My name is Napua Hueu and I am the Administrator and Community Coordinator for Hana Highway Regulation a civil volunteer organization that has been doing data collection in East Maui since 2016 focusing primarily on the Hana Highway. When budget funding was earmarked for visitor management along the Hana Highway a few years ago, our organization did not have a non-profit status at the time and we approached a number of Maui island based non-profits to serve as fiscal sponsor of the funds one of them being Maui Visitors Bureau who denied our request. We ultimately lost access to the funds when Kalani English appropriated them to a mainland based non-profit to build out the Waianapanapa State Park Reservation system. I am still wondering how County funds were used for State park needs.
As you know, East Maui shoulders the brunt of impact related to the visitor industry on Maui. We are among the top three reasons why visitors choose to come to Maui. I am exhausted to imagine that we will have to vie and compete for fiscal support among other non-profits in East Maui to garner support for our solutions which were curated from our data which Meagan will confirm she relied largely on our reports to articulate the issues and hotspots presented in their slides today. Linda Clark recently passed a Resolution HCR 29 that calls for all the stakeholders of Hana Highway to work with Hana Highway Regulation in developing a holistic management plan for the Hana Highway and so I expect MVB to acknowledge the work we’ve put in over the years and figure out a way to collaborate. I would like to encourage the Council to create a stipulation that these funds if allocated to the MVB, be made accessible to the most proven and effective direct action organizations regardless if these groups are a certified non-profit or not. There are individuals in the field across our County who do more for visitor management everyday than HTA and MVB combined. These are the individuals pointing out NO PARKING signs to prevent traffic hazards before they happen, individuals towing visitors out of ravines and discouraging them from hiking their children into sites with the largest counts for visitor rescues, injuries and fatalities. For us here on the Hana Hwy, we have a list of prominent resident figures that take it upon themselves almost daily to render intervention for visitors at the various hotspots identified on MVB’s presentation. The residents need creative funding support. We are tired of trying to convince MVB to work with us.
If the visitors Bureau is to receive these funds there needs to be a stipulation that they are to work with the subject matter experts in the field and not do with the funds what they think is best for our communities. I am concerned with the recent efforts by MVB touted as solutionary, in which they communicated they’d be focusing on increasing visitor messaging and signage when we have already determined through years of field research that rules and signs don’t work. I am also concerned how MVB recently contracting local level social media influencers to promote agritourism activities on Maui as a means for responsible destination management. These local influencers have little to no visitor followship and were quintessentially promoting locals farms to their primarily local viewership and not actually reaching our incoming visitors. There are proven effective solutions, House Concurrent Resolution 29 cites one in line number 24 quote, “Whereas, since the Hana Highway Regulation pilot project has been implemented, the Hana Highway Regulation civil organization reported a 96% decrease in illegal parking and trespassing on private lands”. Hana Highway Regulation and other civil groups across our County should not have to compete with MVB or compete within MVP against other local non-profits to have the most effective solutions implemented. It is the obligation of the County and MVB to figure out how to integrate the proven solutions that both are privileged to not have had the burden of financing over the last six years as our community of East Maui funded all the Hana Highway research to date at our own expense in the best interest for our home. More information at HanaHighwayRegulation.com
Where is information on this $500,000 Tourism Management Grant Fund located? CM Rawlins-Fernandez said it was under the Office of the Mayor but there is no mention of this grant in FY22 Appendix A Grant Revenues for the Office of the Mayor. I spent more than a hour searching for information on this FY22 Tourism Management Grant Fund but was not able to locate any information on this Grant Fund. Why was there no documents or Board Packet in support of this item? It is impossible for the public to comment or testify on an item for which they have not been provided any advance information.
Aloha Maui County Council, 6-1-22
My name is Napua Hueu and I am the Administrator and Community Coordinator for Hana Highway Regulation a civil volunteer organization that has been doing data collection in East Maui since 2016 focusing primarily on the Hana Highway. When budget funding was earmarked for visitor management along the Hana Highway a few years ago, our organization did not have a non-profit status at the time and we approached a number of Maui island based non-profits to serve as fiscal sponsor of the funds one of them being Maui Visitors Bureau who denied our request. We ultimately lost access to the funds when Kalani English appropriated them to a mainland based non-profit to build out the Waianapanapa State Park Reservation system. I am still wondering how County funds were used for State park needs.
As you know, East Maui shoulders the brunt of impact related to the visitor industry on Maui. We are among the top three reasons why visitors choose to come to Maui. I am exhausted to imagine that we will have to vie and compete for fiscal support among other non-profits in East Maui to garner support for our solutions which were curated from our data which Meagan will confirm she relied largely on our reports to articulate the issues and hotspots presented in their slides today. Linda Clark recently passed a Resolution HCR 29 that calls for all the stakeholders of Hana Highway to work with Hana Highway Regulation in developing a holistic management plan for the Hana Highway and so I expect MVB to acknowledge the work we’ve put in over the years and figure out a way to collaborate. I would like to encourage the Council to create a stipulation that these funds if allocated to the MVB, be made accessible to the most proven and effective direct action organizations regardless if these groups are a certified non-profit or not. There are individuals in the field across our County who do more for visitor management everyday than HTA and MVB combined. These are the individuals pointing out NO PARKING signs to prevent traffic hazards before they happen, individuals towing visitors out of ravines and discouraging them from hiking their children into sites with the largest counts for visitor rescues, injuries and fatalities. For us here on the Hana Hwy, we have a list of prominent resident figures that take it upon themselves almost daily to render intervention for visitors at the various hotspots identified on MVB’s presentation. The residents need creative funding support. We are tired of trying to convince MVB to work with us.
If the visitors Bureau is to receive these funds there needs to be a stipulation that they are to work with the subject matter experts in the field and not do with the funds what they think is best for our communities. I am concerned with the recent efforts by MVB touted as solutionary, in which they communicated they’d be focusing on increasing visitor messaging and signage when we have already determined through years of field research that rules and signs don’t work. I am also concerned how MVB recently contracting local level social media influencers to promote agritourism activities on Maui as a means for responsible destination management. These local influencers have little to no visitor followship and were quintessentially promoting locals farms to their primarily local viewership and not actually reaching our incoming visitors. There are proven effective solutions, House Concurrent Resolution 29 cites one in line number 24 quote, “Whereas, since the Hana Highway Regulation pilot project has been implemented, the Hana Highway Regulation civil organization reported a 96% decrease in illegal parking and trespassing on private lands”. Hana Highway Regulation and other civil groups across our County should not have to compete with MVB or compete within MVP against other local non-profits to have the most effective solutions implemented. It is the obligation of the County and MVB to figure out how to integrate the proven solutions that both are privileged to not have had the burden of financing over the last six years as our community of East Maui funded all the Hana Highway research to date at our own expense in the best interest for our home. More information at HanaHighwayRegulation.com
Mahalo, Napua Hueu (808-276-0581)
hanahighwayregulation@gmail.com
Where is information on this $500,000 Tourism Management Grant Fund located? CM Rawlins-Fernandez said it was under the Office of the Mayor but there is no mention of this grant in FY22 Appendix A Grant Revenues for the Office of the Mayor. I spent more than a hour searching for information on this FY22 Tourism Management Grant Fund but was not able to locate any information on this Grant Fund. Why was there no documents or Board Packet in support of this item? It is impossible for the public to comment or testify on an item for which they have not been provided any advance information.