Mahalo for Joining us!

Mahalo nui to all the participants both in-person and via the live stream who attended Ka Huina 2023 on October 27th.

We look forward to meeting again at the huina, the intersection, of innovation and culture in 2024!

Ka Huina 2023

Eia Hawaiʻi, ka huina o ke ao.
Here is Hawaiʻi at the crossroads of the world.

In the middle of the vast Moananuiākea, Hawaiʻi lies at the crossroads of a rapidly changing world – the intersection of heaven and earth, of east and west, of tradition and innovation. Our collective success in preserving the Hawaiʻi we love for future generations is dependent upon our ability to navigate this intersection. Literally translated, Ka Huina refers to an intersection or nexus. This term serves as the central theme to this event, now in its 5th year, which explores the nexus in Hawaiʻi of community, culture, tourism and sustainability.

2023 Panel Discussions

Regenerative Tourism, as visitor and community experiences, are assets that our destination needs to grow quickly. What are the barriers facing communities and small business in growing these kind of assets? What performance indicators are measuring its success?

Moderator: Ilihia Gionson (Public Affairs Officer - Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority)

Panelists: Bob Harrison - (Chairman, President & CEO, First Hawaiian Bank), Tyler Gomes (Chief Administrator - Kilohana, a division of the CNHA), Nadine Toe Toe (Director - Kohutapu Lodge & Tribal Tours Ltd./Qualmark Certified)

Tourism Panel: Hawaiʻi Is More Than A Brand

The symbiotic relationship between kanaka and ʻāina is directly linked to our genealogy. With the price of ʻāina skyrocketing beyond the average person’s ability to afford how can tourism create stronger connection? What reclamations can be made to provide livability in our place and what opportunities are there for local communities to truly thrive?

Moderator: Mahinapoepoe Paishon (CEO & Co Founder - Waiwai Collective)

Panelists: Kaipo Kekona (State President - Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Foundation), Pomai Weigert (AgBusiness Consultant - GoFarm Hawaiʻi), Makaʻala Kaʻaumoana (Executive Director -Hanalei Watershed Hui)

Community Panel: ʻĀina - That Which Feeds

Explore the concept of growing capacity in retail to fulfill circular economy in a truly sustainable way by “Thinking Waʻa”. What will it take to make this methodology actionable and how can adopting this methodology in tourism to teach our visitors to do the same?

Moderator: Kealiʻi Haverly (VP of Projects, Facilities, Cultural Theming & Sustainability- Polynesian Cultural Center)

Panelists: Tanya Uyehara (Founder & CEO - Lahaʻole Designs), Aaron Salā PhD (Founder & CEO - Gravitas Pasifika), Neil Hannahs (Owner - Hoʻokele Strategies LLC)

Sustainability Panel: Thinking Waʻa

The ARTIST Act is a draft bill which would update the Indian Arts and Crafts Act strengthening enforcement protections against counterfeit Native artists and their works. As we take deeper dives into the cultural components of Regenerative Tourism, where do we draw boundaries on our cultural intellectual property? What are the practical steps we can use to protect IP? What policies and procedures could we create to safeguard our cultural assets?

Moderator: Rep. Darius Kila (House of Representatives, District 44 - Hawaiʻi State Legislature)

Panelists: Breann Nuʻuhiwa (Counsel - Dentons International Law), Zachary Lum (Co-Founder - Kāhuli Leo Leʻa), Makalika Naholowaʻa (Executive Director - Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation)

Culture Panel: Cultural Intellectual Property

2023 Specialty Speakers

Daniel Nāhoʻopiʻi

Interim President & CEO - Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority

Hiʻilani Shibata

CoFounder - Ka Mahina Project & NaHHA Lead Cultural Trainer

Sherry Rupert

CEO - American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA)

Paʻanaʻakalā Babayan Tanaka

Education Director - Hui O Waʻa Kaulua

Kahōkū Lindsey-Asing

Manager, Destination Education - Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau

Mahalo nui to our Ka Huina 2023 Sponsors

Support provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Community Enrichment Program administered by the Oʻahu Visitors Bureau

Mahalo nui to our Kuhikuhi Marketplace vendors

Pointing the way to Native Hawaiian small businesses

Kuhikuhi Marketplace vendors are Native Hawaiian Organizations or are Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses whose products must meet the following criteria:

  • Showcases Hawaiʻi in a pono way,

  • Is culturally appropriate in its representation,

  • Includes elements of regeneration,

  • Is socially responsible, is sustainably made or packaged, and/or

  • Has a net positive impact on Hawaiʻi.

The Kuhikuhi Marketplace was an ancillary event of Ka Huina 2023 and took place concurrently during the conference.

The Kuhikuhi Marketplace is an element of many of NaHHA’s public facing events, as well as partner events in which NaHHA provides support to community causes.

 
 

KA HUINA 2022

Eia Hawaiʻi, ka huina o ke ao.
Here is Hawaiʻi at the crossroads of the world.

The global pandemic of 2020-2021 has accelerated the changes already compelling us to reimagine our future. Ka Huina 2022 occurred virtually via Zoom on 6/8 and 6/9 from 9am-12pm. The 2-day conference showcased and focused on the intersection between culture and tourism, tradition and innovation, and regenerative tourism and the future. Each half-day featured different panel discussions, different speeches, and enlightened our viewers on different topics. In case you missed it or in the event that you want to hear the content again, we will be posting the conference for you to view and watch.

KA HUINA DAY 1 - June 8, 2022

Join NaHHA as we kick off Ka Huina with invigorating discussions, insightful panels, and inspirational community members who are making a difference in our Hawaiʻi.

Panel 1:  What Hawaiian values are driving Hawaiʻi’s efforts to manage tourism and educate visitors?  

Panelist: George Kam (HTA), Rae DeCoito (Mālama Loko Ea)

Moderator:  Kainoa Daines (HVCB)

 

Panel 2:  What are the opportunities ahead of us in the shift toward a circular economy and regenerative tourism?

Panelist:  Mahina Paishon-Duarte (ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures) & John Morgan (Kualoa Ranch)

Moderator: Kirstin Kahaloa (Hui ʻOihana)

KA HUINA DAY 2 - June 9, 2022

Join NaHHA on our second day of Ka Huina as we continue to spark interesting discussions and shed light on the issues and opportunities in our industry today.

Panel 3:  What innovations are advancing the visitor industry’s efforts to be better stewards of Hawaiʻi’s natural resources?

Panelist:  Curt Cottrell (DLNR Division of State Parks) & Kālisi Mausio (Hawaiʻi Farm Trails), Presley Wann (Hui Makaʻāinana O Makana)

Moderator: Hannah Thompson (Hawaiʻi Green Growth and Local 2030 Hub)

 

Panel 4:  How has technology accelerated efforts to grow the community of Hawaiian language speakers, including those within the visitor industry?

Panelist:  Keola Donaghy (UH Maui College/ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Wordle) & Kalei Kawaʻa Roberts (Awaiaulu)

Moderator: Kuanoni Kaniaupio Crozier (Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa)