Sending what they described as a strong message to those with oversight of the Mauna Kea summit, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees voted Thursday to rescind their support of the Thirty Meter Telescope.
However, the board fell short of formally opposing the $1.4 billion project, a move that disappointed a sizable contingent of Native Hawaiians who described the mountain as sacred and pleaded for a rejection of the TMT development during more than four hours of often emotional testimony.
"Not taking a stance doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t make a statement," said Kahookahi Kanuha, one of the leaders of the "protectors" of Mauna Kea, afterward. "We were looking for them to stand with the people. And how can you stand with the people when you’re saying you have no opinion on the situation?"
Former OHA trustee Moanikeala Akaka of Hilo agreed.
"We thought they heard our people’s voices," said Akaka, one of the 31 arrested for protesting on the mountain April 2. "Not only here, but throughout these islands and throughout the world people, have been saying, ‘Protect Mauna Kea.’ Unfortunately, it’s on deaf ears."
Gunther Hasinger, director of the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, said that while he too was disappointed with the vote, he said the trustees made "a wise decision" to essentially stay neutral so they can "stay at the negotiating table."
"The whole future of the mountain is at stake," he said after the meeting at OHA’s offices in Iwilei. "From my point of view, we need to find a way to share this mountain and its sacredness."
In a statement issued following the vote, Henry Yang, chairman of the TMT International Observatory Board, said, "We are naturally disappointed that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has changed its position on the Thirty Meter Telescope project. However, we are by no means discouraged. We must now redouble our commitment to respectfully continuing dialogue and engagement with OHA and all other stakeholders."
During the board discussion, the trustees informally counted four votes in favor of rescinding only — Peter Apo, Colette Machado, Haunani Apoliona and Rowena Akana — and three votes in favor of opposition — Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey, Dan Ahuna and Lei Ahu Isa. Chairman Robert K. Lindsey Jr. and John Waihee IV were absent.
But four votes are not a majority of the nine-member board, and they wouldn’t have been enough to overturn the trustee’s 2009 vote in support of the project. That prompted some vote-switching, with trustees ultimately casting six votes to rescind, no votes against and one — Ahuna — abstaining.
Before the vote, Lindsey read a statement from Abigail Kawananakoa, who blasted UH for its "abysmal" effort in taking care of the mountain over the years, and Ahuna launched into an impassioned speech, urging the trustees to stand with the people and oppose the TMT.
"Self-determination is right at our fingertips," Ahuna said. "We have the opportunity to send a strong message that it is no longer business as usual for Native Hawaiians."
Other board members pushed for the neutral position, saying it would give OHA a better position in negotiating for changes to a range of concerns, including the decommissioning of telescopes and the review of the Mauna Kea Master Plan and Mauna Kea master lease, which expires in 2033.
"It’s about more than the telescope. It’s about the management of the entire mountain," Apo said. He added that "If we oppose, we are going to take ourselves out of the field of play."
Machado said political realities demand that OHA remain neutral. She said the vote puts Gov. David Ige, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources and the UH Board of Regents on notice that OHA will press for important changes.
"If we oppose, they are going to look at us and say, ‘OK, we’ll push you aside for laters,’" she said.
Sensing a restless crowd, Akana stood up and said, "I give you my word. With this motion I stand with you. I will go to the university. I will stand against the governor and anybody else for you. I promise you this. We are standing for you."
Afterward, Lanakila Mangauil, another leader of the "protectors," said he wasn’t buying the seat-at-the-table argument. He said the protect Mauna Kea movement has already won a seat at the table.
"They could still be part of it," he said.
Mangauil added that while many of his contemporaries are eager to oppose the TMT, the kupuna on the OHA board are simply more cautious. "It’s not what we wanted but it is a step," he said.
Construction of the telescope has been on hold while the TMT Observatory Corp. considers how to proceed in the face of opposition on the mountain.
With partners that include universities and astronomy institutions in the United States, India, China and Japan, the Pasadena, Calif.-based nonprofit is planning an 18-story-tall "next generation" optical/infrared observatory capable of seeing more than 13 billion light-years away.
