Let’s face it — people often like to complain about government.    

Maybe it’s because what government does — or doesn’t do — seems beyond our control. Like the weather. Or traffic.

Although we may believe a favored candidate in the next election cycle has a silver bullet to fix everything broken in government services, we know deep down that no individual holds all the answers. It takes a collective effort from both elected and non-elected individuals to champion change in government and actually make it happen.

Transform Hawai‘i Government, a small nonprofit organization, has been one of those silent partners working alongside state leaders for the past 15 years to make state government more efficient to better serve Hawai‘i citizens. The organization, funded primarily by the Omidyar ‘Ohana Fund through the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Technology Transformation Fund, partners with state leaders to take on the formidable challenge of modernizing aging systems and business processes.  

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But change does not happen overnight. Sweeping transformation in government takes time. Years can easily turn into decades. Someone plants a seed. Another person cultivates and nurtures the growing plant. The next administration comes along with different priorities and uproots everything, creating a major setback in progress. The next administration plants a new seed. Eventually, a plant reaches maturity.

We have seen this pattern repeatedly in government, especially in the area of information technology. There have been government leaders who prioritized IT transformation and others who slashed costs, affecting IT staff and IT projects.    

In 1995, Hawai‘i ranked “dead last” in technology use among all 50 states, receiving a grade of F for technology use. We lagged behind the rest of the nation, stuck in the paper age. The wake-up call prompted government leaders at the time to take action and face the problem head on.

Fast forward to 2022 and Hawai’i ascends into the top quartile among the states, receiving a grade of A- for its overall IT program from the U.S. Center for Digital Government. Two years later, in 2024, Hawai‘i maintains this same grade, a notable achievement.

Just this past week, the Center for Digital Government announced the top-performing digital states based on its 2026 survey and gave Hawai‘i an A, a full step up from the earlier A-. Clearly, slow and steady wins the race in government transformation.  Kudos to all the state employees whose expertise, effort, and dedication to public service contributed to this achievement.

At the end of 2026, THG will sunset as a nonprofit organization. Does a straight A in IT for the state mean that THG’s job is done? No, the work of modernization is an ongoing process and never fully done. But “Yes” because the state is now consistently investing in IT transformations across state operations.

THG signed on to be a catalyst for modernization, even before it incorporated as a nonprofit organization. It helped fund the first state CIO and the initial IT strategic plan. It has served on the state IT Steering Committee. It supported the creation of the state chief data officer position and the creation of the first IT leadership program at the state. And THG’s former executive director now serves as the state’s chief information officer.

For these and other reasons, THG can feel confident its mission has been accomplished, and can wind down operations by the end of this year. Like a coach who prepares an athlete for the Olympics, THG can watch state IT confidently stride into the future. History has shown that large IT projects – including government projects – can be difficult and risky. But they are also absolutely necessary to deliver the services our citizens need. Collectively, the state has taken its capabilities to the next level and will continue the rigorous discipline needed for continuous change. IT modernization, after all, is a constantly moving target,

One of THG’s proud moments as a coach was to help put the state on a positive trajectory to replace its financial management system. The antiquated system, already more than half a century old with limited functionality and prone to cyberthreats, had outlived its use. Credit is due to resourceful, dedicated state employees who found ways to extend its life to keep it functional. The scope of the enterprise project to replace it is unprecedented and certainly won’t be easy – but the state is poised to push forward.

The enterprise financial system project is just part of the current wave of major IT projects. The KEIKI Migration Project was recently completed, successfully moving the child support enforcement system from the mainframe to a modern cloud platform. The Unemployment Modernization Program continues to move forward, as does the project to implement a new state budget management system. The cycle of modernization continues, supported by the willingness of the administration and Legislature to invest in business transformation through technology.

I’m confident we can expect more positive change from Hawai‘i state government in the future.

Editor’s note: Honolulu Civil Beat was co-founded by Pierre Omidyar and still receives funding through the Omidyar ʻOhana Fund.