The avalanche of advertising this election season, much of it negative, is making many voters hold on to their ballots until the last minute. They wonder what to make of conflicting claims, some from questionable sources or mainland-funded PACs (political action committees). Kua‘aina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA) decided to do something we’ve never done before — help the networks we serve get a firsthand look at candidates in at least one very important race: the one for governor of Hawaii.

A few days ago, Gov. David Ige traveled to Milolii on Hawaii island with the first lady to sign into law the Community Based Subsistence Fishing Area (CBSFA) rules created by the community. That process of crafting and ushering the rules into existence took over three decades.

The only other CBSFA community with official rules is Haena on Kauai.

Clearly thoughtful and collaborative leadership between aloha ‘aina communities and elected officials is needed to ensure that other places receive timely support and that efforts to manage our precious natural resources are adequately resourced.

KUA extended invitations to all the leading candidates to meet with us online on Zoom to discuss their approach to issues of land and marine resource management, and their views on how to support communities, many mostly Native Hawaiian, seeking to co-manage their resources with the state. So far, we’ve had two very rich free-ranging conversations with Vicky Cayetano and Kai Kahele, and look forward to speaking with other candidates in the week ahead. All are asked to respond to the same questions, which pertain to the substance of our state Constitution’s enshrining of natural resources as a public trust and the affirmation of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices.

Candidates are asked to explain their priorities and what they would do to improve government and citizen roles in the stewardship of natural resources. All the networks we serve — E Alu Pu, Hui Malama Loko I‘a and the Limu Hui — across the islands responded enthusiastically. The two sessions we held so far drew attendees eager to learn more. With the permission of the candidates and attendees, we recorded the conversations and will share them online at our Facebook and YouTube pages to help inform voters.

Many of the communities we serve are in remote areas doing critical work to take care of our natural resources. They feel the need to better understand how government can help advance the work they do. So, these one-on-one conversations offer a chance for give and take and insights into the strengths — and weaknesses — of each candidate. They also allow the networks we serve to enjoy the benefit of asking questions that touch them most, and to articulate what their hopes and dreams are; to tackle their real issues and push beyond platitudes. This form of voter education also educates the candidate about the sometimes unseen work our network members do to malama ‘aina and kai we all depend on in Hawaii, to teach the next generation of farmers, fishers and stewards.

As the primary election nears this Saturday, we recognize the urgency of the need to ensure our networks and citizens who aloha ‘aina are equipped to vote wisely. We have found the conversations with candidates to be very worthwhile and hope to do more like this in the future. We do not advocate for or against candidates, nor do we endorse candidates.

We are proud that the networks KUA serves welcome, and see the value of the conversations with the gubernatorial candidates and look forward to their participation in the ones to come.

And yes, please vote. Our future depends on it.

Kevin Chang is the executive director of Kuaʻaina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA).