STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1882

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 418, 522

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 418 and 522, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Island Burial Council, Island of Hawaii

 

G.M. No. 418

DUTCHIE K. SAFFREY,

for a term to expire 6-30-2011; and

 

G.M. No. 522

CYNTHIA S.H. NAZARA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2011,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Dutchie K. Saffrey and Cynthia S.H. Nazara to have the necessary qualifications to be nominated to the Island Burial Council, Island of Hawaii.

 

     Testimony in support of Dutchie K. Saffrey's nomination was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hui Kakoo Aina Hoopulapula, and two individuals.  Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O Hawaii Nei submitted testimony in opposition to Ms. Saffrey's nomination.

 

     Ms. Saffrey is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and attended the Southern California School of Floral Design.  For ten years, she served as United States Senator Hiram L. Fong, Sr.'s Secretary and Receptionist in Washington D.C. while the Senate was in session and in Honolulu during adjournments.  She arranged all formal functions for Senator and Mrs. Fong.  She later became a Sales Manager at Makaha Resort and Country Club and then the Princeville Resort before becoming a self-employed floral designer and hula instructor in Waianae for Hoi Mai Malihini.  She currently serves as a Hui Kakoo Aina Hoopulapula Board Director representing the Island of Hawaii and is an advocate for the rights of the twenty thousand waitlisted Hawaiian Homestead applicants.

 

     Ms. Saffrey was appointed to serve on the Island Burial Council, Island of Hawaii in 2004, and had been nominated for a second term to serve as the Puna District representative on the Council.  She has an exemplary background in Hawaiian culture with knowledge that was learned from respected kupuna.  Her familial ties to the Island of Hawaii come from her paternal grandfather, Reverend Samuel Kapukauakahi, and her maternal grandmother, Annie Kanamu Kaaemoku.  Ms. Saffrey's demonstrated commitment and extensive Native Hawaiian knowledge and cultural background makes her an invaluable asset to the Island Burial Council, Island of Hawaii.

 

     Testimony in support of Cynthia S.H. Nazara's nomination was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

 

     Ms. Nazara is a graduate of McKinley High School and received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management Leadership from Leeward Community College.  She is currently the Cultural Resource Manager at the Four Seasons Hualalai Resort in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, where she works with a management team in the development plan to build, manage the growth of, and implement all programs established for a cultural center.  She provides outstanding service to the residents, resort guests, and visiting schools on Hawaiian culture, and works with several community associations to bring in a binding awareness of the Hualalai Resort.  She is a Board Member of the Kona Historical Society, an appointed Advisory Commissioner for Kaloko-Honokohau National Park, a member of the Kona Hawaiian Civic Club, and a member of the Daughters of Hawaii.

 

     Ms. Nazara has been nominated for a second term to serve as the Kona District representative on the Council.  She has an exemplary background in Hawaiian culture and comes from a Hawaiian family well known for their weaving skills.  As the Cultural Manager for the Four Seasons Hualalai Resort, she had the tremendous responsibility of caring for burial and historical sites, and she has worked closely with cultural experts and archaeologists in identifying and protecting cultural sites.  Ms. Nazara's demonstrated commitment and extensive Native Hawaiian knowledge and cultural background makes her an invaluable asset to the Island Burial Council, Island of Hawaii.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair