STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1830

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     GOV. MSG. NOS. 746, 747, 748, 749

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 746, 747, 748, and 749, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Island Burial Council, Islands of Maui and Lana'i

 

G.M. No. 746

KAHELEONOLANI DUKELOW,

for a term to expire 06-30-2023;

 

G.M. No. 747

DANE MAXWELL,

for a term to expire 06-30-2025;

 

G.M. No. 748

KYLE NAKANELUA,

for a term to expire 06-30-2025; and

 

G.M. No. 749

EVERETT DOWLING,

for a term to expire 06-30-2023,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by Kaheleonolani Dukelow, Dane Maxwell, Kyle Nakanelua, and Everett Dowling for service on the Island Burial Councils, islands of Maui and Lanai.

 

KAHELEONOLANI DUKELOW

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the reappointment of Kaheleonolani Dukelow from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and three individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Ms. Dukelow has been serving as a representative for the Honuaula region on the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai for the last seven years.  She has demonstrated a deep dedication to the preservation and perpetuation of Hawaiian culture.  Ms. Dukelow is an instructor in Hawaiian studies and olelo Hawaii at the University of Hawaii Maui College and previously taught at the Department of Education Kula Kaiapuni program.  She has dedicated her life to supporting educational programs, encouraging a thriving Hawaiian culture and language, and building character, identity, pride, and spirit among keiki and haumana.  Ms. Dukelow contributes avidly to Hawaiian education advocacy groups, including Nā Leo Kākoo o Maui and Āha Kauleo, and has developed Hawaiian cultural and Hawaiian language medium curriculum for various community foundations, college-preparatory and college courses, and Hawaiian language immersion programs.  Accordingly, Ms. Dukelow has exemplified passion for ancestral knowledge and customs.  The testimony demonstrates that she has a reputation in the Maui community as an advocate for perpetuating and preserving native Hawaiian culture that is unsurpassed.  Your Committee finds that Ms. Dukelow's valuable insight and expertise will continue to be valuable assets to the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai.

 

DANE MAXWELL

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the reappointment of Dane Maxwell from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that Mr. Maxwell has been serving as a representative on the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai for the last seven years, and currently serves as its chairperson.  Mr. Maxwell possesses training and experience with historic preservation issues since his early youth and he and his family carry a legacy of cultural and historic preservation for the island of Maui.  Born in Wailuku, Maui, Mr. Maxwell traces his dedication to the protection of burials to his memories of witnessing his grandfather and his colleagues re-inter iwi at Honokohau.  Mr. Maxwell trained in the proper re-interment protocol, becoming an ordained kahu and cultural specialist.  As the owner of CKM Cultural Resources, he has assisted major developers with creating burial treatment plans and cultural impact statements, gaining expertise on state and federal laws related to this purpose.

 

     Your Committee also finds that Mr. Maxwell is dedicated to the preservation of the Hawaiian culture, having attended a Hawaiian language immersion school and learned hula at his halau, Pukalani Hula Hale.  Through his longstanding commitment to represent his kupuna and iwi practices, your Committee finds that Mr. Maxwell's experience, kuleana, and knowledge will continue to be valuable assets to the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai.

 

KYLE NAKANELUA

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the reappointment of Kyle Nakanelua from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and two individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Mr. Nakanelua has been serving as a representative for the Hana region on the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai for the last two years.  His knowledge reflects his ability to remain calm, think logically and rationally, and treat all with respect.  He is a graduate of traditional Hawaii esoteric knowledge, fluent in the Hawaiian language, and serves as a private contractor in the areas of traditional Hawaiian rites, rituals, and protocols.

 

     Mr. Nakanelua and his family have deep lineal connections to Hana.  In working on his family's farm and having received the oral traditions and ancestral knowledge of their ahupuaa, he has felt kuleana to contribute to the thoughtful management and protection of iwi kūpuna.  Mr. Nakanelua has worked as a cultural consultant for the State Department of Transportation – Airports Division, where he specialized in educating clients about Native Hawaiian cultural traditions, spiritual customs, and protocols.  Further, Mr. Nakanelua has practiced cultural preservation with several community organizations, serving as the Operations Officer of the Royal Order of Kamehameha, the Pinhanakalani and Halekii Heiau Restoration Committee, and Puuokoholā Heiau National Historic Site Advisory Committee.  Your Committee finds that Mr. Nakanelua's connections, experiences, and activities will continue to be valuable assets to the Maui and Lanai Island Burial Council.

 

EVERETT DOWLING

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Everett Dowling from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii Community Foundation, and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that Mr. Dowling previously served on the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai in the 1990s.  Mr. Dowling owns the Dowling Company that has developed four Department of Hawaiian Home Lands homesteads, is currently in the process of building another homestead, in that capacity he has a reputation for producing homesteads on time and on budget.  Mr. Dowling has demonstrated sensitivity to cultural issues at every point in the development process and is passionate about supporting Native Hawaiian homeownership.  Mr. Dowling contributed to the Native Hawaiian community when his company built and leased to Kamehameha Schools at a rate of $1 per year its interim Maui Campus while the infrastructure for its new Maui campus was being constructed.  He also donated twenty acres of Palauea Cultural Preserve to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.  Your Committee finds that Mr. Dowling's experience and knowledge will be valuable assets to the Island Burial Council, islands of Maui and Lanai.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair