**Former Longtime Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Rowena Akana Dies at 82**
Rowena Akana, a longtime trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), passed away Thursday at the age of 82. Akana was first elected to the OHA board in 1990, which manages the Native Hawaiian Trust Fund, and was reelected seven consecutive times. She served two terms as agency chair—from 1998 to 2000 and briefly from December 8, 2016, to February 2, 2017.
Akana’s tenure at OHA was described as “fearless,” though it was somewhat marred by controversy. In 2018, the state Ethics Commission charged her with 47 violations of the state ethics code, including using her trustee allowance for personal expenses.
“Serving as an OHA trustee was her greatest joy and heartache because she didn’t get to see what she wanted done,” said her daughter, Toni Akana Nickens. “Her heart was always for the betterment of our people, and she stood vehemently for their rights. She was very outspoken, strong-willed, wore her heart on her sleeve, but you knew exactly where she stood.”
In a written statement, OHA Chair Kaiali‘i Kahele reflected on Akana’s nearly three decades of service. “Though her tenure was marked by challenges, her commitment to community, Native Hawaiian lands, and strengthening resources for our people reflects the deep sense of ‘ohana and stewardship she carried,” he said. “As we mourn her passing, we also acknowledge the many years she dedicated to the welfare of kupuna, Hawai‘i’s cultural legacy, and advocacy for Hawaiian self-determination. May her memory be a source of inspiration and may her spirit rest in strength and aloha.”
Native Hawaiian activist Mililani Trask, who served alongside Akana on the OHA board, remembered her as “a fearless advocate.”
“Her style could be very caustic, especially when you were at odds or had different motivations,” Trask said. “I got into huge fights with Rowena, but there were many times where she corrected my misunderstandings, and eventually that became the basis of our friendship. If there was anyone who would shred my logic, it would be Rowena, and she knew the same.”
Trask also recalled visiting Washington, D.C., with Akana, who was unafraid to confront U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and other members of Congress over their perceived failures to protect and advance Native Hawaiian interests. Akana had particular concerns about issues such as water contamination on Oahu from U.S. military fuel storage facilities, the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea, and the impacts of Army activities at the Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii Island.
“Rowena always believed that native people had a right to be involved directly in decision-making relating to their lands and resources,” Trask said. She was among the first voices to emphasize that “unless the cultural values of Hawaiians are integrated into the development process in a meaningful way, you will always have strife. And she was absolutely correct.”
Former state Senator Clayton Hee, also elected to the OHA board in 1990, noted that he both agreed and disagreed with Akana on different issues. “As long as I’ve known her, she wore her thoughts on her sleeve,” Hee said. “I don’t think there was any question as to where she stood on issues. She was right up-front regardless of how others may have felt.”
Hee served with Akana during the OHA v. Cayetano legal case, in which OHA sought interest payments from the state on revenues earned from ceded lands. “She always, in my opinion, looked for the global settlement to get Native Hawaiians out from under the shadow of the state government,” he said.
Akana’s death comes less than two months after the Hawaii Supreme Court affirmed an Intermediate Court of Appeals decision upholding the state Ethics Commission’s 2018 ruling against her for 47 ethics violations. These violations included accepting a $72,000 cash gift to help pay legal fees and using her trustee allowance for personal expenses such as food, home cable television service, a Hawaiian Airlines Premier Club membership, and an iTunes gift card.
She contested the allegations during a weeklong hearing in October 2018 but was fined $23,107 after losing the case. She then sued the commission in Circuit Court, claiming it lacked jurisdiction over ceded funds set aside for Native Hawaiians, but lost again. In September 2023, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that OHA is not a political subdivision and therefore is subject to state Ethics Commission jurisdiction.
Akana attributed her failure to win reelection in 2018 to the negative publicity from what she called “trumped-up charges” by the Ethics Commission and the timing of the contested case hearing just two weeks before the election, which hampered her campaign. She claimed she was targeted internally at OHA after attempting, as board chair, to have then-CEO Kamanaopono Crabbe dismissed and bringing allegations of corruption within OHA to the state Department of the Attorney General.
Raised in Palolo and a graduate of Roosevelt High School, Akana was also known for her talents as a singer and emcee. In her youth, she performed in the Tavana Polynesian show in Waikiki and at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, where she lived for many years, according to her daughter.
Her online biography states she attended the University of Hawaii, Kapiolani Community College, and New York University. She worked as a substance abuse counselor, substitute teacher, and had experience in radio.
Funeral or memorial plans for Rowena Akana have not yet been announced. She is survived by her daughters Toni Akana Nickens and Ann Marie Tomisato, as well as three grandchildren.
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/11/09/hawaii-news/longtime-oha-trustee-was-outspoken-advocate-for-hawaiians/
