Business Development and Support Division

The 15th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention kicks off on Monday, October 10-12, 2016 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel & Resort.  DBEDT’s Community-Based Economic Development (CBED) Program will host the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Resource Fair on Tuesday, October 11, 2016 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm as an integral part of this year’s convention.  The fair will bring financial, business training, consulting and other valuable business resources to Native Hawaiian small business owners and entrepreneurs.  The fair is FREE to all attendees and provides an opportunity to discover what resources are available for new startup and established companies.

Resource Partners

DBEDT’s Resource Partners providing business-related information and one-on-one consultation to fair attendees include: DBEDT/CBED & Enterprise Zone Program; DCCA’s Business Action Center, City & County of Honolulu-DPP, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC), Feed the Hunger Foundation, State Dept. of Agriculture, Hawaii Small Business Development Center, State Department of Taxation, Hawaii Public Library System, IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service, Kaiser Permanente, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Pacific Gateway Center, Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership, SCORE Hawaii, UHA Health Insurance, USDA Rural Development, U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

About the Native Hawaiian Convention

The Annual Native Hawaiian Convention is a unique venue that encourages and promotes collaboration among community leaders, cultural practitioners, policy advocates, business owners and agency officials, to further the well-being of Hawaii’s Native community.  The convention, organized by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), focuses on public policy issues, sources of funding, and capacity-building of Native organizations, homestead associations, civic clubs, non-profits, and businesses.

This year’s convention theme, ʻAuamo Kuleana, acknowledges the responsibility we each shoulder to move the Native Hawaiian community forward.  Success lies in the Native Hawaiian community’s collective effort, their kuleana to one another and their commitment to the greater good for all – working with greater tenacity to connect solutions to the reality of our world — ʻAuamo Kuleana. (Michelle Kauhane, President/CEO-CNHA).

Please download the event flyer for more information.