Waimea Valley is in the news again — this time people are arguing over "who saved Waimea" and whether Waimea needs to be "saved again." Election politics, misinformation, and personal and political agendas are driving this discussion. This doesn't help Waimea, but it is an opportunity to review both what has happened and our collective future as we malama this precious place.

Despite candidates dueling for credit for the purchase of Waimea, the only truthful answer is that everyone in Hawai'i, with the help of people from beyond our shores, helped purchase Waimea. Leaders deserve credit for making good decisions, but all the leaders involved were allocating money entrusted to them. Native Hawaiians and the general public paid the bill to purchase Waimea.

If you were to single out one group for credit, it would have to be the community who showed up on Dec. 7, 2005, to reject the proposed subdivision of Waimea. After the community led, we all followed.

When discussing the purchase, we should follow the community again. When they speak of it, they do not single out anyone — or even themselves — for credit. They are generous with their praise for everyone that made this happen.

A deeper truth is that a real estate transaction did not by itself "save" Waimea Valley. The purchase of 'aina like Waimea to save it is like the promises people make in wedding vows — merely the first steps in relationship that takes work. OHA's deep commitment to that work is now fulfilled through Hi'ipaka LLC.

Hi'ipaka means to instruct, and the name for this OHA non-profit company that owns and operates Waimea Valley reflects Waimea's role as a pu'uhonua for learning. OHA created Hi'ipaka after our previous lessee decided to leave. We first searched for another and found none with deep expertise in caring for cultural and environmental resources and running a business. Faced with the need to create an entity, the Trustees created an LLC for a number of reasons, chiefly to protect OHA's assets from liability while ensuring that day-to-day decision making would be made in the Valley. While not common, the creation of nonprofit LLCs is a recent innovation in the United States that is growing. The mission of this company, supportive of and congruent with OHA's mandate and the desires of the community, is to preserve and perpetuate the human, cultural and natural resources of Waimea for generations through education and stewardship.

To implement that mission, our main task is to fulfill our cultural and environmental kuleana while trying to create a break even nonprofit operation. The recent critique made that Waimea needs to be "saved" again is based on the self-contradictory claims that we are ignoring cultural activities while emphasizing tourist visitation, and that Waimea should be operated by commercial property managers.

The truth is straightforward. Since Audubon left Waimea on Jan. 30, 2008, we have addressed deferred maintenance, purchased what was needed for startup, and hired a 42-person staff, while maintaining the large botanical collection and access for hundreds of daily visitors.

However, culture is paramount in our management. Now, programs for schoolchildren weave cultural and environmental lessons and the store emphasizes made-in-Hawai'i products. At their request, local kupuna now have a space to meet and pass on knowledge and culture. The Hale O Lono Heiau has been restored with the assistance of nearly 200 volunteers — rebuilt not for tourists, but for the use of cultural practitioners. The claim that OHA is only concerned with showing "smiling Hawaiians" to visitors is not only wrong, it is offensive and hurtful to the staff and volunteers who have done so much.

All of this has cost money, which we began to invest before we took over and the gates were opened. It is inaccurate for these investments to be called losses. We are pleased that despite trying economic times, we are closer to the goal of break-even than we expected.

Ultimately, fulfilling our mission in Waimea is a small part of answering the biggest question we all face in Hawai'i: how do we live here and sustain ourselves economically while taking care of our precious islands and honoring and perpetuating our culture? This is a large kuleana and a long journey. As with the purchase, the ongoing effort to "save" Waimea will take all of us, and should be approached with a generous and committed spirit. We hope all who see these words will visit, volunteer, and join us in this shared journey.

Clyde Namu'o is the administrator of OHA and Jonathan Likeke Scheuer is director of its Land Management Hale; in these roles they serve as the managers of Hi'ipaka LLC. They wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.