STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2118

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 610

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 610, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

Island Burial Council, Islands of Maui and Lana'i

G.M. No. 610

LEAHI HALL, for a term to expire 06-30-2023,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee reviewed the personal history and resume submitted by Leahi Hall for service on the Island Burial Council, Islands of Maui and Lana‘i.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Leahi Hall from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Ms. Hall was born and raised on the island of Maui and has a firm understanding of the issues pertaining to the Island Burial Council for the islands of Maui and Lana‘i. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University and a Master's degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University. Ms. Hall is a member of the first graduating class of Punana Leo ‘O Maui, one of only two students who continued Hawaiian language immersion education through high school in the lead class of Kula Kaiapuni ‘O Maui, and speaks fluent Hawaiian. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust and the Hui Alanui ‘O Makena. Ms. Hall currently works for Discovery Land Company, where she provides guidance and coordinates all archaeological needs for development projects and manages community advisory groups with attention to cultural and local homeowner interests.

As the daughter of Dana Naone-Hall, a long-time mālama iwi practitioner and advocate who served several terms on the Island Burial Council, Islands of Maui and Lana‘i, and Isaac Hall, iwi advocate and attorney who led the charge in several significant battles to preserve Hawaiian historic and cultural resources, Ms. Hall grew up in a home where mālama was more than a practice, but a lifestyle. Ms. Hall has continued to build upon the foundation of her cultural and public interest upbringing through her educational pursuits and community service. Ms. Hall's professional work further demonstrates her understanding of the delicate balance needed to preserve valuable natural and cultural resources and her aspiration to see development in Hawai‘i that is sustainable and responsible for the ‘aina and its people.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on 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 Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

MAILE S.L. SHIMABUKURO, Chair