More than 150 guests and 1,500 attendees are expected at this week’s Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement’s 21st annual Native Hawaiian Convention, where wide-ranging discussions are planned for everything from sustainable tourism to homelessness.

Overseeing the convention is a full-circle moment for CNHA CEO and President Kuhio Lewis, who first attended the convention as a college student 13 years ago looking for scholarships and connections to the Hawaiian community.

“I remember walking into the room a little overwhelmed because I didn’t even know that there was this convention that was going on,” Lewis said. “It definitely planted a seed. … Now, thousands of leaders and organizations and businesses come together, work together, to plot out the future. And that is the beauty of the convention.”

The convention, at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel from Tuesday to Friday, will host educational workshops on civic engagement and panels to discuss the significance of cultural practices such as lauhala weaving and kahili making. There will also be panels examining local issues like affordable housing, Mauna Kea stewardship, Native Hawaiian homelands and sustainable tourism.

CNHA in June was selected by the Hawaii Tourism Authority for a multiyear, multimillion- dollar contract to take over its U.S. brand management and global support services. The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, the entity that holds the current contract, has formally protested HTA’s decision.

In addition to the sustainable-tourism discussion, the third day of the CNHA convention will include a Red Hill panel, where Navy officials will join in on a conversation regarding the island’s water crisis.

The convention’s key events will be spread throughout the first three days.

CNHA’s own Pop-up Makeke Market will run from Tuesday to Friday. The market was originally created to assist small businesses during the pandemic, and this will be the first time it will be held in person. More than 100 Hawaii-based vendors will participate.

The Na Hoku Hanohano awards will be hosted by the convention for the first time, recognizing Hawaiian music artists.

Along with the Red Hill panel, the third day of the convention includes the Hawaii News Now Super Debate, which will include Democratic and Republican gubernatorial contenders along with the leading Democratic lieutenant governor candidates.

One of the convention’s many keynote speakers will be Michelle Ka‘uhane, senior vice president of the Hawaii Community Foundation, who will moderate a conversation on a community- driven approach to alleviating Hawaii’s homeless problem. One of the panelists will be Ho‘okele award recipient Twinkle Borge, leader of Pu‘uhonua o Waianae, which inspired Ka‘uhane to share the community-driven strategies it’s found successful.

The panel will invite guests to consider the idea that solutions to Hawaii’s homeless problem might come from community leaders who have lived in homelessness, Ka‘uhane said.

“It’s definitely out of the box,” Ka‘uhane said. “It’s definitely community- driven, but there are so many wonderful, beautiful lessons learned from what is happening out in Waianae to share with our state and with the nation about solving this issue of homelessness.”

Ka‘uhane, who is also former president and CEO of CNHA, said she admires how Lewis has grown the organization and demonstrated in many ways that Hawaiians can be successful community leaders.

For Lewis, CNHA and the convention continue to unify the community in their efforts to find solutions that will create a better future.

“That’s the mission that continues today,” Lewis said, “and that is where it started and that’s where it continues.”

Registration for the Native Hawaiian Convention closes at 5 p.m. today. The convention will take place on the second floor of the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.