ʻĀina, Army and Mauna Kea: Office Of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Candidate Q&As
The Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs manages the agencyʻs trust and sets policy.
A total of 19 nonpartisan candidates are running for five trustee positions on the nine-person board of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs this year. The agency controls over $600 million in unrestricted funds set aside to improve the wellbeing of Native Hawaiians.
The elections are in three trustee categories: at-large, Oʻahu resident and Maui resident trustee. These are statewide races for which any registered voter can cast a vote.
Only the at-large trustee candidates will be on the ballot for the primary election on Aug. 8. Seventeen candidates filed for that race alone, and the top six finishers from that race will continue to the General Election, in addition to the Oʻahu and Maui resident candidates who will only appear on that ballot.
All of the candidates were sent a survey from Civil Beat, asking for their views on a range of topics including the negotiations over Army training leases, the future of OHAʻs land holdings in Kakaʻako Makai and how to address the housing shortage for Native Hawaiians.
The candidates who responded are linked in alphabetical order under their official ballot name, which you can also compare all in one spot on Civil Beat’s 2026 Hawaiʻi Primary Ballot. As other responses come in, they will be added.
Kalei Akaka
Jackie Burke
Keʻeumaoku Kapu
Clifford Kauaula
Ronald Nihipali
John Waiheʻe IV
Hawaiʻi’s 2026 elections are right around the corner and Civil Beat’s elections guide is here to help with essential information, candidate positions, news stories and more.
