I agree about the historical importance and virtues of Kauikeaouli Kamehameha III.  He is my favorite Hawaiian king.  I especially value the first sentence of the first Constitution he proclaimed in 1840: "God has made of one blood all races of people to dwell upon this Earth in unity and blessedness."  

Unfortunately, the entire momentum for erecting the new statue in Thomas Square is to push for a modern return of Hawaiian independence (i.e., secession from USA) by celebrating the return of sovereignty in 1843 following a British takeover (used as metaphor for hoped-for return of sovereignty when USA withdraws from Hawaii).  And the demand is for Hawaiian racial supremacy in a newly independent Hawaii (just like KKK and the white nationalists on mainland).  You can see that the Hawaiian activists do not want full equality for "non-Hawaiians" -- see how they do racial cleansing of Hawaiian history, removing white heroes of the Kingdom (Judd, Richards) from holiday celebrations.