STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3138

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 460

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 460, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission

G.M. No. 460

KA‘IULANI MURPHY, for a term to expire 6-30-2012,

begs leave to report as follows:

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal history, resume, and statements of the nominee, and finds Ka‘iulani Murphy to have the necessary qualifications for the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.

     Testimony in support of the nomination of Ka‘iulani Murphy was submitted by two state agencies, three organizations, and one individual.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Ms. Murphy received her Bachelor's degree in Hawaiian Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is presently employed as an Instructor at the Honolulu Community College and as an Education Specialist for the Polynesian Voyaging Society.  At the Honolulu Community College, she oversees the Ocean and Hawaiian Studies certificate proposal, designs and teaches courses combining modern science with traditional Hawaiian culture, and teaches courses focusing on Hawaiian astronomy, voyaging, navigation, and stewardship.  Ms. Murphy has served as an apprentice navigator on three voyages with the Hokulea:  from Tahiti to Hawaii in 2000, from Nihoa to Kure in 2004, and from Hawaii to Micronesia and then Japan in 2007.  She served as the navigator for the voyage from Kauai to Nihoa.  She has given numerous lectures and presentations, and served as a panelist at numerous conferences and forums, on non-instrument navigation.

     Ms. Murphy's dedication and connections to the native Hawaiian community will be a strong foundation for her work in the healing of Kanaloa Kahoolawe.  Ms. Murphy's extensive experience and ability to inspire will help her to enhance the collaboration between Polynesian Voyaging Society, the Protect Kahoolawe Ohana, and the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.  As a member of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission, Ms. Murphy's decision-making on issues such as planning access to cultural and archeological sites, developing education programs on the natural, cultural, historical, and spiritual significance of Kanaloa Kahoolawe, and preparing for Kahoolawe's future as a native Hawaiian sovereign entity would be grounded in her deep aloha for Kanaloa Kahoolawe. 

     Ms. Murphy's past actions have shown her to be passionate, honest, and caring and your Committee believes that she will bring the same passion and integrity to the preservation of the traditional and cultural practices of the native Hawaiian people in conjunction with the restoration of the Island Reserve as she has with the ocean.  Ms. Murphy, like all good navigators, can help us to heighten our awareness about where we are and to realize course adjustments that may be necessary to reach our destination.  She will be an asset to the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair