Hundreds gathered recently at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu to celebrate and explore the Hawaiian healing practice of ho‘oponopono — to make right, to use pono to return to pono, to restore goodness and peace within families and close groups, to return to a loving state through ritual communication, and to speak truth for the purpose of healing relationships.
‘Aha Ho‘oponopono — A time to partner! took place June 5-6 on the UH West O‘ahu campus and welcomed about 200 in-person and nearly 100 online guests, including haku ho‘oponopono (facilitators/leaders), social sector professionals, aloha ‘āina practitioners, and committed community members to discuss the perpetuation of ‘ike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge) and the growth of ho‘oponopono within individuals, families, and communities in contemporary contexts.
The event was hosted and organized by UH West O‘ahu’s Kūlana o Kapolei, ‘Upena Moananuiākea, and the UH Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Excellence. Many student and staff volunteers also stepped in to create over 200 lei, make gifts, wrap books, serve home-made uhaloa and lemongrass tea, clean, and help welcome everyone. More than 20 students from many concentrations came together to create an atmosphere of pono. Loea Ho‘oponopono (expert) Aunty Lynette Paglinawan, beloved and retired resident kupuna at UH West O‘ahu, thanked them all in a ritual exchange of gratitude at the closing of the ‘aha.
“We were intentional about folks knowing that ho‘oponopono still exists but now in many forms, all with na‘au ‘oiai‘o at the core — this means that we are wanting to express ourselves through and with the center of truth from our deepest knowing,” said Dr. Manu Aluli Meyer, Konohiki for Kūlana o Kapolei. “Also, pilina was key (at the event), developing quality relationality with other professionals, community members, social workers, and cultural practitioners dedicated to aloha and pono.”
On the first day of the gathering, UH West O‘ahu Chancellor Maenette Benham welcomed attendees.
“We are very excited that you are here to engage in this powerful energy of generative, reciprocal, and intentional learning,” Benham said.
She continued, “Now, here’s the kāhea: Each of you have been called. You are needed. My hope is that you step into this calling with grace and move forward on well-trodden stepping stones while at the same time laying new stepping stones to address today’s challenges.”
Paglinawan followed with the opening keynote address.
“I am humbled to stand here to address and to share more importantly a topic that is dear to my pu‘uwai (heart), and to pay respects to all of you who come with the same passion and desire to help, to heal, and to restore pono and aloha in our community,” Paglinawan said. … “We’re here to band together and promote health and healing.”
The two-day gathering explored ho‘oponopono in sessions and group discussions, recognizing the need to work together in a “systems” way:
- Micro (Self, Family): Working with individuals and families to solve problems, with a focus on the individual experience so they understand their emotions and work to cope with issues and problems in specific and cultural ways.
- Mezzo (Community, Institutions, Agencies): The sharing of systems, people, and ideas so that individuals feel supported, with a focus on encouraging and linking individuals in multiple contexts — community, agencies, schools, ‘ohana — to a wider advocacy system.
- Macro (Laws, Policies): Making or influencing public policy, conducting research, and working within agencies to advocate for individual and collective justice, with a focus on holistic understanding of social systems for effective advocacy and transformation of society.
“This ‘aha has changed many people,” Meyer said. “We are healing our collective with aloha languaging and pono behavior. Aunty Lynette Paglinawan, our loea ho‘oponopono — our master cultural practitioner of the Ka‘ū Family Method of healing of relationships — felt it was a true and enduring success.”
On the last day of ‘Aha Ho‘oponopono, Paglinawan recognized everyone who participated in the event for their generosity, genuine aloha, and gratitude.
“That is what made these two days so successful,” she said. “And this is what we need to replicate every time we have a gathering like this. It’s allowing people to show appreciation for what they have received in the past, and because they have been the recipients of aloha, they know how to give aloha in the future.”
To see photos from the event, visit the 2025 ‘Aha Ho‘oponopono album on Flickr.