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Last reviewed · SEPTEMBER 6, 2026

Organization profile

Naʻi Aupuni

Every organization on this site uses this same profile template, with the same sections in the same order. No organization receives an additional or promotional section. Where the reviewed records establish nothing on a point, the section says so. Profiles are evaluated using the same editorial standards and evidentiary categories. The amount of detail presented may vary according to the quantity, accessibility, and provenance of documentation available for each organization.

Evidence balance

This is a description of the source mix on this page, not a credibility score and not a ranking. A page can be heavily class A and still describe a contested claim, and a page can be heavily class C simply because the organization is the only party that has published about itself.

  • Class A13
  • Class B2
  • Class C5
  • Class D3
  • Class E5
  • Archive analysis / methodology2

30 citations on this page.

A — Primary government, court, institutional, or authenticated documentary record
A record created by a government, a court, an institution, or the parties to an instrument, held by that body or an archive, or a document whose authenticity has been established.
B — Independent journalism or reputable third-party reporting
Reporting, scholarship, or third-party documentation produced independently of the organization.
C — Organization-produced documentation
Material produced or published by the organization itself. Class C is not treated as false: it establishes what the organization documented or asserted. Broader claims that depend on outside acceptance — recognition, another party's status, or an outcome — require corroboration from class A or B.
D — Claim with limited or incomplete independent corroboration
A reference was located, but independent corroboration is partial or has not been confirmed against a primary source.
E — No reliable source located
No reliable source was located for the statement.
ARCHIVE ANALYSIS / METHODOLOGY — Not an external evidence source
This site's own source review, editorial policy, methodology statement, archive assessment, or a conclusion derived from the material above. It is not an external evidence source and is deliberately kept outside classes A through E.

Classes A through E are applied to every organization on this site, by the same rule, with no organization held to a stricter or looser standard than another. The archive's own source review, editorial policy, methodology, and assessments are labelled ARCHIVE ANALYSIS / METHODOLOGY and are never counted as class A through E evidence. Class C — organization-produced documentation — is not treated as false; it establishes what the organization documented or asserted, and may require outside corroboration before a broader claim rests on it.

Evidence status labels

Each section below carries one of these six statuses, derived the same way for every organization on this site. A status describes how a section’s sources stand together. It is not a score and not a ranking. Absence of documentation is not automatically evidence that an event did not occur.

Strongly corroborated
Multiple meaningful independent primary or institutional sources establish the proposition.
Corroborated
At least one meaningful independent, counterparty, court, government, institutional, or reputable third-party source establishes the core proposition.
Partially corroborated
Some outside evidence supports part of the proposition, but the broader or full claim is not independently established.
Organization documentation
The proposition is primarily supported by documentation produced or published by the organization itself.
Oral / traditional testimony
Evidence derives primarily from firsthand, oral, genealogical, or traditional accounts. Recorded on its own terms and not treated as lesser, while being kept distinct from independently verified documentary records.
No documentation located
The review has not located adequate supporting evidence for the proposition. Absence of documentation is not automatically evidence that an event did not occur.
01

Self-described name and status

Corroborated

Described itself as a nonprofit convener of a Native Hawaiian self-governance process, not as a government.

Source / Evidence(1)
02

Founded

Corroborated
03

Leadership or governing body

Corroborated

Governed by a nonprofit board of directors.

  • Class AState of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (Hawaiʻi Business Express search, searched September 10, 2026).
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    State of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (Hawaiʻi Business Express search, searched September 10, 2026).

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

04

Political model

Corroborated

The organization organized a convention to draft a governing document for a future Native Hawaiian nation.

  • Class COrganization's own statements; the news coverage consulted was not identified by publication in this review.Organization-produced only. Accessed September 6, 2026. It did not assert sovereign status itself.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Organization's own statements; the news coverage consulted was not identified by publication in this review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class C

    Organization-produced only. Accessed September 6, 2026. It did not assert sovereign status itself.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

The organization was governed by a nonprofit board.

Source / Evidence(1)
05

Stated mission

Organization documentation

Stated purpose was to convene an ʻaha at which participants would draft a governing document for a future Native Hawaiian nation.

  • Class COrganization's own statements; the contemporaneous reporting consulted was not identified by publication in this review.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Organization's own statements; the contemporaneous reporting consulted was not identified by publication in this review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class C

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

06

Claimed constituency

Corroborated

Participation was drawn from a Native Hawaiian roll compiled for the process.

Source / Evidence(1)
07

Claimed territory

Organization documentation

No territorial claim was asserted.

  • Class COrganization statements.Organization-produced only. Accessed September 6, 2026. None identified.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Organization statements.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class C

    Organization-produced only. Accessed September 6, 2026. None identified.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

08

Governing documents

Partially corroborated

The 2016 ʻaha produced a draft governing document that was not ratified.

  • Class DSecondary references only: news coverage and published convention materials; no specific publication was identified in this review.Single independent source. Accessed September 6, 2026. A draft is not an operative governing document.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Secondary references only: news coverage and published convention materials; no specific publication was identified in this review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class D

    Single independent source. Accessed September 6, 2026. A draft is not an operative governing document.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

09

Current documented activities

Corroborated
10

Community service & cultural work

Partially corroborated

Reporting and process records document civic-education materials and a delegate convention held in 2016, together with published proceedings.

  • Class DSecondary references only: independent reporting and published convention records; no specific publication was identified in this review.The activity was tied to a single time-limited process.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Secondary references only: independent reporting and published convention records; no specific publication was identified in this review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class D

    The activity was tied to a single time-limited process.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

This category records documented community service and cultural work on its own terms. It is not scored, weighted, or compared between organizations. Where the entry reads “no documentation located,” no record was found in this review; that is not evidence that the activity never occurred.

11

Domestic legal record

Strongly corroborated

The election process was challenged in federal court and the process was altered as a result.

Source / Evidence(1)

Akina v. Hawaii (D. Haw. / U.S. Supreme Court order, 2015–2016) challenged the election process; the count was halted and the process altered.

  • Class AAkina v. State of Hawaii, No. 1:15-cv-00322-JMS-RLP (D. Haw.), Order Denying Preliminary Injunction, Doc. 114 (Oct. 29, 2015), official GovInfo copy, verified September 10, 2026.The case addressed the election process, not sovereignty.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Akina v. State of Hawaii, No. 1:15-cv-00322-JMS-RLP (D. Haw.), Order Denying Preliminary Injunction, Doc. 114 (Oct. 29, 2015), official GovInfo copy, verified September 10, 2026.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    The case addressed the election process, not sovereignty.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

12

External engagements

No documentation located

No external engagement in any other category was located in the records reviewed.

  • Class ENo source located.None located. Accessed September 6, 2026. The organization's stated purpose was domestic.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    No source located.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class E

    None located. Accessed September 6, 2026. The organization's stated purpose was domestic.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

No United Nations activity was located in the records reviewed.

  • Class ENo source located in the records reviewed.None located. Accessed September 6, 2026. Absence from the records reviewed is not evidence that no such record exists. This site's review is limited to publicly reachable sources.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    No source located in the records reviewed.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class E

    None located. Accessed September 6, 2026. Absence from the records reviewed is not evidence that no such record exists. This site's review is limited to publicly reachable sources.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

13

Formal state / diplomatic recognition

No documentation located

No formal act of recognition by a UN member state was located in the records reviewed.

  • Class ENo instrument or official state record located.None located. Accessed September 6, 2026. Recognition would be evidenced by the recognizing state's own instrument. Correspondence, meetings, and agreements with nongovernmental or Indigenous bodies do not substitute for it.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    No instrument or official state record located.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class E

    None located. Accessed September 6, 2026. Recognition would be evidenced by the recognizing state's own instrument. Correspondence, meetings, and agreements with nongovernmental or Indigenous bodies do not substitute for it.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

14

Indigenous / traditional / royal relationships

Partially corroborated

The convening process involved Native Hawaiian delegates, civic organizations, and community participants across the islands.

  • Class DSecondary references only: contemporaneous reporting alongside organization statements; no specific news publication was identified in this review.Single independent source. Accessed September 6, 2026. Participation by community delegates is recorded on its own terms and is not an act of recognition by any state.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Secondary references only: contemporaneous reporting alongside organization statements; no specific news publication was identified in this review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class D

    Single independent source. Accessed September 6, 2026. Participation by community delegates is recorded on its own terms and is not an act of recognition by any state.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

Traditional and Indigenous recognition can have substantial cultural, genealogical, political, and community significance. The archive documents it on its own terms while distinguishing it from formal diplomatic recognition by a UN member state.

15

Organization-produced evidence

Organization documentation

Most of the record consists of court filings, registrations, and news coverage.

  • Class C4 organization-produced sources (class C) cited in the sourced sections of this profile, excluding these summary lines.Class C establishes what the organization documented or asserted; it does not establish that an outside party accepted it.
  • Archive analysis / methodologyThis site's own source review.Independently corroborated. Accessed September 6, 2026. None identified.
Source / Evidence(2)
  • Compiled or secondary

    4 organization-produced sources (class C) cited in the sourced sections of this profile, excluding these summary lines.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class C

    Class C establishes what the organization documented or asserted; it does not establish that an outside party accepted it.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

  • Compiled or secondary

    This site's own source review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class M

    Independently corroborated. Accessed September 6, 2026. None identified.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

16

Independent corroboration

Strongly corroborated

The formation, process, and litigation are documented by court and registration records.

  • Class A12 primary government, court, institutional, or authenticated records (class A) cited in the sourced sections of this profile, excluding these summary lines.
  • Class B1 independent journalism or third-party source (class B) cited in the sourced sections of this profile, excluding these summary lines.
  • Archive analysis / methodologyThis site's own source review.Independently corroborated. Accessed September 6, 2026. None identified.
Source / Evidence(3)
  • Compiled or secondary

    12 primary government, court, institutional, or authenticated records (class A) cited in the sourced sections of this profile, excluding these summary lines.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

  • Compiled or secondary

    1 independent journalism or third-party source (class B) cited in the sourced sections of this profile, excluding these summary lines.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class B

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

  • Compiled or secondary

    This site's own source review.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class M

    Independently corroborated. Accessed September 6, 2026. None identified.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

17

Disputed or unresolved claims

Corroborated

The election process and the roll used were challenged in Akina v. Hawaii; the count was halted and the process altered. The 2016 ʻaha produced a draft document that was not ratified.

  • Class AAkina v. Hawaii, federal court records and U.S. Supreme Court stay order.The litigation addressed the election process, not sovereignty.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Akina v. Hawaii, federal court records and U.S. Supreme Court stay order.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    The litigation addressed the election process, not sovereignty.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

18

U.S. / state characterization

Corroborated

Treated as a private nonprofit. No recognized governing entity resulted from the process.

  • Class AAkina v. State of Hawaii, No. 1:15-cv-00322-JMS-RLP (D. Haw.), Order Denying Preliminary Injunction, Doc. 114 (Oct. 29, 2015), official GovInfo copy, verified September 10, 2026; State of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (searched September 10, 2026).
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Akina v. State of Hawaii, No. 1:15-cv-00322-JMS-RLP (D. Haw.), Order Denying Preliminary Injunction, Doc. 114 (Oct. 29, 2015), official GovInfo copy, verified September 10, 2026; State of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (searched September 10, 2026).

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

19

Sovereignty-continuity interpretation

Organization documentation

Independence-oriented advocates criticized the process as operating inside U.S. law and therefore incapable of carrying a continuity claim. This is a political position within the movement.

  • Class CMovement commentary of the period.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Movement commentary of the period.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class C

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

20

Leadership & institutional accountability

Strongly corroborated

Nonprofit board of directors; no membership governance.

  • Class AState of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (Hawaiʻi Business Express search, searched September 10, 2026).None identified.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    State of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (Hawaiʻi Business Express search, searched September 10, 2026).

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    None identified.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

Financial transparency: Nonprofit filings and funding arrangements appear in the public record and in the Akina litigation.

  • Class AState of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (searched September 10, 2026); Akina v. State of Hawaii, No. 1:15-cv-00322-JMS-RLP (D. Haw.), Order Denying Preliminary Injunction, Doc. 114 (Oct. 29, 2015), official GovInfo copy, verified September 10, 2026.Filings post-dating the ʻaha were not located.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    State of Hawaiʻi DCCA Business Registration Division filings (searched September 10, 2026); Akina v. State of Hawaii, No. 1:15-cv-00322-JMS-RLP (D. Haw.), Order Denying Preliminary Injunction, Doc. 114 (Oct. 29, 2015), official GovInfo copy, verified September 10, 2026.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    Filings post-dating the ʻaha were not located.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

Leadership & institutional accountability — Leadership [No finding located] (No conviction located): No conviction was located in the public records reviewed as of September 6, 2026. Arrest, charge, dismissal, acquittal, conviction, civil judgment, administrative finding, and allegation are distinct; an arrest or charge alone establishes no guilt.

  • Class AHawaiʻi State Judiciary eCourt Kōkua public case search (official Judiciary system; searched September 10, 2026; a search interface, not a case record).A search result is not a finding that no record exists in any jurisdiction.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Hawaiʻi State Judiciary eCourt Kōkua public case search (official Judiciary system; searched September 10, 2026; a search interface, not a case record).

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class A

    A search result is not a finding that no record exists in any jurisdiction.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

Leadership conduct may affect institutional trust and accountability. It does not determine whether the historical Hawaiian Kingdom existed or resolve the legal question of state continuity, and it does not determine whether a people possesses a right to self-determination.

  • Class EEditorial policy of this site.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Editorial policy of this site.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class E

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

21

Organization response

No documentation located

No written response or additional primary material from Naʻi Aupuni has been published on this profile as of September 6, 2026. No record of outreach to the organization by this archive has been documented, so nothing here should be read as a failure or refusal to respond. Organizations may submit additional primary materials or a written response through the archive's correction and response process, and it is published alongside this profile without editing for position.

  • Class EEditorial policy of this site.This is a statement of process, not a finding about the organization.
Source / Evidence(1)
  • Compiled or secondary

    Editorial policy of this site.

    Independent corroboration
    Evidence class E

    This is a statement of process, not a finding about the organization.

    No direct document link recorded for this source.

22

Evidence summary

Naʻi Aupuni was a 2015–2016 process funded by OHA to convene a Native Hawaiian constitutional convention. The delegate election was halted by an emergency U.S. Supreme Court injunction in Akina v. Hawaii (Dec. 2015), issued on a Fifteenth Amendment challenge to the Native Hawaiian-only voter roll; no merits ruling on that question was issued. The convention proceeded after Naʻi Aupuni converted the process to open delegate selection. A draft constitution was produced but never ratified.

Archive Assessment

The delegate election was halted by the December 2015 injunction in Akina v. Hawaii; the convention proceeded after selection was opened, and the draft constitution was not ratified and has no legal effect.

23

Detailed Legal Record and Organization-Supplied Documentation

The materials below are retained for archival and research purposes. Inclusion does not constitute independent verification of every claim contained in the source material. Where possible, the Hawaiʻi Sovereignty Archive distinguishes court records, government records, contemporaneous third-party reporting, and materials supplied or compiled by the organization itself.

This subsection sits outside the comparative profile above. It is not a ranking, a score, or a measure of any organization’s standing, and the number of entries reflects only how much documentation this review has located and cited.

Editorial rule — adverse and misconduct-related records

Adverse or misconduct-related material is classified by what the record actually establishes. A fact established by a primary record or a reliable independent source is stated plainly and is not softened because it may harm a reputation. An allegation is not described as proven misconduct. Conduct is not called fraud, theft, corruption, or a scam unless a court or other competent authority made that finding, or the term appears in a source and is attributed to that source. Audit findings are described as audit findings; findings reported by a news outlet are attributed to that outlet. A criminal charge is never described as a conviction; a dismissed case states the dismissal; a conviction states the offense and disposition where known; and where later proceedings changed a case's status, that later procedural history is included. Euphemism is avoided: where a source establishes something specific, the specific statement is used rather than a vaguer one.

Alleged
An allegation, a criminal charge, a civil complaint, or an accusation made by another organization. Unproven; no competent authority has made a finding on it.
Reported
Reported by a news outlet or other third party and attributed to that source. Reporting is not an official finding.
Audited
An audit finding or an administrative finding, described in the terms the audit or agency used. An audit finding is not a court judgment.
Adjudicated
A court, tribunal, or appellate body entered a decision, judgment, plea disposition, or settlement in the matter. The specific disposition is stated.
Convicted
A criminal conviction was entered. The offense and disposition are stated where the located records establish them.
Dismissed
The matter, or the counts identified, were dismissed. A dismissal is stated as a dismissal and is not reported as an unresolved accusation.
Unresolved
No disposition, finding, or outcome has been located. Absence of a located outcome is not evidence either way.

Akina v. Hawaii — U.S. Supreme Court

Evidence statusUnresolved

2015 · No. 15A551

Justice Kennedy granted an emergency injunction on Dec 2, 2015 halting certification of the Naʻi Aupuni election. The full Court denied a stay of that injunction on Dec 15, 2015 (Thomas and Alito would have granted). Naʻi Aupuni responded by canceling the election and seating all 196 candidates as delegates — a procedural workaround that was never tested back at SCOTUS.

Contemporaneous third-party reporting

SCOTUS order (PDF)

Draft constitution never ratified

Evidence statusUnresolved

The ʻaha produced a draft constitution on Feb 26, 2016, but Naʻi Aupuni declined to hold a ratification vote, citing unresolved litigation. The document has no legal force and has not been adopted by any Native Hawaiian governing entity.

24

Sources

Each source below is cited to the specific statement it supports in the section above. This list is a summary of those citations, not a general bibliography, and no source is carried over from Kingdom-era history unless it supports a statement about this organization.

25

Last reviewed

This profile was last reviewed on September 6, 2026. Statements about the absence of a record describe the records reviewed on that date only.