I support Hawaiian culture, rights and values. I believe that the principles of the ahupua'a land management system and Hawaiian 'āina based priorities must be incorporated in modern decision making and policy. I encourage and support the perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, language, education, food production and resource management in all aspects of our community and way of life that have a great deal of respect for the original native people of these islands.
Without community and culture we will never be able to truly conserve the environment. Only through real and open engagement with the community can we come up with successful conservation solutions to preserve our environment, native ecosystems and resources. We need to seek balance between regulation and education and use cultural understandings and modern science to come up with real community driven solutions to preserve our ʻaina, community, culture, and environments.
I strongly support access rights and I will continue to insist that the Public Trust Doctrine is upheld and that access rights for local people are maintained and restored where ever they need to be.
Native ecosystem restoration is a priority and a passion for me. My ecology and environmental science background has taught me a deep appreciation for the values of biodiversity, healthy/balanced ecosystems, and native forests.