Nāʻālehu Anthony

About Nāʻālehu

“The future success and stability of this place belongs to this community.” 

Nāʻālehu Anthony is a kānaka maoli thought leader and advocate from Kaʻaʻawa, Oʻahu in Hawaiʻi, whose work has deep local grounding with far-reaching impact. 

Nāʻālehuʻs journey has been shaped by his community’s shared imperative to reclaim what has been given away - how we feed ourselves, how our economy functions, how we use our land, how we share water - to work toward a future whose success and stability is defined by collective thriving. His leadership in Hawaiʻiʻs most challenging issue areas is informed by what he has learned, taught and led at the center of major movements throughout his life. 

Aboard Hōkūleʻa as crew, documentarian and as captain, Nāʻālehu has been perpetuating the ancient science of traditional wayfinding and deep-sea sailing for nearly 30 years. His work as a storyteller and filmmaker, including defining films like Papa Mau and Moananuiākea, have been windows through which hundreds of thousands of viewers have been inspired by what is possible when indigenous leaders reclaim the genius and innovation of their ancestors to mend ruptures of erasure and injustice. Nāʻālehu continues to sail, help to maintain the canoes at major dry dock events, and to serve as a leader in the ʻOhana Waʻa, a hui of intergenerational indigenous leadership representing the voyaging canoes and organizations of Hawaiʻi.  

Beyond the story of traditional voyaging, Nāʻālehuʻs work in film and broadcast production is motivated by the need to reframe and reclaim the narrative that community members understand about ourselves, our lives and our place in the world. At ʻŌiwi TV, the indigenous-led TV station and production house he cofounded and led as CEO, Nāʻālehu worked to uplift stories of thriving, strength, resilience, and of success as defined by the values of the Hawaiian community. Through story and narrative, ʻŌiwi TV has become a beacon for indigenous activism, a repository for contemporary Hawaiʻi’s historic moments, and an example of Native excellence in innovation. Nāʻālehu’s independent film house, Palikū Films, continues to engage in strategic storytelling to advance social, environmental, and economic justice for the Hawaiian community.  ʻŌiwi TV, team continues to lift up the stories of our people and support Indigenous stories around the world.

As one of fourteen Native Hawaiian leaders, Nāʻālehu cofounded ‘Aina Aloha Economic Futures in 2020. His participation was motivated by the urgent need for profound transformation in Hawaiʻi, foregrounded by the economic and public health chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cofounders envisioned a mutually-interdependent, reciprocal economy built on Indigenous values and principles in alignment with land, water and community thriving. The ‘Aina Aloha Economic Futures Declaration garnered more than 3100 signatures to date; the organization’s policy and economic toolkit is widely in use today across public, private and nonprofit organizations’ decision-making, actively shaping the future of Hawaiʻi. 

Nāʻālehu currently serves as the chairperson for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS). Honolulu BWS is the municipal water purveyor for the island of Oʻahu and the utility impacted by the catastrophic spill of jet fuel and carcinogenic contaminants by the US Navy in 2023 at Red Hill. Nāʻālehu’s role on the board during his tenure as chair has been focused on the long-term remediation of the poisoned aquifer. His continued advocacy calls upon federal, state and local officials to continue collaboration with BWS in prioritizing the rights of future generations to clean, safe, and affordable access to water--an irreplaceable public trust resource. 

Nāʻālehu works with Paʻakai Communications, a community-focused strategic advisory firm, as a senior strategist. Through this platform, Nāʻālehu’s counsel is sought by other leaders in Hawaiʻi’s most challenging issues, including the successful creation of the country’s first tourism-funded climate impact fee; the state’s 2045 decarbonization deadline and mandate to achieve 100% renewable energy; the transition in governance to a new model for Maunakea, the epicenter of the 2019 global protest movement; and the long path of recovery in Maui after the devastating 2023 wildfire. 

A throughline of impact and strategy throughout these bodies of work has been Nāʻālehu’s collaboration with teacher, strategist, and author Norma Wong. Their relationship spans more than 15 years, beginning with their shared work at the center of the debate around Hawaiian governmental independence. Nāʻālehu assisted in establishing and stewarding the Collective Acceleration community of practice in 2020, and serves alongside Norma as an anchor in its national and global strategy work. 

Nāʻālehu’s work in the board room, as a strategist, as a community member, and as a father, is anchored by this truth: now is the moment for communities to take up kuleana that has been ceded over time - the privilege and responsibility of mutual stewardship - together. Without that pivot, our people and places will be subject to the desires of forces whose values and perspectives do not value interdependent thriving, or care about the future viability of these communities. When the kuleana is reclaimed, flourishing is within reach again. Taking up big transformational policy issues and small daily tasks are part of pointing ourselves, step by step, toward that future.