About Us

Our History

The UH Mānoa Kūaliʻi Council was founded in 2001 and is a sub-council of Pūkoʻa, the UH System Native Hawaiian Advisory Council that serves as an advisory body to the UH President and is recognized by the Board of Regents. The Mānoa Kūaliʻi Council is advisory to the Mānoa Provost.

The Kūaliʻi Council is self-determining in all matters relating to Native Hawaiian teaching, research, publication, and service.

Kūaliʻi Council is part of a consortium of Native Hawaiian-serving entities with distinct kuleana who work to guide UH Mānoa towards becoming a Native Hawaiian place of learning in which Native Hawaiian people, their knowledge systems, and their relational values are included, celebrated, and utilized as a cornerstone of UHM becoming Ka Lamakū o ke aloha ʻāina: a leading light of aloha ʻāina for Hawaiʻi and the world. These other entities are: Hawaiʻinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, Native Hawaiian Student Services, and the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office.

Our Mission

  • to honor, empower, and advance Native Hawaiian people, culture, and language through excellence in higher education. 
  • to increase the number of Native Hawaiians at UH Mānoa
  • to increase higher education opportunities for Native Hawaiians in all disciplines.
  • to advance the status and condition of the Native Hawaiian people through the successful achievement in higher education by Native Hawaiian students and the promotion of Native Hawaiian administrators, faculty, and staff. Towards that end, Kūaliʻi Council has secured Native Hawaiian scholarship funding, as well as 70 permanent FTE for Native Hawaiian faculty, staff, and administration

Who is on Kūʻaliʻi Council?

The Kūali‘i Council has representatives from Native Hawaiians from 18 Hawaiian-serving programs at UH Mānoa, as well as Hawaiians affiliated with other Mānoa units. The Kūali‘i Council, whose members are faculty, professional staff, adjunct, administration, and students. Significantly, the programs represented by the Kūali‘i Council serve an estimated 35% of the Mānoa total student body per year.

Governance Documents

Board of Regents Policy: Articulation of the Universityʻs commitment to Native Hawaiians

Pūkoʻa Charter: Pūkoʻa Native Hawaiian Council Charter ratified by the Pūko‘a members and campus councils of all 10 University of Hawai‘i campuses and adopted by the UH Board of Regents on June 29, 2009.

Kūaliʻi Council Charter: Kūaliʻi Council charter adopted September 4, 2004

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