In a joint announcement today, David Ige and leadership from both the Senate and House announced that applicants are now being sought to serve on the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.

Applicants are asked to apply by July 28, 2022.

Established by statute via Act 255 (HB2024), the authority, whose members will each be appointed to three-year terms, will be tasked with managing Mauna Kea Lands. The authority will consist of eleven voting members, which include:

• The chairperson of the board of land and natural resources, or the chairperson’s designee;
• The mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi, or the mayor’s designee;
• The chairperson of the board of regents of the University of Hawaiʻi; provided that the chairperson of the University of Hawaiʻi board of regents may designate a:

• Member of the board of regents; or
• Past member of the board of regents with experience with Mauna Kea  to serve as the chairperson of the University of Hawaiʻi Board of regents’ designee. If a past member of the UH board of regents is appointed to fill this seat, the appointee shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate;
• An individual with ʻāina (land) resource management expertise and specific experience with Hawaiʻi island‑based management(must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual who is recognized as possessing expertise in the fields of p-12 public education or post-secondary education (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• A representative who shall be appointed by the governor from a list of three names submitted by Mauna Kea Observatories(must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual with business and finance experience who has previous administrative experience in managing a large private-sector business (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual who is a lineal descendent of a practitioner of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices associated with Mauna Kea (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual who is a recognized practitioner of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices (must be confirmed by the Senate); and
• The governor shall appoint two members from a list of three names submitted for each appointment by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives (must be confirmed by the Senate).

To apply click on the “Department of Land & Natural Resources” tab on the board and commissions website: https://forms.ehawaii.gov/pages/board-survey/

• Scroll down to and click on “Department of Land and Natural Resources.”
• A drop-down menu appears; select the appropriate box next to the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority; hit SUBMIT at the bottom of the page
• An application form then appears; fill it out in its entirety
• Finally, sign and submit

“I encourage people who have the expertise and commitment needed to shift to a community-based governance model for one of the state’s great natural resources to apply as quickly as possible. Together, we can continue Hawai‘i’s momentum toward a strong and sustainable future,” said Gov. David Ige

“This new authority has the enormous task of laying the groundwork for a new management structure atop Mauna Kea, and we need dedicated, passionate individuals applying to sit in these critical positions,” said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, chair of the Senate Committee on Education.

“The  Authority will play a historic role and I hope that those who apply will support and advance the mutual stewardship of Mauna Kea,” said Speaker Scott Saiki.