DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & TOURISM (DBEDT) MINUTES OF THE COMMISSION ON THE 13™H FESTIVAL OF PACIFIC ARTS & CULTURE (FESTPAC) MEETING FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2020 AT 10:00 AM VIA VIRTUAL APPLICATION ZOOM: VIDEO / AUDIO CONFERENCE Commission Members Present were:
Guests:
Staff:
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; left at 10:35am) Governor’s Designee (arrived at 10:30am) Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT)
Attorney General’s Office

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 by Representative 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 PA'I Foundation contract.  In addition, there is an appropriation of $585,715.73 that will lapse at t he close of 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 and Associates.  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Governor had previously released the $100,000 hold back prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, however, that amount has been rescinded due to the current state budget situation.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 the total 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 Pacific Arts and Culture (Council or CPAC) on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.  The Council made the decision to honor Hawaiʻi’s request to postpone the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (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 an opportunity to revamp the program.  The working group will consider incorporating virtual activities for the 2024 Festival in Hawaiʻi.  In addition, a timeline needs to be developed and approved by the Council.  Without guidelines, Hawaiʻi 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 s 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 Hawaiʻi does not have a designated entity to serve in this capacity.  Some at t he Council meeting asked if the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is Hawaiʻi’s point agency for Hawaiian culture. The Council would like to have culture to be at t the forefront of all planning, programming and decisions.  Hawaiʻi is interested in following that line of thinking, too. The Youth Ambassador Program was well received and there is much interest in this program.  New Zealand has organized a group that was initially planning on participating in 2020 FESTPAC in Hawaiʻi.  They have plans to continue the Youth Ambassador Program, virtually, between now and 2024. Ms. de Silva said that the Pacific Community's (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 indicated that she reached out to Ms. Kuiniselani to obtain clarification on this matter.  Ms. de Silva summarized the key points of the CPAC meeting as follows: (1) the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture has been postponed until 2024 and will be held in Hawaiʻi; (2) the proposed hybrid festival format was accepted; (3) member nations will continue to pursue activities between now and 2024; and (4) the Council would like to continue communication in the development of the Youth Ambassador Program. Mr. Kaʿanāʿanā 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 the 2024 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 concerns that their limited internet connectivity may affect their participation in some of the virtual portions of a hybrid Festival.
Next Steps
Rep. Onishi asked how is Hawaiʻi 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 Hawaiʻi would be responsible for between now and 2024.  He commented that the Commission will need to look at how it needs to be restructured in support of FESTPAC.  Chair English concurred.  The Chair also feels that what Hawaiʻi develops will become a template going forward. Chair English mentioned that the Legislature will reconvene on June 15, 2020.  He and Rep. Onishi will discuss options related to legislation that will continue the life of the Commission 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. With respect to the existing funds, Chair English commented that it may be best to add that funding to the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA) because there may be programming and other activities that will occur in the near future.  It may be more convenient for the Commission to access its existing funds if the funds were located at HTA.  Mr. Casson-Fisher (HTA) commented that he and Mr. Kaʿanāʿanā will discuss this matter further with their leadership. A working group of eight countries plus Hawaiʻi will continue to work on the Youth Ambassador Program. The countries included in this working group are:  Hawaiʻi; New Zealand; Cook Islands; Australia; French Polynesia; Palau; Wallis and Fortuna; Fiji; Norfolk Island.  Most of these countries have good connectivity; however, some may require 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 t the bill and develop a draft to move the Commission forward.  He also suggested that the make-up of the Commission be reviewed as well.  He commented that he is not sure whether the make-up of the Commission should be from an organizational standpoint or from the standpoint of an individual’s personal credentials. Mr. Marcus Mazon (from Bishop museum) asked if plans are to schedule the Festival in June of 2024.  Ms. de Silva indicated that if the intention is to use the dorms at the University of Hawaiʻi, then the Festival will need to be held when school is not in session.  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 the CPAC.  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 to FESTPAC going forward. Mr. Kia (Outrigger Resorts) expressed that it was the right thing to do to move the date of the Festival.  There is a big gap to fill and continued discussions with the other nations need to be made.  He said we all need to keep united, in lokahi (in unity and harmony) and move in the right direction.
NEW BUSINESS:
A.  Chair English asked for a motion to officially move the Festival date to 2024.  Ms. de Silva 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 the motion:  Mr. Ling; Rep. Onishi, Ms. de Silva, Ms. Bento, Mr. Kaʿanāʿanā, Mr. McComber, Chair English. The vote was unanimous and the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture will be held in 2024 as a hybrid Festival. B.  Chair English, as a reminder, cautioned DBEDT to remove the old logos and use the ones without the year 2020. C. Rep. Onishi provided an update regarding his discussions with the University of Hawaiʻi (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 the Commission 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 make decisions by the end of the fiscal year. Mr. Ling reported that there are also deposit funds at t 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 s oon as possible since the end of the fiscal year is approaching. Rep. Onishi stated that finances should be reviewed as s oon as possible.  He suggested 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. Kaʻanāʻanā and herself be scheduled as soon as possible. Minutes of the Commission on the 13 th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture Friday, May 22, 2020 via ZOOM Page 6 of 6
DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 29, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. via ZOOM ADJOURNMENT The Meeting was adjourned at 10:42 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, May 29, 2020 Date