Aina

"In my inaugural address, I invoked the name of my friend, Nainoa Thompson, master navigator of the voyaging canoe Hokule`a.  I said that in ancient times, the launching of voyaging canoes required the kokua of entire communities: canoe builders, farmers and fishermen to provide food for the long journeys, weavers to craft sails, navigators and sailors to guide the ship.

Contemporary times demand the same collaboration and commitment so that the Honolulu we build is truly the destination we seek for ourselves and our children.  There is no better way to honor our Polynesian heritage than to protect those very aspects of this island that were held sacred by the early settlers.  I have always done my best in working with others to protect the essence of Oahu, from preserving Hanauma Bay and Waimea Valley, to Pupukea-Paumalu.  These are the living treasures that provide us with the clean air, water, and unsurpassed beauty that make our quality of life unique.

Hawaii's original inhabitants developed a sophisticated and successful resource management system based on the ahupua‘a land division that supported a population more than half as large as it today, and there was not a car or bus among them.  We must continue to learn from our Polynesian predecessors and renew our commitment to self-sufficiency and to the protection of our precious aina.  The concept of the “21st Century Ahupua‘a” first emerged in 2005 when the City, working in conjunction with Kevin Vaccarello and Ramsay Taum of Sustain Hawaii, sought to develop a culturally appropriate strategy for restoring balance and sustainability to our island home.  We identified some specific initiatives as vital steps in marrying the idea of the 21st Century Ahupua‘a to the scientific innovations that can produce the new and better way of life."

Mayor Hannemann
State-of-the-City Address
February 2007


ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Parlayed the City’s $5 million and partnered with the Army, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and others to purchase all of Waimea Valley for $14 million  to protect it from development
  • Committed $1 million to Trust for Public Land’s acquisition of 1,129 acres in Pupukea-Paumalu that was once slated for development
  • Settled 17-year dispute with state over maintaining Kawai Nui Marsh
  • Named manu o ku, the white tern, the official bird of City and County of Honolulu
  • Completed second year of developing and implementing the 21st Century Ahupua‘a, our vision for a sustainable and more self-sufficient Honolulu
  • Established an Energy and Sustainability Task Force and set goals for City agencies to conserve energy and water and promote sustainability objectives
  • Formed 21st Century Ahupua‘a Youth Ambassadors to enable high school students to demonstrate their leadership and ideas in addressing sustainability and climate protection concerns
  • Selected by Home Depot Foundation and Arbor Foundation to plant 109 new trees at parks across the island