OHA Chair Kahele uses relationships to aid Native Hawaiians
Kai Kahele — a former state senator, U.S. representative and unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2022 — was elected chair of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs barely an hour after he was sworn in for his freshman term as an OHA trustee.
Kai Kahele — a former state senator, U.S. representative and unsuccessful candidate for governor in 2022 — was elected chair of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs barely an hour after he was sworn in for his freshman term as an OHA trustee.
After staying out of the political spotlight for the past two years, Kahele — a now 50-year-old lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Air National Guard and a long-haul captain for Hawaiian Airlines — said he’s had time to reflect on his earlier political career, earned a master’s degree in strategic studies at the U.S. Army War College and now wants to change the culture at OHA, whose accomplishments were often overshadowed by dysfunction and feuds between trustees and staff.
Perhaps more important, Kahele wants OHA to work even closer with the nonprofit Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Hawaii’s congressional delegation, the state Legislature and, notably, his onetime political opponent Gov. Josh Green to build more housing for Native Hawaiians and address other Native Hawaiian needs.
He wants to reopen an OHA office in Washington, D.C., to make OHA more relevant to Congress and already has been in touch with some of his congressional contacts, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Kahele plans to appear regularly during the upcoming legislative session and — along with fellow OHA trustee and fellow former state Sen. Brickwood Galuteria — has been talking to state lawmakers ahead of the Jan. 15 opening day.
During an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Kahele expressed humility at times and said that he understood that he let people down when he gave up his congressional seat after only one term to come back home to his wife and daughters in Hilo, costing Hawaii a Native Hawaiian voice in Congress.
“I know it was disappointing to people when I decided to leave,” he said. “It was a lot. I miscalculated with my young family how much time I was going to be away from them.”
A state law passed in 2022 prohibits Hawaii’s governor and mayors from holding outside jobs, so Kahele said he chose not to run for Hawaii County mayor this year to continue his career flying Hawaiian’s Airbus 330s to South Tahiti and American Samoa.
He was promoted to captain in 2023 and said the responsibilities for the crew, passengers and plane continue to shape his views on leadership.
His gubernatorial run against Green and former first lady Vicky Cayetano was notable for sometimes testy exchanges between Green and Kahele during televised debates.
Kahele acknowledged earlier last week that they had not spoken since Green beat him in the Democratic primary and went on to an easy victory in the general election.
Then on Friday they finally met — and embraced — when they both attended groundbreaking ceremonies for a new Department of Hawaiian Home Lands housing project called Hale Moiliili at the site of the old Bowl-A-Drome.
“We just exchanged quick aloha pleasantries, but did talk about getting together soon to discuss how we can work together (OHA &the State) for all of Hawaii,” Kahele wrote Saturday in a text to the Star-Advertiser.
The apparent sign of goodwill from both Green and Kahele will go a long way to answer speculation over whether the relationship between the state and OHA would deteriorate with Kahele as chair.
Before they met Friday, Kahele pledged to put aside any ill will to help Native Hawaiians, especially when it comes to housing.
“I am sure the governor, like myself, finds value in working together,” Kahele said. “I clearly do. I’m sure the governor does.
“My message didn’t resonate with voters, and Gov. Green was elected by the people of Hawaii,” Kahele said. “I accept those results, and I’m looking forward to working with him. We had a great relationship when he was lieutenant governor, and I am positive we can look past our differences.”
In a statement, Green said, “Over the past 2 years, our administration has worked with OHA to re-establish the OHA salary commission after it was left dormant for 8 years, as well as helping get more Hawaiians back on the land under Hawaiian leadership. Together, we are exploring transferring historic Hawaiian cultural assets and communities from state agencies to OHA to drive healthier outcomes for Native Hawaiians. We hope to have continued success together and with other key stakeholders in our community.”
Both Kahele and Green “are practical politicians” with similar goals regarding Native Hawaiians and housing despite “some very harsh words exchanged in some of the debates,” said Colin Moore, who teaches public policy at the University of Hawaii and serves as associate professor at the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.
“In Hawaii politics we don’t get a lot of that,” Moore said. “There was some very tense moments. During the debates both picked on each other, not on Vicky.”
Moore expected Kahele to reemerge on the political scene someday and, compared with Hawaii County mayor, “in some ways OHA is a better fit,” he said.
“I am a little surprised he became chairman right away,” Moore said. “He does come with political experience. He has existing relationships and experience in the Legislature and at the federal level, which comes in handy. He’s well known statewide. He’s very charismatic, as well, and a strong communicator. That will increase OHA’s political power.”
Kahele said he especially plans to push legislators to repeal the ban on housing for its 30 acres of Kakaako Makai land to create affordable workforce housing aimed at “law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, health care, the hospitality industry, civil service,” Kahele said.
“It’ll be a mix of affordable housing and market-rate housing,” he said. “And we can work with DHHL to create housing for Hawaiians. They will be part of the equation.”
The project would provide housing in a critical area that leads into Waikiki and within walking distance of the last stop of the city’s Skyline overhead rail system.
Internally, Kahele said that in just over a week he has empowered committee chairs to set their own agendas and operate more independently, which was not typical under former OHA chairs and helped stir OHA’s reputation for dysfunction.
“In the past,” he said, “previous chairs operated exclusively regarding agendas and communication and managed almost with an iron first. That is never a model for effective leadership. I am changing that overnight.”
He knows OHA needs to rehabilitate its image with the general public and, especially, with Native Hawaiians.
And Kahale remains eager to make even more progress by working closer with the nonprofit CNHA, which includes people who came out of OHA, and with DHHL, which has a mandate to create housing just for Native Hawaiians.
Each brings different strengths, such as CNHA, which Kahele called “more nimble than OHA.”
But OHA has land and financial assets worth up to $1 billion that could be used to provide housing and serve other Native Hawaiian needs, he said.
Working together, “we can be a powerhouse,” Kahele said.
Kuhio Lewis, CEO of CNHA, said in a statement:
“I would like to congratulate Chair Kahele on being selected to lead OHA’s Board of Trustees. This transition presents a significant opportunity to come together and address the critical issues facing our lahui. At CNHA, we look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with OHA to advance solutions that uplift Native Hawaiians. Whether it is supporting the rebuilding of Maui, addressing housing challenges, or empowering our communities, we believe that through shared efforts, we can create a stronger future for our people. Together, we can build upon the foundations of our kupuna to ensure a thriving lahui for generations to come.”
As for the past two years, Kahele wanted more time before responding to a question of what he had learned about himself and how it shaped his current views on leadership.
In a follow-up email to the Star-Advertiser, Kahele wrote:
“Leadership is a journey of constant growth. One of the key takeaways for me is the importance of balancing my drive for achieving goals with a heightened sensitivity to the emotional and professional needs of my team. I recognize that my intensity, while often a strength in driving initiatives forward, can sometimes be overwhelming. This is a reminder that great leadership isn’t just about operationalizing goals but also about creating an environment where my team feels valued, supported, and empowered. This is something I will need to constantly remind myself while at OHA, especially in the first year.
“One area where I can improve is enhancing my emotional intelligence. Empathy is not my natural strength, but I am committed to developing it. … Moving forward, I want to ensure that every voice is heard, every opinion is valued, and every team member feels they are an integral part of the process. Leadership is not just about achieving results; it is about inspiring collective excellence and ensuring that everyone shares in the success we create together.”
During his interview, Kahele said, “I’ve never been a person that goes with the flow. I’m someone who swims in a different direction.”
As an example, he chose to pursue his master’s degree through the Army rather than through the Air Force.
Kahele studied CEOs and businesses and learned more about communication and negotiation.
“I felt it was really important for me to do something different and learn how the Army thinks,” he said.
Kahele highlighted his military service commanding C-130 combat missions in Afghanistan and his current role with the Hawaii Air National Guard as deputy commander of the 201st Air Mobility Operations Squadron with responsibility for the Indo-Pacific Region.
He now also holds a place in history as the first member of Congress to serve as an OHA trustee and the first incoming freshman to be voted by his peers to lead the board as its chair, Kahele said.
Combined with his experience and connections at the Legislature and Congress, Kahele said, “That’s what OHA needs at this point in Hawaii history.”
Or, as he put it in more personal terms, “Kai Kahele is back.”
