The Conversation

By Hawaiʻi Public RadioSociety & Culture News Arts Government Politics History

The Conversation episodes

October 07 The Conversation: Tourism troubles; Wahine in the workforce
SFGATE Hawaii Contributing Editor Christine Hitt reports on declining tourism and why the “standard Hawaii vacation is over;" Hawaii Business Magazine releases its 2026 Wahine Issue focusing on women in the workforce.
52 min
October 06 The Conversation: Tracking the tourist industry; Modern-day Manapua man
With travel prices rising and tourism numbers falling, Omnitrak President Chris Kam tracks the state of Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry; HPR heads to Waialua to meet Jordan Simmons — a modern-day Manapua man.
52 min
October 05 The Conversation: USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. comes home; Habeas corpus and the Honolulu Zoo
HPR hears from military officials, servicemembers and their families as Naval Destroyer USS Frank Petersen Jr. returns to Pearl Harbor; An animal communications expert weighs in on a Supreme Court hearing over the elephants at Honolulu Zoo.
55 min
October 02 The Conversation: Hawaiʻi’s place in the Asia-Pacific; Chocolate and tourism
Retired Brigadier General Davil Stilwell discusses Hawaiʻi’s links to the Asia-Pacific region; Mānoa Chocolate founder Dylan Butterbaugh shares how his business has fared with this year’s decline in tourism.
52 min
October 01 The Conversation: U.S. Rep. Pat Saiki dies at 96; Homeroom Hawaiʻi
HPR reflects on the life of U.S. Rep. Pat Saiki, first Republican elected to represent Hawai’i in the House of Representatives since its statehood; after the hurricanes, HPR’s weekly segment Homeroom Hawaiʻi looks at the next thing taking schools by storm: homecoming week.
51 min
September 30 The Conversation: G.R.O.W. program; HIFF documentary premiere
Roger Babcock, director of the Honolulu Department of Environmental Services, explains a new composting program the city will be rolling out; HPR speaks with the filmmakers behind “Pili Hou,” an upcoming documentary about the search for a long-lost matriarch.
52 min
September 29 The Conversation: Digital literacy; POG popularity
Kaʻala Souza talks about his organization, Māpunawai, and its goal to promote digital literacy across the state; HPR ponders the popularity of POG that’s propagating across the Pacific.
54 min
September 28 The Conversation: Hearing from the islands after Hurricane Nolo
Hawaʻi Island Mayor Kimo Alameda joins HPR live to share how the island fared Hurricane Nolo; HPR’s Bill Dorman reports on ongoing fires and power outages on Maui.
54 min
September 25 The Conversation: Storm Updates and a Head-to-toe hana hou show
HPR looks ahead for storm updates on Hurricane Nolo and looks back on some of our past stories highlighting the human body.
54 min
September 24 The Conversation: Preparing for Tropical Storm Nolo; Homeroom Hawaiʻi
Jim Kelly, of the Hawaiian Electric Company, shares updates and preparations for Tropical Storm Nolo; HPR checks in on classrooms on Kauaʻi in the latest installment of Homeroom Hawaiʻi.
37 min

About The Conversation

From the publisher's feed

Whether you live in our state or far from our shores, you’ll know what’s happening in Hawaiʻi with HPR's daily hour of locally focused discussions of public affairs, ideas, culture and the arts. Guests from across the islands and around the world provide perspectives on life in Hawaiʻi — and issues that have not yet reached Hawaiʻi. Hosted by HPR's Catherine Cruz.