HISTORY & TIMELINE
2015 to 2023
The Aloha ʻĀina Party (AP) was established in 2015 by founding members Donald Kaulia, Pua Ishibashi, and Desmon Haumea as a potential new political party in the State of Hawaiʻi. After two failed attempts to gather the required number of signatures in 2016 and 2018, the AP collected and exceeded the number of signatures required and was certified as a political party for the 2020 elections.
In 2020, the AP fielded candidates in fifteen state legislative races on a platform of hope and change. In 2022, the AP nominated several candidates for local office, including one for state Senate and three for state Representative. The AP also nominated their first statewide candidate for United States Senate. In 2023, the AP was notified by the Hawaiʻi Office of Elections that it failed to meet the minimum vote threshold to remain a qualified political party in the State of Hawaiʻi.
January 30, 2021
Anticipating the implosion of the AP due to a hostile take over and change in leadership and philosophy in August 2020, elements of the AP, form a new political party to continue the original vision and philosophy of the AP. The founding members of the new organization include: Barbara (Bobbi) Anne Cuttance, Gloria ʻAlohiwailani Ishibashi, Herbert (Pua) Pualiʻialoha Ishibashi, Jr., Ana (Nawahine) Nawahine-Kahoʻopiʻi, Ariel (Ipolani) D. T. Murphy, and Stephen (Kaleopono) Sheffield Norris.
February 13, 2021
Founding members decide to name the new political organization Hui Kānaka Kālaiʻāina (People’s Political Organization) with Pua Ishibashi as President. It is also decided that the trade name of the organization will be the Kānaka Party.
March 3, 2021
The Kānaka Party is established as a Hawaiʻi non-profit organization. The domain name kanakaparty.com is also secured at this time.
April 15, 2021
Founding members facilitate the first official meeting of the Kānaka Party naming its inaugural Board of Directors as:
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Gloria Ishibashi
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Pua Ishibashi (Chair)
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Ipolani Murphy
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Kaleopono Norris
The newly formed Board then names the inaugural corporate officers as:
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Pua Ishibashi - President/CEO
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Ipolani Murphy - VP
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Kaleopono Norris - Treasurer
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Gloria Ishibashi - Secretary
At this time the Board also adopts its Constitution and Bylaws.
May 18, 2021
The Board of Directors names the inaugural Kānaka Party Executive Committee as:
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Pua Ishibashi - Chair
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Ipolani Murphy - 1st Vice Chair
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Nalani Silva-Pablo - 2nd Vice Chair
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Kaleopono Norris - Secretary
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Gloria Ishibashi - Treasurer
May 19, 2021
Board of Directors approves Nalani Silva-Pablo as the newest member of the Board, i.e.,
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Gloria Ishibashi
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Pua Ishibashi
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Ipolani Murphy
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Kaleopono Norris
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Nalani Silva-Pablo
June 6, 2021
Kānaka Party launches page on Facebook - facebook.com/groups/kanakaparty
in July 2021 with over 5,000 members.
June 27, 2021
Officers of the Kānaka Party approve the amendment of Articles of Incorporation to transition the organization to a IRS 527 tax-exempt Political Organization (Adopted by Hawaii DCCA on July 12, 2021).
July 20, 2021
The Kānaka Party launches its website on World Wide Web as
kanakaparty.com
July 26, 2023
The Board of Directors of the Kānaka Party (KP) transition the Kānaka Party into the Kānaka Movement (KM), a movement for hope and change. The Purpose, Mission, and Vision of the KM remains the same as the KP, including political activism with the continued hope, that when the time is right, to establish a new political party for the State of Hawaiʻi. In the interim, the KM acts to effectuate positive and needed change for the Lāhui and entire State of Hawaiʻi through political activism.
