Hawaii State Aha Moku

Hawaii Revised Statutes §171-4.5
Aha Moku advisory committee; established.

(a) There is established the aha moku advisory committee to be placed within the department of land and natural resources for administrative purposes. The committee may advise the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources in carrying out the purposes of this section.

(b) The committee shall consist of eight members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate from a list of nominations submitted by the aha moku councils of each island. Oversight of the aha moku advisory committee shall be by the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources. The committee members shall select the committee chairperson from among the members.

(c) The members shall not receive compensation for their service, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses, including travel expenses, incurred while participating in meetings and events approved in advance by the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources.

The aha moku advisory committee may hire an executive director who shall be exempt from chapter 76. The executive director may hire an administrative or executive assistant to assist the executive director in accomplishing the purposes of the aha moku advisory committee.

(d) The aha moku advisory committee may provide advice on the following:

     1. Integrating indigenous resource management practices with western management practices in each moku;

     2. Identifying a comprehensive set of indigenous practices for natural resource management;

     3. Fostering the understanding and practical use of native Hawaiian resource knowledge, methodology, and expertise;

     4. Sustaining the State’s marine, land, cultural, agricultural, and natural resources;

     5. Providing community education and fostering cultural awareness on the benefits of the aha moku system;

     6. Fostering protection and conservation of the State’s natural resources; and

     7. Developing an administrative structure that oversees the aha moku system.

(e) The committee shall submit an annual report in English and Hawaiian to the legislature and the chairperson of the board of land and natural resources no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular legislative session. The annual report shall include a list of all recommendations made by the committee and the resulting action taken by the department over the course of the prior year. [L 2012, c 288, §2]

The Aha Kiole Advisory Committee was the predecessor to the Aha Moku Advisory Committee, enacted in 2007 pursuant to Act 212, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007.  Pursuant to Act 212, the Aha Kiole Advisory Committee was dissolved on June 30, 2009.

The landmark lawsuit of Ka Paʻakai  O Ka ʻAina v. Land Use Commission, State of Hawaiʻi set the groundwork for what would become the Aha Moku Advisory Committee.