The event, which was held at the Grand Wailea, allowed panelists and speakers to tackle the debate over the evolving role of Hawaiian cultural values within the realm of business. Speakers ranged from business owners like Maile Meyer, who operates Na Mea Hawaii; entertainers such as George Kahumoku Jr., a well-known slack key guitarist; and media figures including Na’alehu Anthony, chief executive officer of Oiwi TV.

“When we talk about culture, we see so much that there’s a tension between what we need to preserve and not touch at all . . . but then there’s also things that we can evolve, and that I would say we have to evolve to keep our culture alive,” said Kainoa Horcajo, who moderated one of the panels. “But where do we draw the line?”

Three young Hawaiians in business — a manager in hula productions, a tour guide and a fashion designer — said the answer to that question is different for everyone. They said they choose to focus on the things that their ohana and kumu have taught them.

“If I know my kupuna would shake their head at me, I probably wouldn’t do it,” said Kui Gapero, who puts together hula productions.

Manaola Yap (from right), founder of Manaola Hawaii; Napua Hueu, co-owner of Platinum Tours on Maui; and Kui Gapero, Maui manager for Mamoli‘i Productions, address the balance of culture and business during a panel at the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce Business Fest. The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

As the Maui manager for Mamoli’i Productions and cultural educator for Kuamo’o Cultural Experiences, people have asked Gapero how he could be “making money off our culture.” But Gapero said that his focus is on giving young people the chance to learn their roots and making sure “that they’re doing it for the right reasons.”

He gave an example of one Maori facility that gives tours of cultural instruction in the classroom, and uses the proceeds for education.

“That’s a cool concept, this institution for Maori to learn their culture while people are paying to see that happen,” Gapero said. “For me that’s what I’m thinking of when I’m presenting these cultural presentations.”

Fashion designer Manaola Yap said that he chooses “to belong to a contemporary society,” while weaving his cultural roots into everything he does. Yap, the founder of Manaola Hawaii, pushed the envelope in his first fashion show when he created Hawaiian-inspired underwear, a “touchy subject” but something that hadn’t really been done before.

“It came from a true place, from me using my ancestral memory of the arts,” Yap said. “How do you keep the barrier between what is to be shared and not to be shared? My view is being pono with yourself. If you feel within your na’au that it’s not pono . . . it will not happen. Things break, pots over-boil, fires happen. . . . That’s the second, when things go wrong, when you stop. That’s the business model that I’ve used so far.”

Kamehameha Schools Maui senior Makamae Kapono hands a jar of natural, Hawaiian sea salt-based body scrub to a customer, as part of her senior project during Friday’s event. The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

Livingston “Jack” Wong, chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools, said that as the world changes, businesses and communities must start to rethink some of the conventions or customs that might be “holding us back from success.”

Wong said that some believe they have to choose between Hawaiian culture or academic success within schools, between community or individual success, and between a local and global focus. In reality, these should all work together, he said. Giving students a strong cultural identity can drive them to succeed. Investing in the good of the community can benefit the individuals within it. What’s happening on the local level can lead on the global stage. Until there is a mental shift on these conventional beliefs, “we’re holding ourselves back,”  Wong said.

“We ourselves as locals can change the world,” Wong explained. “Our approach to sustainability, our approach as indigenous people, our approach to understanding a connection to land. . . . The world doesn’t have this. This is what we offer the world.”

The business fest was also a chance for aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase their products. Last month, Micah Alo, a 2015 Kamehameha Schools Maui graduate, started Alo(ha) Creations with the help of his aunty. The business does favors for weddings and other events, and features local, handmade products, including artwork and Alo’s mother’s chocolate chip cookies.

The former Maui Interscholastic League soccer standout said that after a tryout with the professional Portland Timbers didn’t work out, he turned to business, his other passion. “You’ve just got to take a risk and let it all unfold,” Alo said.

Kaui Kanakaole, executive director of the Ala Kukui Hana Retreat, said that the presentations allowed her to hear the perspectives of both young and veteran businesspeople.

“It’s really nice to have a place where, as Native Hawaiians in business, we can exchange and be inspired and feel supported,” said Kanakaole, who was attending the event for the first time.

Chamber President Teri Freitas Gorman said that with the impending closure of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co., “Maui’s economy is in between what it has been and what it will become.”

“While tourism continues to drive our economy, we also acknowledge that our fragile island cannot survive unlimited growth,” Freitas Gorman said. “Nearly 30 percent of Maui’s residents have Native Hawaiian ancestry, so it’s important for the generations to work together toward a future that is in alignment with our cultural values.”

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.