(BIVN) – State officials say they are seeking applicants to serve a three-year term on the newly established Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority.

Governor David Ige and State Senate and House leadership issued a joint news release on Thursday, asking those who are interested in the position to apply by July 28, 2022.

The State says the Authority – tasked with managing Maunakea lands – will consist of eleven voting members, which include:

• The chairperson of the board of land and natural resources, or the chairperson’s designee;
• The mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi, or the mayor’s designee;
• The chairperson of the board of regents of the University of Hawaiʻi; provided that the chairperson of the University of Hawaiʻi board of regents may designate a: Member of the board of regents; or Past member of the board of regents with experience with Mauna Kea to serve as the chairperson of the University of Hawaiʻi Board of regents’ designee. If a past member of the UH board of regents is appointed to fill this seat, the appointee shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate;
• An individual with ʻāina (land) resource management expertise and specific experience with Hawaiʻi island‑based management (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual who is recognized as possessing expertise in the fields of p-12 public education or post-secondary education (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• A representative who shall be appointed by the governor from a list of three names submitted by Mauna Kea Observatories (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual with business and finance experience who has previous administrative experience in managing a large private-sector business (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual who is a lineal descendent of a practitioner of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices associated with Mauna Kea (must be confirmed by the Senate);
• An individual who is a recognized practitioner of Native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices (must be confirmed by the Senate); and
• The governor shall appoint two members from a list of three names submitted for each appointment by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives (must be confirmed by the Senate).

The joint news release provides specific instructions for applying Department of Land & Natural Resources tab on the ehawaii.com board and commissions website:

• Scroll down to and click on “Department of Land and Natural Resources.”
• A drop-down menu appears; select the appropriate box next to the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority; hit SUBMIT at the bottom of the page
• An application form then appears; fill it out in its entirety
• Finally, sign and submit

“I encourage people who have the expertise and commitment needed to shift to a community-based governance model for one of the state’s great natural resources to apply as quickly as possible. Together, we can continue Hawai‘i’s momentum toward a strong and sustainable future,” said Gov. David Ige in the news release.

“This new authority has the enormous task of laying the groundwork for a new management structure atop Mauna Kea, and we need dedicated, passionate individuals applying to sit in these critical positions,” said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, chair of the Senate Committee on Education.

“The Authority will play a historic role and I hope that those who apply will support and advance the mutual stewardship of Mauna Kea,” said Speaker Scott Saiki.