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Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured on the West Side by Cam (@Freeworldmentality), who writes "I wanted to capture what the eye couldn't see with a still shot. Creativity inspired me to get these shots."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

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Hawaii Skies Cam Freeworldmentality 9.23.25

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Whether you live here or are visiting, we’d love to share a recent photo that you have captured while enjoying views of the Hawaiian Islands.

25 9 19 Hawaii Skies 16x9

Reader Submissions: Aloha State Daily wants to share your sky photos

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by ASD Reporter Christian Shimabuku in August at Kahuku. "It was a great reminder that football is back and another reminder of how we’re #LuckyWeLiveHI."

Hawaii Skies Christian 09.22.25

Hawai'i Skies: That pre-game glow

<title>Hawai'i Skies: A splash of color</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured on the West Side by Cam @Freeworldmentality, who writes, "Creativity inspired me to get these shots."

Hawai'i Skies: A splash of color

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured on the West Side by Cam (@Freeworldmentality), who writes "I wanted to capture what the eye couldn't see with a still shot. Creativity inspired me to get these shots." To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Business & Tourism

A new University of Hawai‘i economic forecast predicts a difficult next few years as recession looms.

Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization, described a newly released third-quarter economic forecast as “bleak,” with multiple national and global factors driving down the state’s prospects.

[{"type":"text","text":"“The risks seem stacked against us,” Bonham said."}]

The forecast, released Friday, predicts a “mild recession” in the state over the next year as tourism falters: “not too deep or not too long,” Bonham said, with the worst impacts expected toward the end of 2026 before a gradual recovery over the following years.

Bonham said the state has been relying on domestic tourism, with international tourism still having not quite recovered from the impacts of Covid-19 and the Lahaina fires. But as the U.S. economy weakens, Mainland tourism has seen a sharp downturn. By mid-2026, UHERO predicts 5% fewer tourist arrivals than at the end of 2024, with quarterly tourist spending expected to fall by more than $600 million.

At the same time, tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration have left businesses feeling “overwhelming uncertainty,” Bonham said. He said some businesses are unable to get any quotes for materials more than three months out because nobody can predict how much more anything will cost that far away.

UHERO predicts that, by the end of 2026, “tariffs will have raised Hawai‘i prices by about 1.5% over what they would otherwise have been. This will represent a permanent annual cost of perhaps $1,400 for a median-income household.”

Compounding the issue is the loss of unauthorized immigrant labor, which will continue to increase the price of produce. Between the impact of immigration crackdowns and impacts of tariffs, UHERO forecasts an inflation peak of about 4% at the end of 2026 — which, UHERO notes, is a lower peak than previous predictions, thanks to recent reductions to inflation. 

[{"type":"text","text":"But UHERO predicts broader losses across the entire labor market. "}]

"Job losses will be seen across virtually all local industries," the forecast warns, expecting about 2,400 job losses among federal workers alone. As cuts to federal contracts compound and the tourism industry shrinks, knock-on impacts will spread across the state's private sector.

Hawai‘i employment is still about 15,000 jobs below pre-pandemic levels, and Bonham said that this year’s estimated job growth is predicted to stand at about 0.7%.

“The number of jobs in Hawai‘i basically hasn’t changed since January,” Bonham said.

Bonham said it isn’t only bad new across the board. The construction industry, he said, is expected to be the only sector in the state to grow during the recession, with the redevelopment of Aloha Stadium, the construction of the last leg of Skyline, and other military construction projects expected to bring nearly 40,000 jobs over the next five years.

Even so, the jobs gained by construction will hardly offset the total job losses predicted statewide. By the end of 2026, the UHERO report predicts about 1,000 additional construction jobs compared to this year — and more than 5,000 jobs lost in other sectors, primarily in government positions.

Through all of this, Bonham said there are some potential off-ramps. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether the Trump administration tariffs are legal in November. Depending on that verdict, he said, the worst of the tariffs may not go into effect, staving off the worst impacts of the recession.

But Bonham was not optimistic. Even if the tariffs are partially reversed, there is no guarantee that the Trump administration can’t reintroduce them in different forms — once again leaving businesses uncertain about the future.

“There is a possibility that some of the new threats at the federal level will convince Democrats to come to the table and we avoid a government shutdown,” Bonham said. “I think the biggest off-ramp is … the U.S. economy bouncing back. With all these investments in AI infrastructure … maybe the U.S. economy will surprise everybody.

“What could help is if the very wealthy continue to thrive,” Bonham said. “The top end of the income distribution contributes enormously to visitor spending here.”   

Hawaii A2003147 2110 250m

<title>"Bleak" economic report predicts recession</title>

UHERO forecast warns about rising costs, stagnant jobs as tariffs and federal government job cuts continue.

"Bleak" economic report predicts recession

A third-quarter forecast released Friday by the 

University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization

 predicts that "a mild Hawai‘i recession [is] imminent."

Amid tariff hikes, inflation and payroll stalls, UHERO highlights the booming construction industry on Oʻahu and Maui as the sole bright spots. For example, "ongoing Skyline work and Aloha Stadium redevelopment will sustain industry employment near 40,000 jobs," UHERO noted, through the end of 2030 with "tariffs on the cost of materials" cited as one possible risk to the sector.

But that’s not the only sector projected to be hard-hit. Health care providers nationwide are reviewing the Fiscal Year 2025 Reconciliation Act, also known as the 

, signed into law by President Trump on July 4.

According to the UHERO report, “The budget reconciliation bill cuts federal Medicaid and American Care Act marketplace funding by an estimated $1.1 trillion and 

 by $187 billion over fiscal years 2025 to 2034. 

“The Congressional Budget Office estimated that OBBBA would lead to 10 million Americans losing health insurance by 2034 and 2.4 million losing SNAP benefits. In Hawai

i, where more than 400,000 residents participate in Medicaid, over 160,000 receive SNAP benefits, and 43,000 households receive both, these changes could impact a large segment of the population, with potential ripple effects across the state’s economy.”

 also projects that 41,000 Hawaiʻi residents will lose Medicaid benefits. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that 22,000 people in households with school-aged children and 8,000 in households with no children could lose SNAP benefits.

Though state tax relief in 2026 will provide some income support to local families, the potential cuts "will be a growing weight" starting January 2027, UHERO warns in the report.

Carl Bonham, UHERO Executive Director, said during a Thursday news conference that the Medicaid cuts could still be avoided. Congressional Democrats are developing a bill that would drop the cuts from the OBBBA before they go into effect at the end of 2026.

But if that doesn't happen, Bonham said, "Hawaiʻi could face a loss of $400 million in Medicaid spending."

Bonham added that small or rural health care providers could be the most at risk from that loss, particularly on Neighbor Islands. UHERO assistant professor Steven Bond-Smith noted that a loss of funding to rural providers on Neighbor Islands could open holes in health care services where people will be forced to travel to Oʻahu for treatment.

“These new requirements for safety net programs are likely to disproportionately affect Hawaiʻi given the state’s large concentration of low-wage, service-sector jobs. Moreover, cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits under the OBBBA could produce economic ripple effects,” UHERO wrote. “Reduced access to Medicaid would lead to poorer health outcomes and increased reliance on emergency care, and strain the finances of health care providers serving newly uninsured patients. The loss of SNAP benefits would also cause households to tighten their belts, reducing demand for groceries and other local goods and services. Nonprofits and government agencies may face new pressures as more residents turn to them for assistance.”

Are you a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit or health organization that will be or has already been directly impacted by federal cuts to Medicaid? Please reach out to kelsey@alohastatedaily.com to schedule an interview. I want to hear and share your creative strategies and solutions.

UH Manoa West Maui wellness fest consultation

<title>UHERO: ʻHawaiʻi could face a loss of $400 million in Medicaid spendingʻ</title>

A third-quarter forecast released Friday by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization notes that proposed federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid benefits will impact thousands of low-income families across the Islands, especially those in rural areas. Though state tax relief in 2026 will provide some income support, the potential cuts "will be a growing weight" come 2027, UHERO warns.

UHERO: ʻHawaiʻi could face a loss of $400 million in Medicaid spendingʻ

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

Arts & Entertainment

 — located between Hawaiian Hall and the J. Watumull Planetarium at 

 — has been in its soft opening phase for a few weeks now. Inspired by the culture and traditions passed down by kūpuna (elders), Tūtū’s Place is named in honor of Nancy Toguchi, who co-founded Highway Inn with her husband, Seiichi, according to third-generation Highway Inn owner Monica Toguchi Ryan.

Toguchi Ryan has fond memories of Sunday dinners in Waipahu with her grandpa, but says that her grandma died in 1975, when Toguchi Ryan was only around 3 years old.

“How I’ve gotten to know my grandmother was really through the stories that customers shared with me,” she says. “As we know here in Hawaiʻi, ‘tūtū’ is an endeared term, typically for our grandmothers. In this case, I really wanted to honor my grandmother, Nancy Toguchi, and all of the tūtūs out there, both in Hawaiʻi and across the oceans. They’ve often been the keepers of recipes and cultural preservation.

“When we think about who we ask for a good banana bread recipe or a mango bread recipe, it’s typically our tūtū,” she adds. “For some people, it’s their grandfather. Tūtū’s Place is really named in honor of our grandmothers and grandfathers.”

Highway Inn was established in 1947 and has grown to be a recognized establishment for Hawaiian comfort food. Through Tūtū’s Place, Toguchi Ryan says they hope to share the traditional flavors Highway Inn has been cooking for both local families and visitors alike for more than 75 years.

The menu at Tūtū’s Place reflects Hawaiʻi’s diverse culinary heritage through a variety of permanent dishes and rotating specials. Customers will find signature dishes from Highway Inn, including the business’s famed Hawaiian plate ($16.99), which includes kiawe-wood smoked shredded pork, white rice, ‘uala (sweet potato) and choice of lomi salmon, potato-mac salad or mixed greens with lilikoʻi dressing, plus haupia for dessert.

“Our Hawaiian plate is probably our most popular dish that we serve at Tūtū’s Place,” Toguchi Ryan says.

Meanwhile, the business’s lau lau plate ($21.99) — pork or chicken lau lau with poi or white rice, ‘uala, lomi salmon and haupia — and squid lūʻau ($12.99) are served only on Fridays and Saturdays. Squid lūʻau, which features steamed lūʻau leaves that are cooked in coconut milk with pieces of octopus or squid, is a dish Highway Inn is also well known for, according to Toguchi Ryan.

Other dishes are cafe-exclusives, but feature familiar elements from Highway Inn’s menu. For example, the smoked meat & onions flatbread ($15.99) — complete with onions, bell peppers, green onions and a drizzle of smoked aioli — features the business’s popular smoked meat.

“We do a really fun dish at our restaurant; it’s called the Smoked Moco,” Toguchi Ryan says. “We’ve taken that concept and put it on a flatbread so it’s easy to eat, like a pizza.”

The menu also features plate lunches — Hawaiian-style beef stew plate ($16.99) and miso chicken plate ($16.99) — along with a variety of sourdough melts ($15.99), poke bowls ($15.99 for tofu, market price for ‘ahi), and a variety of local snacks like Portuguese sausage hot dogs ($8.99) and Spam musubi ($2.99).

Tūtū’s Place also features vegetarian-friendly options, including a tofu watercress salad ($16.99), roasted veggie wrap ($15.99), lūʻau veggie flatbread pizza ($15.99) and lūʻau veggie tart ($7.99). The latter features a lūʻau spread topped with roasted zucchini, bell peppers and eggplant on a flaky puff pastry. It’s garnished with green onions and cherry tomatoes.

Keep an eye out for rotating weekly specials. The cafe featured a pork adobo dish last week, according to Toguchi Ryan.

“The goal for Tūtū’s Place is also to honor other types of dishes,” she says. “What we’re looking forward to here is to continue highlighting different ethnic cuisines that a lot of us are familiar with here in Hawaiʻi, but maybe not if you are visiting Hawaiʻi.”

Future specials will likely include popular dishes sold at Highway Inn — including the eatery’s famed hamburger steak — and other okazuya specialties, according to Toguchi Ryan.

“The one thing about Hawaiʻi that’s really unique is many of our grandparents and parents ate very simply,” she says. “That was driven by the economic hardships of the generations that came before us. It’s in that spirit to honor that time period. We grew up eating luncheon meat and Vienna sausage; perhaps some of us don’t eat that as often as we used to. But I think there’s an importance to that, in the sense that it brings back a lot of childhood memories that we may have forgotten.”

Tūtū’s Place also offers espresso drinks featuring locally roasted coffee from Tradition Coffee Roasters, along with freshly baked pastries like banana bread ($2.99), guava or lilikoʻi-mango mousse cake ($4.99) and chocolate chip mac nut cookies (three-pack for $3.99, six-pack for $6.99).

“What we really tried to do at Tūtū’s Place was to honor Highway Inn’s story, but also recognize that there are modern things that we have now available to us that people appreciate,” Toguchi Ryan says. “We have a much wider coffee menu — that’s not something that we do at Highway Inn, but that’s something that people love.”

The cafe’s interior is modeled after a plantation-era home, and is designed to be a comfortable space for families, according to Toguchi Ryan. It features vintage decor items — including a rotary phone and lunch boxes — a communal dining table, and a keiki play corner.

“It probably took me more than a year to collect different antique pieces,” Toguchi Ryan says. “The design really is a reflection of our culture here in Hawaiʻi and many different ethnic groups that have contributed to our understanding of what a tūtū’s house might look like, back in the day.”

Creating a keiki play area was important to Toguchi Ryan, who loves seeing parents interacting with their children.

“If we’re going to say keiki are our future, then it’s the physical spaces — whether it’s public spaces or private spaces — that really demonstrate they are important,” she says. “We have a wonderful keiki space, and I’ve seen parents sitting down, playing with their keiki.”

The cafe’s Wall of Discovery — which pays homage to the building’s history as the museum’s former Hall of Discovery — depicts archival photographs that showcases a timeline of Hawaiʻi’s food history, according to Toguchi Ryan.

“It takes you from pre-contact to European contact to the plantation period to the war, and then from the 1960s to modern-day Hawaiʻi,” she says. “Hopefully, this space will become someplace where you enjoy eating, but you can also learn something about our shared collective Hawaiʻi food story.”

Particularly notable is the cafe’s wallpaper, which is inspired by vintage menu covers, according to Toguchi Ryan.

“DeSoto Brown, the renowned historian here at the Bishop Museum, has an amazing collection of many things — one of them is vintage menu covers,” she says. “DeSoto shared with us many restaurants that were really popular, but no longer exist. We took some of those vintage menu covers and turned it into a customized wallpaper. Hopefully, when people walk in, they’ll remember places like Kapiolani Drive Inn and The Willows.

“There are so many stories that get lost and buried over time,” she adds. “Hopefully this space is a good reminder of where we came from, and to ground us in that story of who we are today.”  

In the future, Tūtū’s Place will host talk-story sessions and special events that celebrate cultural knowledge and food.

Tūtū’s Place is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Museum admission is not required to dine at Tūtū’s Place. The cafe provides two-hour validated parking for restaurant patrons ($10 minimum purchase required).

Open 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mondays-Sundays (closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day)

Two-hour validated parking for restaurant patrons ($10 minimum purchase required)

Tutus Place Monica 092525

<title>Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn is a new cafe at Bishop Museum</title>

The new cafe is inspired by traditions passed down from kūpuna, and emphasizes comfort, hospitality and family recipes. You’ll find some of Highway Inn’s signature dishes — including that famous Hawaiian plate with kālua pig — along with cafe exclusives.

Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn is a new cafe at Bishop Museum

Kam Napier Headshot

A. Kam Napier

Columnists

 that Gov. Josh Green has issued an emergency order defying new guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding administering Moderna’s new Spikevax vaccine for Covid-19. 

In brief, the FDA recently revoked its emergency authorization of an older Moderna Covid vaccine and set new age limits on administering the new Spikevax mRNA product: it is now “approved for use in individuals who are 65 years of age and older, or 6 months through 64 years of age with at least one underlying condition that puts them at high risk for severe outcomes from Covid-19.”

That quote comes from the FDA’s Aug. 27 revocation letter. You can read the letter, and the memo justifying the action, archived at the FDA’s website 

Green’s emergency “Proclamation Relating to Pharmacist-Provided Vaccine Serves” asserts that the FDA “has not provided any evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine poses any more risk of harm” to people in the excluded ages. Therefore, Green is taking up the recommendations of the West Coast Health Alliance, which is a hui of Democrat administrations in California, Hawai‘i, Oregon and Washington formed this month, to defy federal health agencies of the Trump administration. Under his proclamation, Hawai‘i pharmacists are allowed to disregard the FDA guidelines and administer the Covid vaccine to children as young as age 3, whether they have an underlying medical condition or not.

There’s a lot to unpack here. Our first call was the state Attorney General’s office to ask for an explanation of Green’s authority to defy federal rule-making.

[{"type":"text","text":"The AG punted. No explanation given."}]

Instead, the AG referred us to the state Department of Health. The DOH, as we reported yesterday, loves the proclamation. State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble, in an 

, repeated the governor’s assertion that FDA provided no evidence for the change and insisted there’s “a big body of evidence” that Covid vaccinations have more benefits than the risks.

I’ve read the governor’s proclamation in full, and the FDA’s Aug. 27 letter and memorandum. Maybe Green and Kemble have not, because their arguments are talking right past the FDA’s argument.

What the FDA said is that the vaccines had been authorized in response to an emergency … and the emergency is over. Therefore, the vaccine is, rather than unsafe in any unusual fashion, simply unnecessary for categories of people, but still very much recommended for other categories with higher risk factors for Covid. And contrary to Green’s claim the FDA provided no evidence, the FDA memo does cite publications backing its assertions, see the memo at the link above.

If there’s a document that makes claims without evidence, it is actually Green’s own proclamation.

That’s hardly the only problem with the poses, arguments and attitudes on display in the proclamation. Here are some that stand out for me, maybe others stand out for you. The document is available 

“WHEREAS, on January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern,” the proclamation begins.

Yes. That was five years ago. As the FDA states in its new guidance, the emergency is over. I can see where Green and others would love to keep it going, it’s been very good for his career and the power of bureaucrats in general, but the emergency is over. The Hawai‘i state Supreme Court

 to former Gov. Ige’s state of Covid emergency as of March 26, 2022. 

“WHEREAS, COVID-19 is a highly infectious disease that has caused over 2,000 deaths in Hawai’i and continues to cause hospitalization of Hawai‘i residents …”

” and as of now, the 7-day average for “hospitalized ICU Covid-19 patients” is four. The 7-day average of new admissions with Covid-19 is also four.

Some things are missing from that data, however. For example, are these ICU patients in ICUs because of Covid, or for other reasons but also tested positive for Covid? Authorities consistently played fast and loose with that distinction to justify their Covid policies.

Also missing is any sense of scale or context. What proportion of hospital care is going to Covid patients that would require any emergency proclamations?

for 2022, the most recent full year available, Hawai‘i’s hospitals saw: 

That’s 102,187 hospital admissions in a year. Assuming 2024 turns out much the same, how many admissions could have a Covid dimension? 

The state Covid-19 Hospitalization Metrics site doesn’t give a running total, it provides 7-day averages. The highest 7-day average so far this year was a peak of 65 hospitalized Covid patients during Aug. 27 to Sep. 2. Let’s err on the side of caution and say, in the worst-case scenario, if every week of 2025 were at that average, we’d see 3,380 Covid admissions (65 times 52). But we won’t get anywhere near that number as no other week has been so high and many weeks have averages as low as 8 or 12.

But assuming potentially 3,380 Covid admissions, that works out to about, at most, 3% of all admissions we might see this year, and most likely the total will be lower. And, again, we’re talking about data that is not clearly distinguishing which patients were admitted for some other health problem but who also tested positive for Covid.

None of this math is in Green’s proclamation, nor these links to his own agency’s data. The proclamation proceeds from an intention for us all to stay, emotionally, in 2020 forever.

“WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic strained the state’s health care system and negatively impacted the state’s economy …”

That was then. Where is the strain now? And excuse me, Doctor Governor, but the pandemic didn’t negatively impact the state’s economy alone, the decision of policymakers around the world to initiate lockdowns did most of that. I’ve yet to see local politicians even attempt to account for the costs of their lockdowns, economically, or in health and education impacts in Hawai‘i.

I’ll skip ahead to the action this proclamation really takes, which is to suspend state laws regarding vaccinations, laws which require that vaccines here will be administered “in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.”

This is what Green and the other governors of the West Coast Health Alliance are actually doing: suspending the state laws that bind them to federal rules. Whether or not they can legally do so is exactly what Green’s Attorney General declined to answer. The 

 of the U.S. Constitution says that federal law preempts state law, but here we have states defying administrative rules. Someone will have to draw a line from the rule-making aspect of these agencies to the authority invested in them by Congress.

If I were a pharmacist, I’d be on the phone with my lawyer and my malpractice insurance agent to ask, “Am I really safe going along with this? What kind of protection does this proclamation really give me?”

Bottom line: Green has presented no compelling evidence for why pharmacists in 2025 should keep administering a vaccine to people who don’t need it, for a pandemic that is long since over, in an emergency that isn’t emergent. This isn’t science-based, it's tribal. Trump said one thing, so these governors have to say the opposite.

As for the actions they’ve taken, there’s something tragically funny about Democrat governors forming a regional alliance — a kind of confederacy, if you will — to defy a Republic administration.

[{"type":"text","text":"What’s next, secession? "}]

A. Kam Napier is editor in chief of Aloha State Daily. His opinions in Pipikaula Corner are his own and not reflective of the ASD team. 

mana vaccine I Stock 2197154058

<title>Pipikaula Corner: Dr. Gov. Josh Green, patron saint of perpetual pandemic</title>

A deep dive into Gov. Josh Green's recent emergency proclamation defying federal rules on Covid vaccines.

Pipikaula Corner: Dr. Gov. Josh Green, patron saint of perpetual pandemic

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

[{"type":"text","text":"The votes have been tallied."}]

 in Wailea was recently named among the top waterfront hotels and resorts in the country, coming in at No. 8 on USA Today's 10Best list of 

 in the U.S. It's the only Hawai‘i resort named to that list this year.

USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards aim to rank the 10 best in several areas of travel, lifestyle and other categories.

Other Hawai‘i hotels and resorts were among those on other 10Best lists this year.

Kōloa Landing Resort at Po‘ipū, Autograph Collection

Kōloa Landing Resort at Po‘ipū also took the top spot on the list of 

 on Kaua‘i's North Shore was No. 2 on the list of 

And an entire list was dedicated to finding the 

. Kōloa Landing Resort at Po‘ipū took the No. 1 spot on that list, followed by the 

A number of resorts in the Islands were also among those included on U.S. News & World Report's 

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<title>These Hawai‘i hotels recognized as some of the best in the U.S.</title>

These Hawai‘i hotels recognized as some of the best in the U.S.

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

 the Apple TV+ mini-series about uniting the Hawaiian Islands, which debuted Aug. 1, actor Moses Goods plays Moku, the advisor to the future King Kamehameha I. Written and executive produced by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, the series shares the story of Kaʻiana, played by Momoa, as he tries to unify the Islands before Western colonization in the late 18th century.

 New episodes drop every Friday through Sept. 19.

With four episodes left in the nine-part series, Goods spoke with Aloha State Daily about getting into character. His favorite part of playing Moku?   

“It would have to be the layers of this particular character and what’s weighing on him,” he said. “He's someone that he saw the prophecy when Kamehameha was a baby, when he was born, and he saw the end result. And he's devoted his life since that time to now to achieving those results, which means he had to do some things that maybe didn't sit well with him, like use his daughter as a pawn in this game. But this is something that he believes wholeheartedly in, and he believes this is what is needed for Hawaiʻi, for the people, for the lāhui, and so he does it. Just those layers of him being a politician and being a father, to me, makes for a very interesting character.”

Goods is no stranger to films that share the history of the Islands, often entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. He recently played the Chief of East Maui in the short film “Kūkini,” which shares the same conflict as “Chief of War” from the eyes of a messenger, or kūkini, for Maui. He also wrote “Duke,” a one-man show about Duke Kahanamoku, the legendary surfer and Olympic gold medalist.

These kind of roles often mean potraying ancestors, “which in our belief, are still with us, are still around us,” he said.

“So my process involves opening the door for them to come be with me in whatever way that they choose,” he said. “That's how I prepare for it. He did come through that door in a very real way, and it has helped and elevated my portrayal of this kupuna. Even though he's someone that I'm not connected to by blood, he is someone that now is with me. And I'm doing what he told me to do.”

Moses hopes the “Chief of War” series continues to do what it has already done, which is spark conversations about culture, he said.

“It's sparking things that are contrary to what people think Hawaiʻi is because a lot of people that don't grow up here, they think Hawaiʻi is surfing, grass skirts — cellophane skirts — and a very touristy idea of what they believe Hawaiʻi is, and now it's giving them an entirely different view of what Hawaiʻi is, and one that's a little closer to reality," he said. "That's already taking place, and I just want more of that. I want people to watch this show and be intrigued and be curious about Hawaiian culture and language and history.”

When asked about challenges of filming the series, Goods was quick to mention wearing the traditional 

, or loincloth, in New Zealand. Even though the series is set in Hawaiʻi, it was filmed 

“It's freezing,” he said. “And particularly some of those council scenes, where it doesn't even look that cold. ... That was my biggest challenge, was just dealing with the cold of New Zealand, because it gets really cold over there.”

Moses describes himself as an introvert who “found my way out of my shell” first through sports and then theater, he said. He grew up in upcountry Maui with cows, horses, chickens and rabbits.

“The forest next to where we lived was where I would go and just let my imagination just soar,” he said. “So that's really the secret to my acting. I grew up immersed in my world of imagination, and I'm still able to access that. And I allow that realm of imagination to intersect with the spiritual realm and all of that. To me, it's all connected.”

“But that also meant that I spent most of my time in that imaginary world,” he said with a laugh. “And being around actual people is something that I was very nervous about. Sports helped me through that, and then when I finally got to theater, I was really able to just open up and allow myself to use being another character to get me out of my shell.”

Goods attended Maui High School before going on to study at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. What does he want viewers of “Chief of War” to take with them after the show?

“I just want people to continue to celebrate these things,” he said. “Even living in Hawaiʻi, a lot of people have been intimidated by the culture, right? ... Learn more. Start with your street names. Learn how to pronounce a street name correctly, if it's a Hawaiian street name. Learn what an ‘okina is —  a kahakō. It's never too late to start at the bottom and work your way up. ...  Don't be ashamed. Learn the language. Learn the culture. Immerse yourself, whether you're Hawaiian or not. Immerse yourself in this beautiful place that we're in — Hawaiʻi — and all the different layers of it.”

 There is a seven-day free trial for Apple TV+. After that, access to the streaming platform costs $12.99 per month.

Moses Goods

<title>Actor Moses Goods shares how he gets into character for “Chief of War”</title>

With four episodes left of “Chief of War,” the Apple TV+ mini-series written and executive produced by Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, Aloha State Daily talks story with actor Moses Goods, who plays Moku, advisor to the future King Kamehameha I. He shares how he gets into character — and one challenge of wearing a malo in New Zealand.

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