Hawaiian Homes Commission Representative for the East Maui Water Authority

HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE EAST MAUI WATER AUTHORITY

 

Beneficiary Consultation East Maui Water Authority Appointment Process

October 28, 2024 6:00pm to 8:00pm

 

The Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands (DHHL) invites all Maui beneficiaries (lessees and applicants who reside on Maui) to attend a virtual Beneficiary Consultation (BC) meeting to discuss the selection process for the Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC) representative to serve on the East Maui Water Authority, otherwise known as the East Maui Regional Community Board or `Aha Wai o Maui Hikina. 

Meeting Recording

Meeting Notes

Presentation PowerPoint Deck

Please send in your comments by November 27, 2024 to [email protected].

PURPOSE:

DHHL is holding this meeting to consult with beneficiaries on the qualifications, reporting requirements, and selection process for applicants who would like to serve as the HHC representative on the East Maui Water Authority. 

At the June 2023 meeting, the HHC unanimously approved both a nominee to serve as the HHC representative on the East Maui Water Authority and the proposal for BC to create a process for future appointments.

                    Specifically, beneficiaries will be asked for their input on:

  1. What are the minimum qualifications and experience that a nominee should possess?
  2. What are ideal qualifications and experience that a nominee should possess?
  3. How and how often should the HHC representative inform the HHC members and DHHL beneficiaries of pending actions before the East Maui Water Authority?
    1. Ideally, if pending actions are communicated to the HHC prior to decision-making, staff and the HHC could provide guidance on the issue that will be voted on and how the representative should vote.  If this is not possible, what kind of communication should be required between the HHC representative and the HHC and Maui beneficiaries?
  1. Comments on the selection process, including:
    1. How should DHHL solicit potential nominees when a seat is vacant?
    1. When should DHHL consult with beneficiaries and for what purpose(s)? Would DHHL conduct a BC meeting to gather beneficiary input on each nominee?
  2. How should nominees be presented to the HHC? Should all nominees be presented with a listing of comments raised by beneficiaries, or should one recommended nominee be presented with comments on why that nominee was recommended?

 

Next Steps Following Consultation

BENEFICIARY CONSULTATION REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS

After the BC meeting, the Planning Office will prepare and submit a Beneficiary Consultation Report to the HHC at the December meeting. The Report will identify answers to the questions raised in BC and serve as a roadmap for the selection process.

IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The recommendations approved by the HHC would be implemented in advance of the term expiring for the current representative, Dr. Jonathan Likeke Scheuer, to ensure continued DHHL representation at all East Maui Water Authority meetings.

Further Background Information

The Hawaiian Homes Commission submittal for June 2023 may be accessed at: HHC Agenda master (hawaii.gov)

The Hawaiian Homes Commission minutes for June 2023 may be accessed at: 06-JUNE-26-27-2023-HHC-Approved-Minutes.pdf (hawaii.gov)

The addition of a representative to the water commission and county water boards has been a repeated request of beneficiaries and the HHC and has been the subject of numerous legislative proposals at the State and County levels. This is the first action taken by a county to incorporate HHC representation in such an entity, therefore there are no established procedures within the DHHL to address this yet.