Focus Maui Nui: Longtime locals not joining in

The Maui News
June 23, 2003

By EDWIN TANJI
City Editor

KIHEI — Maui residents participating in the countywide Focus Maui Nui program are finding there is a diversity in points of view that can depend on where an individual grew up. 

At Kamehameha Schools-Maui, parent-community coordinator Lokelani Patrick said a discussion among faculty members at the Pukalani campus reflected perceptions based on when an individual arrived on Maui. 

“If it was a newcomer, they really wanted to talk about the traffic in Kihei,” she said. “If you were from here, you remember when we didn’t even have the (Piilani) highway. 

“Everyone has a different reference point on what has happened to Maui. If you grew up here, you know when we didn’t have Kihei and Makena; when all we had was Maui Pine and the sugar companies,” she said. 

The same diversity in viewpoints occurred during a discussion among Maui Community College student leaders and faculty members. 

Student government leader Eric Arquero, 19, said his group of about 10 students included a couple of locally born students, while the rest had moved from the Mainland. 

“We all agreed that education was the main goal for Maui Nui, and I think we all kind of agreed that education was most important to us,” he said. “When it came to other things, we were more spread out and had different opinions about what was important.” 

“The kids from the Mainland were talking about sustainability, the environment and transportation. I think the kids who grew up here were kind of more aware of the economic problems,” he said. “I think the kids who grew up here, who have their families living here, they know what their families have to do to live here and the economic issues.” 

The divergence in views didn’t mean there couldn’t be an exchange of ideas. 

“It’s important to have a balance when they have these meetings,” Patrick said. 

But she echoed a concern that the longtime local resident was less likely to participate, to provide the different reference point in developing a blueprint for planning the future of Maui County. 

“Usually you have more input from the newcomers than from the local old-timers,” she said. “There really has to be an extra effort to get out the silent majority, the ones who don’t go to meetings and don’t talk about what they are concerned about.” 

That was the intention of the program coordinated by the Maui Economic Development Board as an effort to gather ideas and opinions about the future of Maui County from a broad cross section of the community. 

There have been a number of discussion sessions held since the Focus Maui Nui effort kicked off at the beginning of May, but MEDB Chief Executive Officer Jeanne Skog said the response has not been as broad-based as she would have hoped. There’s been heavy participation by people involved in business, nonprofit agencies and interest groups. But there has been less of a response from families and gatherings of residents in neighborhoods who might reflect the “silent majority” that Patrick says isn’t being heard. 

Still, Skog said, “There’s been a good balance of viewpoints in terms of how long someone has lived on Maui.” Conversely, she said she would encourage more young people — “the under 20s” — to participate as representatives of the long-term future of the four-island county. During the sessions, a facilitator will encourage all participants to air their thoughts on the problems and possible solutions, as well as what should be the priorities of the community in which they live. 

The sessions are limited in size and run no more than an hour and a half. The length of time was an issue for those who participated. 

Linda Martin, an administrative assistant with the Boeing Co. operations at the Maui Research & Technology Park, said just as everyone in her group was warming up, it ended. 

“An hour and a half — for the scope of the discussion it was not enough. There was so much discussed so fast; we could have spent more time on it,” she said. 

Skog said the discussion groups should not be an end point for the participants. But if they want to expand on the subjects that were discussed, they should be preparing to participate in the public discussions that will be occurring in the months ahead. 

Focus Maui Nui is intended to develop a broad overview of what the residents of Maui County think is important for the future of the county. Maui Nui refers to the massive geological entity that erupted in the Pacific Ocean and eventually sank to become the islands of Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and Maui. The name now suggests that the four islands are inextricably linked, not just geologically, but politically, socially and economically. 

A final report from three months of group sessions will be presented to county, state and federal officials that are involved in developing strategies and plans for the county. The report is expected to have a role when Maui County proceeds with its next round of community plan reviews, and as the University of Hawaii implements its plan for a four-year campus on Maui. 

But its validity will depend on residents who are willing to give up some of their time between now and the end of July. Skog said Focus Maui Nui will not accept written individual commentaries, whether from those who have participated, or those who haven’t. 

Part of the purpose of the small-group sessions is to promote interaction among people who have similar backgrounds. The result is not a definitive analysis of a group’s decision, but a record of the differences and the common concerns among various segments of the population. 

“We had to be realistic about what we could accomplish,” Skog said. 

Lisa Kaniho, housing manager for Hale Kupuna Lanai, said the session in which she participated on Lanai “was really neat.” 

“The community members got to see what was important to us,” she said. 

Her group, though, involved more of the older residents of Lanai. She said she was one of the youngest at 42. 

Still, the discussions brought out what the residents considered to be important issues, from the cost of electricity to the need to plan for the aging population to the need for activities for all segments of the population. 

In Wailuku, Alton Kimura, a controller for ADC Architectural Design & Construction, said a session at his business, for obvious reasons, tended to focus on business and the construction industry.

But even if it involved only individuals with whom he worked, he said there was a benefit to a dialogue that led to “suggestions on how to deal with the challenges we all are facing.” 

“For our group, it was primarily the economic issue . . . the basic issue of whether it’s possible to keep people here because of the lack of work,” he said. 

Even without reaching any concrete conclusions, and recognizing that the discussions were only the start of a long process, Kimura said there was a benefit. 

“Just for the informational aspect, it does have a benefit if some of what was said will be giving some direction to what happens in the future,” he said. 

Other participants similarly said they hoped the effort would provide direction to the state and county on planning for the future. 

But Skog said the participants themselves will need to follow through. 

“Our other hope is that people who participated will get involved, whether it’s in their community, a PTA, a community group or attending a public meeting,” she said. “We hope by having people starting out in this comfort zone, they will feel like they can participate and offer their opinions to the decision makers. 

"All of us have opinions of value.” 

For information or to participate in Focus Maui Nui, call the Maui Economic Development Board at 875-2300.