Genealogy wa’a chant gifted to La‘i‘opua 2020
Situated on the grounds of La‘i‘opua 2020 is the first educational canoe constructed on Hawaii Island in almost three decades.
Chadd Paishon, Pwo/Master Navigator and Cultural Advisor of the project, recently gifted a genealogy chant to the wa’a, named La‘i‘opua, ahead of the next community build on July 10.
The chant, “Au e Ua Hiti E” written in 1995 by Pua Case and Halau Hula Ke’alaonamapua, will be presented by Paishon at the community build in Kealakehe. The July 10 event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is open to the public.
Rooting the culture deep in the land and supporting the community for growth and expansion are at the heart of La‘i‘opua 2020, a nonprofit organization serving the residents of Hawaiian homelands, the Villages of La‘i‘opua, the Kealakehe ahupua‘a and surrounding areas.
“This canoe belongs to the community, La‘i‘opua, and beyond; passing on the knowledge for generations to come,” said board president Kawehi Inaba.
For more information visit www.laiopua.org or call Inaba at (808) 937-8907.
HECO to auto-enroll past due accounts to payment plans
Hawaiian Electric customer accounts that would normally face disconnection will instead be enrolled in a 12-month payment plan to keep the lights on.
Affected customers will see higher “current charges” when the first of 12 installments appears in bills starting in July.
May 31 marked the end of the moratorium on disconnections set by the Public Utilities Commission. Collection activity resumes in July for past due Hawaiian Electric customers who are not already enrolled in a payment plan.
The automatic enrollment affects about 3% of Hawaiian Electric’s residential and smaller commercial customers whose accounts meet the threshold for disconnection – and who either have not contacted the company about their past due balance or are not currently enrolled in a payment plan.
Payment reminder notices have been sent to past due customers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The notices have urged customers to set up payment arrangement and over the past two months informed customers that their accounts would be placed on a 12-month installment plan to avoid disconnection, averting a large one-time payment and allowing time to apply for assistance.
Customers will receive a notice with their bill when the payment plan starts that explains how the arrangement works, including instructions on how to opt out. Bills for customers on payment plans – auto-enrolled or by customer request – will include the current charges, plus the installment amount. The installment amount will differ for each customer. If a customer’s past due amount is small, the installment amount will also be a fraction of the bill. However, if a customer has not made any payment toward their account over this past year, the total current month’s bill amount could more than double.
Customers with past due balances may still go to www.hawaiianelectric.com/paymentarrangement to see payment plan options, including an 18-month plan for residential customers, and submit a request. Customers experiencing hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to seek government and nonprofit agency assistance. Hawaiian Electric does not administer these programs, but it works with many of these agencies. See a listing of resources at hawaiianelectric.com/COVID19.