OHA Trustee Akina Challenges Fairness of Disciplinary Hearing That Censured Four Trustees
News Release from OHA Trustee-at-Large, Keliʻi Akina, October 27, 2026
HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI – Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Trustee-at-Large Keliʻi Akina criticized Monday’s Code of Conduct hearing, arguing that the Board majority used the disciplinary process to punish four trustees for fulfilling their fiduciary duties by speaking truthfully to the court and challenging potentially unlawful and unethical conduct.
The proceeding targeted Trustees Akina, Kalei Akaka, Luana Alapa, and Carmen Hulu Lindsey who filed an answer in the Stacy Ferreira whistleblower lawsuit challenging the Board majority’s handling of Ferreira’s administrative leave. The four maintain that their actions were necessary to protect OHA and its Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.
In a written statement sent to the OHA Chair on October 26, 2026, Trustee Akina responded to the allegations, including the central claim that the four trustees had attempted to “bind OHA” and represent the organization without authorization. The four trustees maintain that they acted in their official capacities as individual trustees, exercising their own independent fiduciary responsibilities and did not purport to speak on behalf of the Board or bind OHA to their position.
During the hearing, the five-member Board majority convened and presided over an internal disciplinary hearing at which they declared the four minority trustees to be in violation of all seven alleged Code of Conduct violations and voted to issue each trustee a public letter of censure.
Akina criticized the fundamental unfairness of a proceeding in which the five trustees whose conduct had been challenged served as the sole decision-makers, ultimately judging and sanctioning their four colleagues, who declined to participate.
In testimony delivered before the hearing, Akina described the majority as acting as “judge, jury, and executioner,” rather than addressing the substantive concerns raised by the four trustees.
“What’s really taking place is that four trustees have attempted to fulfill their fiduciary duties by speaking truthfully to the court to report and stop potentially illegal and unethical behavior,” Akina stated.
Akina also noted several manipulations of procedures, including last-minute changes to the hearing rules, insufficient time to secure legal representation, and preferential treatment of the accusing party. At an October 8 meeting, Chair Kai Kahele permitted Vice Chair Keoni Souza to publicly read at length his complaint, while the four trustees were denied the opportunity to present their responses.
“The refusal to allow adequate preparation, the denial of a fair public response, and the failure to permit a meaningful defense reveal its true purpose: politics,” Akina stated before the hearing began.
Akina emphasized that the central issue is not whether trustees should be held accountable, but whether those who challenge suspected wrongdoing can fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities without facing punishment from the very colleagues whose actions they question.
“I will not take part in this,” Trustee Akina declared before leaving the OHA boardroom as the hearing started.
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