OHA Moves Trustee Meeting to Address TMT

A special meeting initially scheduled for May 7 to discuss the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ position on the Thirty Meter Telescope project has been moved up to April 30.

OHA says that an agenda had originally been filed with Lieutenant Governor Shan Tsutsui’s office to hold the meeting on May 7. Further discussion prompted Board of Trustees chairman Robert Lindsey to move the meeting up a week.

Meanwhile, OHA says it has convened a meeting with a number of representatives from various organizations to discuss the TMT project, which is slated to be constructed on the summit of Mauna Kea. According to OHA, representatives from Governor David Ige’s office, the University of Hawai’i, the Office of Mauna Kea Management, the Mauna Kea Hui, and the Mauna Kea ‘Ohana were scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the project.

“We are glad that the Mauna Kea ʻOhana will participate in the discussions to convey their own positions and perspectives. With the different parties coming together in shared conversation, we believe this will bring greater understanding for everyone—an important first step in efforts aimed at finding resolution,” said Robert K. Lindsey Jr., OHA chairperson.

“All parties are genuinely interested in hearing from one another and connecting he alo a he alo, face-to-face. The in-person communication allows us to convey more than just information. You can see and sense a lot in the presence of others—such important things as honesty, commitment, respect, and aloha. These are vital for problem solving,” added OHA Chief Executive Officer Kamanaʻopono Crabbe.

Thirty Meter Telescope officials have postponed construction of the project until further notice.