[4][5] OHA's mandate is to advance the education, health, housing and economics (Kānaka Maoli) Native Hawaiians.

OHA works with communities to share information and build public support for Hawaiian issues.

OHA is a semi-autonomous government body administered by a nine-member board of trustees, elected by the people of the State of Hawaiʻi through popular suffrage.

[9][10] It was meant to create some compensation for forced colonization of the indigenous peoples, but in 1959 Hawaii was officially adopted as the fiftieth state of the US, with the Statehood Admissions Act defining "Native Hawaiian" as any person descended from the aboriginal people of Hawaii, living there prior to 1778.

In the US Supreme court case Rice v. Cayetano, OHA was accused of violating the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the United States constitution with voting provisions that were race-based.

There shall be not less than nine members of the board of trustees; provided that each of the following Islands have one representative: Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Hawaii.