MEMBER PROFILE ✹
A proud Kānaka Maoli, she’s also dedicated to giving back to the Hawai- ian community. In 2008, through Kai Makani, Kahakui spearheaded the restoration of Mokauea Island, the state's last native island fishing village which was at risk of becoming extinct. She’s also brought at- risk kids—many who’ve never left their side of the island—across the world to Pape‘ete, Tahiti, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Aotearoa (New Zealand).
They shared cultural practices, tested water quality and learned about interconnectedness. During the height of the COVID-19 pan- demic, she led a group of paddling clubs and teams to give back to the people of Papakōlea, the community in which she grew up. She, along with OCC, Lanikai, Hui Nalu, Kailua, Hui Lanakila, Healani, Keahiakahoe Canoe Clubs, as well as Waikīkī Surf Club, Team Maui Jim, Team Bradley, and the varsity girls water polo team from Punahou School, distributed over 200 boxes of food to nearly 1,500 residents of this Hawaiian homestead community. More than an outstanding athlete, Kahakui’s lifelong commitment to the ocean is an inspi- ration to members of OCC, people throughout Hawai‘i and far beyond. But after a big year, she’s taking a much deserved breather from compet- ing to focus on family and learning how to tackle some new-to-her environmental actions. She’s also coaching women’s division teams at OCC and elsewhere, spreading knowledge about the sport and about the ocean. “I don't know if I need to win anything else, or do anything else. I'm very content. My greatest desire now is to be able to— to deserve to be—paddling with and alongside these amazing women athletes.”
days. With an entourage of almost 20 people on an escort boat, including master navigator of the Hōkūle‘a, Nainoa Thompson, she overcame exhaustion and dehydration in the name of the environment. That same year, she embarked on a 72-mile journey from Kā‘anapali to Waikīkī, the first by a single person paddling an outrigger canoe. In 2004, she paddled to Nu‘alolo Kai, the sacred site of an ancient Hawaiian settlement and native plant sanctuary, to honor her heri- tage and promote the protection of our oceans. It was a five-day, 200-mile voyage. Escorted by fellow paddlers and support vessels, she paddled through high winds and rough seas from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i’s Nāwiliwili Harbor before continuing up to the site along the Nāpali Coast. In 2007, Kahakui was awarded the first prize for the Women of Earth award presented by the Yves Rocher Foundation-Institut de France, which recognizes three American women leading organizations devoted to the protection of the environment. “As ocean/island people, we need to make sure that we are the first to stand up and take care of the environment. As Hawaiian or Polynesian people, we feel especially responsible for the ocean and the ‘āina,” said Kahakui.
march / april 2023 | AMA 25
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