mamiko Carroll
Hailama Farden
Maka Casson-Fisher
Karen Ewald
Ilihia Gionson
Jonathan Johnson-

Lynn Martin Graton
Emalia Keohokālole
Monte McComber
Michi Moore
Aaron Salā
Malia Sanders-

Senate Communications Office
Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts
Public Member
Public Member
Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA)
Hawai‘i State Art Museum
Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association
State Foundation on Culture and the Arts
(SFCA)
Public Member
Public Member
Public Member
Public Member
University of Hawai‘i/Royal Hawaiian Center
Native Hawaiian Hospitallity Association

Margaret Ahn
Marlene Hiraoka
Timothy Tiu
Scott Tome
Selma Malcomb-

Deputy Attorney General
DBEDT
DBEDT
DBEDT

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

Guests:Staff:

Minutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
Monday, May 17, 2021 at 2:30pm via ZOOMPage 2 of 6

Apologies:
Snowbird Bento-

Community Member At-Large

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chair Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā at 2:34 p.m., who welcomed
everyone present via ZOOM and Facebook Live.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā called upon Mr. Keohokālole to introduce Ms. Emalia Keohokālole.
Commissioner Keohokālole introduced Ms. Keohokālole as the matriarch of the Keohokālole
‘ohana (family) who graciously agreed to do the wehena (opening).
Ms. Keohokālole expressed mahalo (gratitude) to Commissioners for their commitment to thekuleana (privileges and duties) of FestPAC. She explained that the Keohokālole ‘ohana grew up
on Kāneʻohe Bay, once the site of the only black sand beach on Oʻahu named Nāonealaʻa. This
area was the kuleana of chief Laʻamaikahiki who settled there in the 13th century. In 1737, apeace accord was agreed to on the beach of Nāonealaʻa between Laʻamaikahiki and other chiefsof lands nearby. The chiefs met on the shores of Nāonealaʻa, embraced, and wept together as aconfirmation of the peace accord that called for a ceasefire. This area is where Sen. Keohokālole
grew up. Our limu ʻeleʻele, (dark edible seaweeds) varieties of iʻa (fish) and other foods weregathered there. To honor this sacred place, the Keohokālole ʻohana composed an oli (chant) tohonor the chiefs of this wahi pana (storied place) and to create a commemoration of the peaceaccord that occurred there. Ms. Keohokālole shared the oli (chant).
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā expressed gratitude to Ms. Keohokālole. Other Commissioners expressedthanks, too. Ms. Salā commented that it was an appropriate story to share with Commissioners
since Hawai‘i will be inviting people from all over the Pacific to Hawaiʻi for this Festival.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited members of the public to testify on the agenda items. Hearing none, hecontinued with agenda items.
APPROVAL OF MAY 3, 2021 MEETING MINUTES
The minutes were distributed and reviewed by Commissioners. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā asked for a
motion and it was made by Commissioner Lum and seconded by Commissioner de Silva toadopt the minutes unamended. A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners
approving the motion to approve the minutes: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Lum, Ms.
Wong-Kalu, Ms. Salā, Mr. Keohokālole, Mr. Onishi. Motion was unanimously approved.
NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF COMMISSION VICE CHAIR
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā mentioned that the nomination and selection of a Commission Vice-Chair was
discussed during the last meeting. Only one nomination was presented during the last meetingfor Ms. Salā; however, Chair expressed that he wanted to open the floor to see if Commissioners
had other nominations. Hearing none, Ms. Lum moved that nominations be closed and Mr.
Oishi seconded the motion. A roll call vote was requested with the following Commissioners

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approving nominations be closed: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Lum, Ms. Wong-Kalu,
Ms. Salā, Mr. Keohokālole, Mr. Onishi.
Upon closure of the nominations, a motion was made by Mr. Onishi to approve Ms. Salā as Vice
Chair of the Commission and was seconded by Ms. de Silva. A roll call vote was requested withthe following Commissioners approving the motion of Ms. Salā as the Vice Chair of theCommission: Chair Kaʻanāʻanā, Ms. Salā, Ms. Wong-Kalu, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Lum, Mr.
Keohokālole, Mr. Onishi. Motion was unanimously approved. Chair Kaʻanāʻanā invited Ms.
Salā to speak. Ms. Salā expressed mahalo to Commissioners for their vote of confidence andlooks forward to working hard on the Commission.
DISCUSSION OF HONORARY FESTIVAL CHAIR
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā expressed that regarding the discussion of appointing a Festival Chair,Commissioners were asked to think about making suggestions at today’s meeting. Chair
Kaʻanāʻanā mentioned that after receiving suggestions today, he would call each candidate todetermine their interest. He also mentioned that by the Quarterly Meeting, he is hopeful that theCommission would be able to vote and appoint an Honorary Chair of the Festival.
Ms. de Silva commented that if the Commission is considering appointing a Festival Director,
she felt it would be appropriate to wait until the Festival Director is selected before selecting an
Honorary Festival Chair. She further commented that she would like the positions to becomplementary and include a male and female. She indicated that after the last meeting, she
consulted with Mr. Kīhei de Silva and they both felt that it would be better for the Commission
to wait to select an Honorary Chair; however, she is happy to follow the wishes of theCommission.
Ms. Wong-Kalu expressed support of Ms. de Silva’s comments. She further mentioned thatwhen it comes to on-the-ground leadership, it would be important for the Festival Director to be
sure that the work gets done. She sees the Honorary Festival Chair as one who would fulfill theroll as an Ambassador for the Festival as well as for the Hawaiian community. Ms. Wong-Kalu
agreed with Ms. de Silva that both individuals would need to work together in a complementaryway, would need to be in sync in terms of clarity of important matters, as well as offering abalance in approach and thought.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā agreed and asked for other comments. Chair indicated that he would defer
action on this agenda item until the next meeting since the Commission is not prepared to discuss
the position of the Festival Director at this meeting. He requested that Commissioners think
about individuals for both positions that could be discussed at the Commission’s Quarterly
Meeting.
Ms. Wong-Kalu also suggested that agenda items be written in a more standard manner to allow
the Commission to discuss certain business. Chair Kaʻanāʻanā expressed that he will revisit theagenda item descriptions to give the Commission more flexibility and will seek guidance from
Ms. Ahn. He further stated that assuming Governor Ige signs the legislation that extends the lifeof the Commission, it will give the Commission more flexibility in discussing items outside ofMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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Commission meetings provided those matters are discussed at the following Commission
meeting.
DISCUSSION AND ACTION REGARDING THE DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY TO
THE CHAIR OR DESIGNEE TO APPLY FOR GRANTS AND SECURESPONSORSHIPS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā said this agenda item was part of the conversation from the last meeting during
the process of applying for the ANA grant and other opportunities. For the purpose oftransparency, he asked the Commission to consider giving him the authority to allow him to affix
his signature on applications, with the Commission’s full support.
Ms. Lum made a motion that the Commission delegate authority to the Commission Chair or
Chair’s designee to apply for grants and secure sponsorships and it was seconded by Mr.
Keohokālole.
Mr. Onishi asked whether there were any concerns about this matter by the AG’s office. He
specifically asked whether the “designee” needed to be an individual approved by theCommission. Ms. Ahn commented that the decision would be up to the Commission. Ms. Ahn
asked Chair Ka‘anā‘anā if he had anyone in mind. Chair used the Request for Information (RFI)
as an example of using staff or another individual to draft the RFI. He would not want any
delays to occur and if he is able to delegate the work, it would be helpful. He would continue tooversee the work.
Mr. Onishi expressed that he does not have any problems with the Chair coordinating andoverseeing work so long as the Chair signs applications on the Commission’s behalf. Mr. Onishi
commented that he would have difficulty approving a designee to sign applications but agrees tohave the Chair oversee the work. Mr. Onishi also commented that if there is a contractual
relationship, for example with an individual who would be securing funding, he would be
comfortable with this individual being allowed to sign certain documents if it is stated in thecontract document. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā asked if Ms. Lum would consider removing the“designee” language in her previous motion. Ms. Lum amended her previous motion to remove
the reference of a “designee”, to which Mr. Keohokālole re-affirmed his second to the amended
motion.
A roll call vote was taken to authorize the Commission Chair to be authorized to sign grantapplications with the following Commissioners approving: Chair Ka‘anā‘anā, Ms. de Silva, Ms.
Lum, Ms. Wong-Kalu, Ms. Salā, Mr. Keohokālole, Mr. Onishi. Motion was unanimously
approved.
DISCUSSION OF REVISIONS TO THE FESTIVAL BUDGETMoving on to the next agenda item, Chair Ka‘anā‘anā indicated that staff did not receive any
requests for revisions to the draft budget presented during the last meeting. He asked
Commissioners if more time was needed for them to offer comments regarding the budget.
Ms. Salā commented that with respect to the venues and facilities budget, under venue
production related to security, crowd control, etc., it would depend upon whether it was anMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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outdoor venue for the Festival Village. The budget allocation might be sufficient; however, italso might be way under budget.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā said he would like the Commission to feel comfortable with a base budget but
understood that it would be revised as planning progressed. Ms. Lum commented that since
DBEDT has the finance administration piece, she will review the budget again with a realistic
view in light of the current situation and will offer further comments at the next meeting. Mr.
Onishi commented that the draft budget is a starting point with the understanding that it is aworking budget that is subject to change as planning continues. He indicated that attempting todetermine how revenue will be raised is very important. He mentioned that previously, theCommission explored the possibility of retaining a professional fundraiser. During the 2020
Festival planning many potential individuals expressed that the timeline was too short toeffectively raise funds. Mr. Onishi believes that it is a good time for the Commission to revisit
this issue again and reach out to individuals and businesses to collect their thoughts regarding
fundraising goals, etc. He stressed that the Commission needed to determine whether the budget
is attainable. Chair Ka‘anā‘anā indicated that he and Ms. Lum have been working to craft a RFI
draft for fundraising.
DISCUSSION ON SUB-COMMITTEE PROGRESS AND FESTIVAL VENUE FORMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā reported that he received a few venue forms – one from ʻIolani Place and theother from the Hawaiʻi Convention Center (HCC). He requested that Mr. Tome forward forms
received to Commissioners. Chair asked for comments and/or red flags and that it would be agood time to bring these issues forward.
Ms. Salā reported that the City & County of Honolulu departments have received the forms,
however, they have not submitted the completed forms to her office. Regarding comments,
departments have expressed concern about the length of time being requested – from June 1 –June 17, 2024, especially related to Magic Island and Ala Moana Park. Ms. Salā also indicatedthat departments would need to inform the neighborhood boards before issuing permits. There
will be challenges related to approving requests for the duration of use. She mentioned that if it
is for a one-time event, it will probably be viewed more favorably. As a point of information,
Magic Island has reduced the number of available parking stalls. Ms. Salā commented that she
will need to inform departments, in advance, about all of these requests. Another issue is theneed for secured and locked space for items left at the venue.
Ms. de Silva indicated that participants in past Festivals would usually leave with their items as
opposed to leaving it at the venue. She further commented that during other Festivals, Hawaiʻi’s
artisans and those of other countries chose not to leave their belongings at the venue. She
mentioned that it was part of their kuleana of not leaving things in one location when travelingelsewhere to another location.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā mentioned that the June 7, 2021, meeting would be a Quarterly Planning
Meeting. He asked if this was too soon to make decisions regarding venue selection. Ms. Salāsaid that it would be good to get into more detail regarding venues at that time. Chair indicatedthat if venue forms are submitted by the June 7th meeting, the Commission should plan on voting
for venues at that meeting. He is especially concerned about venues that require input andMinutes of the Commission on the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture
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approval from the community regarding their use. Chair shared the Convention Center’s
website, www.meethawaii.com for those who would need to use a room at HCC. He asked that
Commissioners visit the site to determine meeting room capacity and other details as forms arecompleted. Mr. Tome will include the website information when he sends the completed venue
forms to Commissioners.
PLANNING OF QUARTERLY MEETING JUNE 7, 2021 FROM 2:30 P.M. TO 5:00 P.M.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā noted that for the next meeting, he would like to discuss venues, budget, grantand other fundraising opportunities, selections of the Festival Director and Honorary Chair. He
also would like to review the 2021 Workplan to include deliverables for sub-committees; whatneeds to be done, what is yet to be achieved, and what should be included in the overall
workplan. Ms. Wong-Kalu commented that the agenda wording should be written in a moregeneral manner so that Commissioners will have more flexibility, but the general public will
have a clear idea of the nature of the intended discussion. Ms. Ahn commented that she will
work with the Chair to find some flexibility in the wording of agendas.
Ms. de Silva commented that the Commission should convene in-person meetings, at some point.
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā noted that he would be able to host meetings at HCC and that if it is a hybrid
format, HCC is equipped to handle Zoom and Facebook live. He asked Ms. Ahn whether hybrid
meetings are allowable. Ms. Ahn mentioned that there is legislation related to open meeting
guidelines that was sent to Governor Ige for signature. She will inform the Chair of her findings
regarding hybrid meeting rules. Mr. Keohokālole also offered the Hawaiʻi State Capitol asanother option for a meeting location since it is set-up for hybrid meetings. He noted that
although the Capitol is currently closed, it may become available during the third or fourth
quarter.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON AGENDA ITEMS
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā invited the public to again offer comments. Hearing none, he continued with
the next meeting date.
NEXT MEETING
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā confirmed that the next meeting, which will be a Quarterly Planning Meeting,will be held on June 7, 2021, from 2:30 to 5:00 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT
Chair Ka‘anā‘anā adjourned meeting at 3:25 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

05/19/21
Kalani Ka‘anā‘anā
Chair

Date