Olivia Abe

**Olivia Sofia Abe** (born 2 September 1977) is a Hawaiian politician who has served as minister of foreign affairs in the first and second Kanazawa ministries since 2018. Additionally, Abe is the founder and chairperson of the Green-Progressive Party, served as chairperson of Hui Pū ʻAna from 2017 until 2021, and has represented Oahu in the House of Representatives since 2014.

Born in Pearl City to a middle-class family, Abe graduated from Pearl City High School in 1995. Afterwards, she moved to Honolulu to enroll in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, graduating with a degree in Hawaiian studies in 1999. After completing her education, Abe enlisted in the Royal Hawaiian Navy as an officer, serving until being honorably discharged in 2005. After returning from the armed forces, Abe found work at a number of nongovernmental organizations in Hawaii for veterans affairs.

Abe entered politics in 2014, when she was included on the party list in Oahu for the newly formed Hui Pū ʻAna political party. After the party won enough seats in the 2014 election, Abe was elected to the House of Representatives. Upon taking her seat in parliament, Abe focused her legislating on issues regarding national defense, foreign affairs, and veterans affairs. Party chairperson Nathalia Arruda announced her retirement in 2017, and Abe was unanimously elected by the party as her successor. Abe later led the party into the 2018 election, where the party emerged as the fourth-largest party in parliament. After the election, Abe negotiated a coalition agreement with Kenzie Kanazawa and the Hawaiian National Party, ultimately leading to the creation of the Kanazawa ministry. Abe was ultimately nominated by Kanazawa to serve as minister of foreign affairs in the ministry, and later was ppointed by Queen Keʻalohilani.

In 2021, Abe formed the Green-Progressive Party through a merger of Hui Pū ʻAna and the Green Party. She was selected to serve as its inaugural chairperson, and led the party into the 2021 snap election, which saw great success for the party. After the election, Abe opted to continue the previous coalition with the Hawaii National Party, and was selected to continue serving as foreign affairs minister in the second Kanazawa ministry.

## Early life and education

Abe was born on 2 September 1977 in Pearl City to parents Joe Abe (born 1947) and María Rosario Mateo Flores (born 1951). Her father is a Hawaiian of Japanese and Irish descent, and worked as a high school science teacher, while her mother is a Filipino immigrant from Santa Cruz, Laguna, who worked part-time jobs in retail. Abe was raised bilingually in English and Tagalog as a Roman Catholic. She is the youngest of three daughters; her elder sisters include Jessica (born 1973) and Tamara (born 1975).

Abe began her education in 1982, attending a local, public elementary school in Pearl City. While in elementary school, Abe decided that she wanted to join the military. She enrolled in Pearl City High School in 1991, where Abe excelled in social studies and history, and graduated in 1995. After her graduation, Abe moved to Honolulu to enroll in the University of Hawaii, Manoa, graduating with a degree in Hawaiian studies in 1999.

## Military career

After graduating with her degree in May 1999, Abe enlisted in the Royal Hawaiian Navy as an officer candidate. She enrolled in an officer training school, and completed the program in September 1999. Following her completion of officer training, Abe received the rank of ensign and became a naval officer. For most of her time in the military, Abe was stationed out of the Hawaiian base in Pearl Harbor, near her hometown of Pearl City.

In October 2001, Abe was promoted to lieutenant junior grade, her first naval promotion. She later was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in November 2003. After her six-year naval contract ran up in May 2005, Abe opted not to re-enlist and was honorably discharged.

## Political career

### Early politics

After leaving the military in 2005, Abe was hired as a coordinator at the nongovernmental organization Hearts for Heroes. The organization dedicated itself to veterans affairs, and lobbied for veterans rights and affairs in parliament. She later left this position in 2008, and became a director at the nongovernmental organization the Hawaiian Veterans Fund. In 2010, Abe became a senior director at the organization, and later became vice president of policy and advocacy in 2012. She left the position in 2014, in order to enter elected politics.

### Parliamentary career

Abe began her career in elected politics in 2014, when she was included on the party list in Oahu for the newly formed Hui Pū ʻAna political party in the 2014 election. The party was formed the year prior by former Hawaiian National Party politician Nathalia Arruda, and advocated for social liberalism and progressivism. Abe was ultimately elected to the House of Representatives, and took her seat in parliament on 14 July 2014. Upon her election to parliament, Abe focused her legislating on national defense, foreign affairs, and veterans affairs.

In anticipation of the upcoming election, Arruda tendered her resignation as party chairperson in order to retire from politics in May 2017. Abe was the only candidate to declare a candidacy to succeed Arruda as party chairperson, and was subsequently endorsed by every other Hui Pū ʻAna member of parliament, including Arruda. She was then elected unopposed as party chairperson, and took office on 2 June 2017.

### Foreign affairs minister

Abe led Hui Pū ʻAna into the 2018 election, where the party expanded their seat count and became the fourth-largest party represented in parliament. After the certification of election results, Abe was invited to begin coalition talks with the Workers Party. Negotiations with the Workers Party were not successful, as the parties were unable to reach agreements on key issues such as trade unions and social issues. Abe officially confirmed that talks had collapsed on 30 August 2018.

After Kenzie Kanazawa was declared the new chairperson of the Hawaii National Party, she opted to begin coalition talks of her own, opening talks with Abe and Hui Pū ʻAna. Abe and Kanazawa came to an agreement on 12 September, and signed a coalition agreement later that day. After Kanazawa was appointed prime minister of Hawaii on 18 September, Abe was nominated to serve as minister of foreign affairs in the Kanazawa ministry later that day, and was appointed by Queen Keʻalohilani. As foreign affairs minister, Abe is responsible for all foreign policy of Hawaii, including participating in international forums and conferences regarding international partnerships, embarking on state visits abroad in the absence of the prime minister, overseeing Hawaii's diplomatic service, and advising the prime minister on nominations to ambassadorships.

Throughout her tenure as foreign affairs minister, Abe has visited 76 countries on behalf of the Hawaiian government.

### Green-Progressive Party chairperson

In February 2021, Abe formed the Green-Progressive Party through a merger of Hui Pū ʻAna and the Green Party. She was selected to serve as its inaugural chairperson, and led the party into the 2021 snap election, which saw great success for the party. After the election, Abe opted to continue the previous coalition with the Hawaii National Party, and was selected to continue serving as foreign affairs minister in the second Kanazawa ministry.

## Personal life

Abe began a relationship with Royal Hawaiian Navy officer Brian Park in 1999, after meeting at an officer candidate orientation. They became engaged in 2002, and later married the following year. Abe and Park struggled with infertility for years, with Abe having thirteen miscarriages between 2004 and 2015. They later had a daughter, Grace (born 2016), born via surrogacy; Park's younger sister Raquel served as their surrogate.

Abe and her family reside in Waimānalo. Abe is a practicing Roman Catholic, although she does not attend church weekly due to her schedule. She is fluent in both English and Tagalog, and holds dual citizenship to Hawaii and the Philippines.