The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association's mission is to promote Hawaiian culture, values, and traditions in the workplace throughconsultation and education, and to provide opportunities for theNative Hawaiian community to shape the future of tourism.

Ola Hawai‘i

"Hawai‘i Lives"

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Ola Hawai‘i is NaHHA‘s educational program for today‘s ho‘okipa (hospitality) industry, for managers and employees who seek to have a better understanding of the Hawaiian culture. While the curriculum is designed around Hawaiian values, it honors the cultural diversity of Hawai‘i. This fundamental value brings respect and dignity to everyone in the workplace, no matter what their jobs are.

Here are a few ways Ola Hawai‘i can help your organization:

  • Build a sustainable, profitable business with guests returning for the real Hawai‘i,
  • Create a team of employees dedicated to the aloha spirit and a genuine sense of place, and
  • Offer a uniquely authentic experience of Hawaiian culture and values.

A faculty of 21 Native Hawaiians teaches Ola Hawai‘i. Carefully selected, they studied for a year to pass the rigors of certification under the banner of NaHHA. The creation of Ola Hawai‘i is an effort by many dedicated individuals whose goal was to ensure that those who work in Hawai‘i, particularly in the ho‘okipa industry, have an opportunity to learn and gain knowledge about the Hawaiian culture and what defines Hawaiians as the world‘s greatest hosting society.

Ola Hawai‘i curriculum has two parts:

  1. Chiefly Leadership - Leading with the Knowledge of Hawaiian Culture, and
  2. Applied Leadership - Cultivating a Hawaiian Sense of Place.

Goal

It is the goal of NaHHA and its faculty that those who experience Ola Hawai‘i will be inspired to live the values it espouses and to carry with them a heightened appreciation of the host Hawaiian culture, its history, and its tradition, as fundamental to the practice of ho‘okipa. Even more importantly, we hope that visitors and residents alike will be moved at a deeper level to protect and care for Hawai‘i and its fragile environment, understand and respect Hawaiian culture, and give back to this special place - that for decades - has given so much to so many.