Save Honolua Coalition has a new president

A video interview with Tamara Paltin and Pa’ele Kiakona (pictured) is available at: tinyurl.com/tamarapaele.
WEST MAUI — The Save Honolua Coalition announces a change in leadership, as Tamara Paltin steps down as president and is replaced by Pa’ele Kiakona.
The coalition noted, “Words cannot express our admiration and gratitude for over a decade of her wisdom and guidance. With Tamara as our leader, we harnessed the power of the community and coordinated its response. We nurtured a bill through Congress that saved Honolua from development, helped design a comprehensive management plan and showed that the community can accomplish great things together.”
Paltin stated, “I think Save Honolua Coalition really saved me, actually. It was a lot of growing experience, learning, a lot of connections with all the various non-profits and all the people of Lahaina. I was really blessed to be a part of it and I will continue to forever be a supporter.
“I’m so excited about Pa’ele. We really needed a next generation leader to step up, and he has the passion and the drive. And I think similar to me when I started out, I was just trying to make some change. I think the best way to go about it is to be given that kind of responsibility and to work towards the vision that you want to see. I have faith in him that he’ll find his way through. And I’ll always be here to support him.”
Kiakona represents the next generation of Hawaiian leadership, as well as the culture and people from our moku. His drive and instinctive leadership skills will infuse Save Honolua with new mana.
He said, “Those are going to be very shoes big shoes to fill. Tamara has shown great leadership and resilience in everything that she has done. She has been also an inspiration to me to push beyond what I thought myself was possible.
The saying goes “ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia,” meaning there is no task too big if we work together. I believe that something that I will bring to that table is laulima, bringing many different people to work together, looking past our differences. So as we’ve seen in places like Mauna Kea, my generation has played a big part in everything. Save Honolula has done so many things and has set a foundation for the future of Maui. We can use that knowledge to help us in the future of Lahaina as well.”
John Carty has been the vice president of Save Honolua for 15 years. He added, “We are blessed that Pa’ele has chosen to direct his passion, heart for the culture and talent to help us with our mission to Save Honolua. He has a bright future in politics and environmental advocacy, and brings in a new generation to the cause. It has been an amazing honor to have supported Tamara all of these years, and now only Pa’ele could step into this role.”
Save Honolua continues to watch over Honolua during this challenging time. “While our hearts are broken for the devastation in our community, we stand ready to support actions and legislation that will benefit the people, culture, and natural resources,” the group concluded.