July 22, 2026

DAY 2

Uplifting Our Present

Native Hawaiian Convention begins with discussions of our cultural traditions, self-determination, and the connections to our Native cousins throughout the world. Make sure to arrive early for an unforgettable opening ceremony, featuring performers from across the pae ʻāina, the continent, and the world.

Make sure you check-in before the activities begin! Grab your badge, a program, and find more information about everything happening during Native Hawaiian Convention.

Shop exclusives at our Mākeke, a marketplace celebrating Native Hawaiian artisans, makers, and entrepreneurs. From lole aloha to mea ʻai, find everything you need right here.

Grab a bite to eat from a variety of local food trucks and vendors.

9AM–12PM

Morning Mele Vibes

Kūhiō Lewis
Hawaiian Council, Chief Executive Officer

Ron Kouchi
Senate President

Mayor Alameda, Mayor Bissen, Mayor Blangiardi, Mayor Kawakami, Governor Green (mod.)

Join Hawaiʻi’s county leaders for a dynamic and engaging discussion on the current state of Hawaiʻi’s counties and the future of our island communities. This session will explore the opportunities and challenges shaping Hawaiʻi today. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain valuable perspectives on the issues impacting Native Hawaiian communities and all who call Hawaiʻi home.

Summer Sylva
OHA Interim CEO

Olin Kealoha Lagon, Kuʻulani Keohokalole

ʻAʻohe lokomaikaʻi i nele i ka pānaʻi. No kind deed has ever lacked its reward. This one-on-one discussion will confront the realities of artificial intelligence today, and how our lāhui should be preparing.

BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS

1:00–2:45PM

Honolulu Charter Commission

Once every ten years, Honolulu voters get to participate in revising the County Charter and update the guiding policy on how the Mayor, City Council, and departments operate, how decisions are made, and how services are delivered. This year, voters can support ranked choice voting, a Food Security Fund, an Affordable Housing Fund, and much more. Learn about what’s on your ballot this November!

Olin Kealoha Lagon

Kahekili held the line. Kamehameha wove in the new tools. Neither was simply right, because the fight was never the tools. It was staying Hawaiian while the ground shifted under our feet. What proof should we demand before machines shape our schools, our work, our truth? AI is a force is reshaping our life before we have agreed on the rules. This session sits with that tension honestly. We will name the hard parts: the power and water that AI burns, the data centers reshaping grids and bills, who pays and who profits. No tech background needed, this is for the whole lāhui to come with hard questions. You may not like the path you feel you have to hold or forge, but you will leave with more clarity than you came with.

Dr. Marjorie Mau

HB2218 passed. Now communities have a legal pathway to co-manage the ʻāina they’ve been caring for generations. A conversation with the practitioners, advocates, and agencies building co-management from the ground up.

Na wahi, Aha Punana Leo

For decades the Hawaiian language revitalization movement has successfully both preserved and proliferated ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi. Through the dedicated work of practitioners, teachers, parents, and students, the ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi movement has become the standard for other Native American languages. This session will discuss the history and success of the movement, and the state and national policies that support language revitalization.

BREAKOUT WORKSHOPS

3:00–4:45PM

Dr. Keolu Fox, Dr. Josiah Hester, Pohai Panoke, Keoni DeFranco (mod.)

ʻŌiwi Researchers Dr. Keolu Fox & Dr. Josiah Hester sit at the intersection of ancestral knowledge and technological innovation. They join Purple Maiʻa in a kūkā to share critiques of AI, the extractive nature of data centers and propose an alternative future for Hawaiʻi in sustainable computing and ʻŌiwi data sovereignty.

A discussion about increasing affordability, creating community economic development, and supporting local ownership as we create an energy system that protects us from risk and remains reliable for the future.

Partners in Development Foundation

The Federal Trust Responsibility affirms that Native peoples are a unique political class, not a racial one. This session covers how the federal government must uphold that trust relationship, including the importance of federal funding for Native Hawaiian programs in health, education, economic stability, and housing.

From the misty valleys of the Nā Pali Coast to the bustling streets of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi has long been a backdrop for Hollywood’s biggest hits. But who is telling those stories? Join a dynamic panel of filmmakers and industry professionals as we pull back the curtain on Hawaiʻi’s film industry. Come ready to learn, ask questions, and imagine what a thriving, homegrown Hawaiʻi film industry could look like for the next generation.