1 of 4

By Rozelle Agag, OHA Associate General Counsel

At a time when conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion are being rolled back across Washington, D.C., and the nation, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs traveled to the nation’s capital carrying a message grounded not in politics or ideology, but in trust responsibility and meaningful engagement: Native Hawaiians must have a seat at the table in decisions about the future of military leases of Hawaiʻi’s public trust lands.

The OHA delegation – Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele, Vice Chair Keoni Souza, Chair Emerita Hulu Lindsey, Interim Chief Administrator Summer Sylva, and I – spent several days meeting with congressional leaders from both parties, members and staff of the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee, as well as senior Department of War officials at the Pentagon.

OHA’s mission centered on an issue that will shape Hawaiʻi’s future for generations to come: the future of military-leased lands set to expire between 2028 and 2031. Those lands include major installations on Hawaiʻi Island, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi, including Pōhakuloa Training Area, Mākua Military Reservation, and the Pacific Missile Range Facility.

Those lands – leased by the State of Hawaiʻi to the U.S. military in 1964 for just $1 over a 65-year term – include tens of thousands of acres held in the public land trust, which constitute crown and government lands intended to benefit Native Hawaiians and the people of Hawaiʻi.

At the time those leases were executed, OHA had not yet been established. Today, pursuant to Chapter 10 of the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, OHA serves as the state’s principal public agency responsible for Native Hawaiian affairs, including advocacy and trust responsibilities relating to the public land trust and the betterment of Native Hawaiian beneficiaries.

Against that backdrop, OHA’s delegation carried a clear message to Washington, D.C.: that meaningful Native Hawaiian participation in decisions concerning Hawaiʻi’s public trust lands is integral to the trust duties OHA was created to uphold.

Importantly, the conversations in Washington remained focused on shared responsibilities and practical governance. OHA framed the issue as one grounded in constitutional law, state trust obligations and long-term community stability – a framework that appeared to resonate across meetings and offices.

For several lawmakers and congressional staff, the meetings marked their first substantive introduction to OHA and its role within Hawaiʻi’s governmental structure. Delegation members observed bipartisan understanding that Native Hawaiian inclusion in military lease negotiations is not a political question, but a matter of state constitutional responsibility, sound governance, and meaningful community engagement.

The delegation also delivered another firm message: condemnation or any permanent dispossession of public trust lands are unacceptable outcomes for OHA. Any future military presence in Hawaiʻi should proceed through transparent, lawful, and community-informed processes that create the conditions for trust and long-term stewardship to be strengthened over time.

Related themes surfaced publicly during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on U.S. military posture in the Indo-Pacific.

During the hearing, Hawaiʻi Congresswoman Jill Tokuda questioned Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, about the importance of meaningful consultation with local and Native Hawaiian communities in sustaining military readiness in Hawaiʻi. Tokuda also underscored that condemnation should not be part of future negotiations over continued military access to leased lands.

Those discussions also began to carry over into broader defense policy deliberations in Washington. Perhaps most significantly, the conversations helped advance discussions around potential language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – the annual defense policy bill that shapes defense priorities, budgets and operational directives. Among the concepts being explored is language that would expressly acknowledge OHA’s role and responsibilities in negotiations involving military-leased lands in Hawaiʻi.

The delegation also addressed another urgent concern facing Native Hawaiian communities: federal funding uncertainty and the potential impacts on Native Hawaiian programs and services. Meetings with Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation included discussions about safeguarding critical resources that support Native Hawaiian communities.

OHA leaders also continued advocacy related to long-awaited public land trust funding for OHA – efforts that helped elevate awareness around the issue and support passage of legislation authorizing $55 million for the agency during the closing days of the state legislative session.

The measure now awaits the governor’s signature.

Even as OHA addresses pressing fiscal and policy challenges, leaders acknowledge that longer-term work surrounding Hawaiʻi’s military leases and public land trust is only beginning. To help inform that work, OHA assembled a Technical Advisory Group composed of community, cultural, legal, environmental, and policy leaders with diverse perspectives and expertise. The group is guiding OHA’s policy development, negotiation strategy, and engagement efforts as discussions with the state and federal government move forward.

The decisions made over the next several years will shape not only the future of military presence in Hawaiʻi, but also the stewardship of lands deeply tied to Native Hawaiian identity, history and long-standing interests in how those lands are governed and cared for.

For OHA, the significance of the trip to Washington extended beyond politics or policy.

The trip itself marked an important step in establishing the kind of sustained Native Hawaiian engagement OHA believes must continue as future lease negotiations move forward: meaningful Native Hawaiian presence and participation in the rooms where these decisions are being made and at the tables where their terms are negotiated.

The post OHA Takes Native Hawaiian Voice to Washington, D.C. appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

Throughout the 2026 legislative session, Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) staff reviewed hundreds of bills to identify measures that would meaningfully advance the interests of the agency and its beneficiaries, while also working diligently to oppose legislation that could weaken longstanding protections for Native Hawaiian rights.

While several important measures advanced this session, only one of the six OHA package bills introduced to directly benefit the Native Hawaiian community was ultimately transmitted to the governor for signature. Moreover, none of the 16 nominees to the Island Burial Councils (IBCs) submitted to the governor by OHA were advanced to the senate for confirmation.

These outcomes underscore the continued importance of sustained community engagement at the capitol and the year-round advocacy and relationship-building carried out by OHA staff, beneficiaries, and community partners.

Progress

SB903 marked a historic and hard-fought victory for Native Hawaiians, passing its final reading with celebratory remarks from legislators on both sides of the aisle. This bill will release $55 million from the state’s holding account for public land trust (PLT) revenues previously identified as part of the 20% share owed to OHA. Its passage reflects decades of unwavering advocacy by beneficiaries, community leaders, and supporters committed to ensuring that the state fulfills its constitutional trust obligations to Native Hawaiians.

At a time when many federal programs serving Hawaiians face uncertainty, the legislature’s decision to honor these commitments represents a powerful reaffirmation of support for Hawaiian-serving programs, institutions, and communities. OHA extends its sincere mahalo to the legislature for this significant action.

In another important victory for community-driven stewardship, HB2218 advanced under the leadership of KUA (see the February issue of Ka Wai Ola), creating a pathway for ʻāina-based nonprofits to enter into co-management agreements with the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Native Hawaiian communities in Hāʻena, Kīpahulu, and Miloliʻi have already demonstrated the success and value of empowering communities to mālama and steward public lands.

HB2104, an OHA package measure aimed at reducing procedural barriers that prevent IBCs from meeting, was also transmitted to the governor. The IBCs remain one of the most important forums ensuring that Native Hawaiian lineal and cultural descendants have a meaningful voice in decisions regarding iwi kūpuna threatened by ground-disturbing activities.

Together, these measures reflect encouraging progress toward greater recognition of Native Hawaiian ʻike, leadership, and place-based decision-making in shaping Hawaiʻi’s future.

As in prior years, the urgent need for affordable housing was frequently cited to justify non-affordable development proposals and deregulation efforts that risk undermining critical environmental protections and safeguards for iwi kūpuna. Against this backdrop, SB2552 emerged as a welcome and thoughtful alternative.

The measure would allow individuals to save up to $20,000 annually toward a down payment without incurring state tax liability, with a lifetime contribution cap of $100,000. By directly supporting local families seeking to remain rooted in Hawaiʻi, the bill reflects OHA’s longstanding position that meaningful housing solutions must prioritize local residents and long-term stability, rather than relying solely on accelerated development.

Unfinished Work

Several measures with broad community and stakeholder support ultimately stalled near the finish line.

HB2049 which would dedicate a portion of conveyance tax revenues from high-value property transactions to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands stalled in the senate. However, the momentum behind this measure in the house reflects the growing recognition that the state’s obligations to Native Hawaiians require reliable and sustainable funding sources.

Other measures addressing healthcare workforce shortages, housing affordability, out-of-state incarceration, and compassionate release also failed to advance, despite widespread support.

Collectively, these outcomes highlight ongoing questions about whether Hawaiʻi is prepared to invest more fully in systems rooted in prevention, community stability, restorative approaches, and long-term wellbeing, rather than maintaining longstanding status quo systems.

OHA’s advocacy team looks forward to continuing conversations with OHA beneficiaries and community members in the months ahead as work begins on developing OHA’s 2027 legislative package. We deeply appreciate the continued engagement and support of our beneficiaries and partners throughout this session.

If you have feedback or thoughts you would like to share regarding this year’s legislative session, please contact us at publicpolicy@oha.org.

Leināʻala Ley, Deja Ostrowski, and McKenna Woodward are part of OHA’s Public Policy Team.

The post Legislative Outcomes Underscore the Need for Continued Advocacy appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

By Kamakana Ferreira and Leināʻala Ley

Since the passage of Hawaiʻi’s burial protection laws in 1990, The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) has steadfastly advocated for the protection of iwi kūpuna through enforcement of Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 6E and meaningful consultation with descendants and communities.

On April 14, HGTV’s Renovation Aloha disregarded both these laws and deeply rooted cultural values by broadcasting footage of iwi kūpuna interred within a burial cave on Hawaiʻi Island. Uncensored clips depicting the iwi were also widely circulated across social media platforms.

Under rules implementing HRS Chapter 6E, photographing or examining iwi kūpuna is strictly prohibited without the consent of Island Burial Councils which provide cultural expertise to the state and ensure the voices of lineal descendants are heard.

These protections are grounded in Native Hawaiian beliefs that iwi kūpuna should never be exposed to light – mai kaulaʻi i nā iwi i ka lā – as they are meant to remain in Pō.

As required by law, the disturbance was reported to both the Hawaiʻi Police Department and State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), the agency responsible for administering Hawaiʻi’s burial protections.

However, it was only after SHPD pursued legal action and secured a temporary restraining order (TRO) that subsequent episodes were edited to remove images of the iwi from rebroadcast. OHA remained in communication with SHPD throughout the matter.

This type of desecration can be prevented through direct consultation with SHPD during the permitting process, and OHA urges all members of our community to familiarize themselves with HRS 6E requirements. Currently, it’s unknown to OHA whether the Renovation Aloha team obtained proper permits to proceed with work and filming on the parcel where the burial cave was found.

However, when consulted, SHPD will often require a survey ahead of construction work in high-risk areas with lava tubes, sand dune systems, or other known indicators of burial sites to identify them in advance. Further, archaeological or cultural monitoring is often recommended in high-risk areas as surveys rarely cover a project’s full footprint and a knowledgeable archaeological or cultural monitor on site can help prevent “accidental” disturbance.

With due diligence, accidental disturbances can be readily avoided and our ancestors left to rest in peace.

If you encounter exposed iwi kūpuna, immediately contact your county police department and SHPD. OHA also remains available as a resource, although it does not have authority to enter private property or to directly enforce HRS chapter 6E in the field.

Under the law, however, any entity – including private individuals – may seek a TRO to prevent imminent harm to iwi kūpuna. OHA can also assist beneficiaries with issues related to access across private property to mālama registered burials, the burial registration process, applications for island burial councils, and other rights tied to the protection of iwi kūpuna.

Our collective voice is strongest when united. Ola Nā Iwi!

Kamakana Ferreira is OHA’s Compliance Archaeologist and Leināʻala Ley is OHA’s Chief Advocate.

The post Burial Laws Disregarded appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

June 15, 2026, marks the 20th anniversary of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. At the time the monument was designated by President George W. Bush in 2006, it was the largest marine protected area in the world, limiting permitted activities and access to the area to educational, scientific, and cultural endeavors.

Native Hawaiian advocates, lawaiʻa (fishers), kūpuna, and cultural practitioners were critical in securing this victory. Early efforts to limit commercial fishing in Papahānaumokuākea were led by Native Hawaiians who had fished in the northern islands as early as the 1940s and personally observed the outsized negative impacts even a small commercial fishery can cause in this pristine and nutrient-limited environment.

Native Hawaiian leadership continued through the monument’s first superintendent, Aulani Wilhelm, and within the larger community. In January 2015, a group of seven prominent Native Hawaiian scholars and leaders, including former Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Chief Executive Officer Dr. Kamanaʻopono Crabbe, sent a letter to President Barack Obama that helped galvanize momentum in support of expanding the monument and adding OHA as a co-trustee on the Monument Management Board.

When President Obama issued the 2016 proclamation expanding the monument to its current boundaries (582,000 square miles), he recognized the area as “part of a highly pristine deep sea and open ocean ecosystem with unique biodiversity and that constitute a sacred cultural, physical, and spiritual place for the Native Hawaiian community.”

OHA was added as a co-trustee shortly thereafter, joining the State of Hawaiʻi, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Interior as the highest level government stewards of this place and its biocultural treasures – which include the primary nesting and pupping grounds for a range of culturally significant and endangered species, such as honu (green sea turtles) and ʻīlioholoikauaua (monk seals).

Mai Ka Pō Mai: A Native Hawaiian Guidance Document for Management of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (2021), is a model for elevating Indigenous principles and worldviews within conservation management and advancing a rights-based framework that recognizes Indigenous decision-making as critical for environmental stewardship.

Key within the ecosystem of Kānaka ʻŌiwi leaders who have ensured that the conservation of this place occurs in a culturally grounded manner is the Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, which serves as OHA’s key community partner for management decisions. OHA extends its deepest mahalo to the Cultural Working Group for its work to protect Papahānaumokuākea, which predates and was foundational to the establishment of the monument.

In celebration of this 20th anniversary, the author recommends two publications by noted archaeologist Dr. Kekuewa Kikiloi, a Cultural Working Group member: Rebirth of an Archipelago: Sustaining a Hawaiian Cultural Identity for People and Homeland (2010) and Kūkulu Manamana: Ritual Power and Religious Expansion in Hawaiʻi the Ethno-Historical and Archaeological Study of Mokumanamana and Nihoa Islands (2012).

These papers are available online and provide a rich introduction to the historical use of the Northwestern islands, the significance of the islands within traditional Native Hawaiian cosmology, and the physical and oral record that illuminates these ancestral ties to place.

Dr. Kikiloi’s work is foundational to the reintroduction of the Hawaiian place names now commonly used to reference the islands, and essential reading for further understanding of the cultural significance of this area.

I ka wā ma mua, ka wā ma hope. The future is found in the past.

The post 20 Years of Pono Management in Papahānaumokuākea appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

To address the housing crisis, OHA’s 2026 legislative package included a bill to cap annual rent increases at 3% (SB2539/HB2105). Similar tenant protections have been enacted in other states, especially to prevent price gouging following natural disasters such as wildfires.

Unfortunately, this bill did not receive a hearing in either the House or Senate even though rent on Moku o Keawe, Maui, and Kauaʻi increased 54%, 52%, and 23%, respectively, between 2019 and 2024.

OHA was repeatedly told by legislators that tenant protections are not feasible because developers won’t build new housing if profits are constrained.

OHA has become one of the few voices advocating for smarter regulations amid a growing chorus that posits “building more” as the only solution to Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis. But units do not naturally ʻtrickle down’ when new luxury developments are built. Rather, there is endless elasticity for mostly out-of-state investors to buy up multiple units for the sole purpose of profit, rather than as a primary or secondary residence.

This lived experience reinforces that without workforce housing mandates and affordability guardrails, housing and rent prices will continue to outpace local incomes and purchasing power.

Although OHA’s package bills died, OHA advocated for the following housing affordability measures that are advancing to conference:

SB3048 SD1 HD1

This proposal from the SPEED Task Force aims to improve agency coordination and data sharing to expedite housing construction for those who need it most without compromising environmental and cultural protections. In contrast, broad exemptions from regulatory requirements risk undermining protections required by the state constitution – including those for iwi kūpuna – without meaningful benefit to the public.

HB1741 HD2 SD1

OHA, joined by other advocacy groups like Locals In My Backyard (LIMBY), is asking the legislature to reconsider this measure, which removes or creates hurdles for the counties to mandate affordable housing. County zoning authority is an important regulatory tool for producing affordable housing for local residents, enabling flexibility to meet local demand, and providing space for innovation. Restricting county authority in this space will slow down new pilot programs and workforce housing solutions.

SB2405 SD1 HD2

OHA supported, and was added as a member to, the proposed Agricultural Workforce Housing Working Group. This working group will help to examine the need for agricultural workforce housing in each of the counties, as well as necessary guardrails to ensure loopholes aren’t exploited for “gentlemen farms” and other uses that do not support food production.

Preservation of agricultural lands for agricultural uses is not only critical for food sovereignty but also for open spaces, rural lifestyles, and watershed management.

Ultimately, new construction is not directly linked to the supply of housing accessible to the state’s residents. Rather, strong housing policies are necessary to ensure we deliver homes across a range of incomes, help those with the greatest need, and make sure we plan and build in appropriate areas where we have wai and infrastructure support, and that we don’t compromise on cultural and environmental protections to get there.

The goal is not just to build more housing; it is to ensure that the housing we build meets local needs.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Public Policy Team includes Leināʻala Ley, Deja Ostrowski, Imiloa Borland, Sharde Freitas, Michele McCoy, Kamaile Puluole-Mitchell, and McKenna Woodward.

The post Affordable Housing Advocacy Ongoing at the Legislature appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

By Leināʻala Ley, OHA Chief Advocate

Aloha mai kākou. April marks the final stretch of the 2026 legislative session, and OHA’s Public Policy team continues to work diligently to ensure the voices and rights of our beneficiaries are represented at the Capitol.

This session, a handful of positive measures have advanced. Notably, HB2409 HD3 would increase funding for the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, and HB1769 HD2 would bring paʻahao (inmates) incarcerated on the continent back home to Hawaiʻi – 30 years after they were sent away (see Ka Wai Ola’s December 2025 cover story).

However, the broader legislative landscape has been deeply concerning.

For one, we’ve seen many legislators double down on a false narrative that scapegoats protections for cultural and natural resources as the primary impediment to the construction of affordable housing.

This false framing persists even though the Simplifying Permitting for Enhanced Economic Development (SPEED) Task Force, formed pursuant to Act 133 in 2025, determined that expediting housing development cannot be achieved simply by circumventing regulations. Rather, legislative support for technology upgrades and workforce development are necessary to ensure timely processing of permits.

Of urgent concern on this front are bills that would erode protections for iwi kūpuna (HB1710 HD2); limit citizen rights to sue to enforce environmental review laws (HB1979 HD3); and limit the jurisdiction of the Land Use Commission (LUC), a critical forum for protecting traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices (HB1738 HD2).

The targeting of the LUC is particularly unfounded, given its strong record of processing affordable housing petitions within the legally mandated 45-day timeline.

At the same time, OHA’s own legislative priorities have faced significant setbacks.

None of OHA’s six package bills were heard or advanced in the Senate, and only three – HB2101 (commercial aquarium collection) , HB2103 (historic preservation review), and HB2104 (island burial councils) – successfully crossed over from the House. Their future now rests with the Senate Water and Land Committee and the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee.

Two additional bills, HB2582 and HB2584, remain critical to the wellbeing of the lāhui. Although not part of OHA’s package, they address longstanding issues tied to the Public Land Trust.

The Hawaiʻi State Constitution guarantees Native Hawaiians a pro-rata share of trust revenues, recognized in statute as 20%. Yet OHA currently receives just $21.5 million annually – far short of the estimated $80 million identified in a 2016 financial review due to OHA as its share.

This chronic underfunding directly limits OHA’s ability to provide essential services, programs, scholarships, and advocacy for our beneficiaries. These bills must be heard by the Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs to advance.

In May, we will provide a comprehensive update on the session’s outcomes. In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to stay engaged. If you have not already signed up for OHA’s action alerts, please visit oha.org/advocacy. As we approach the 2026 election, OHA will continue holding policymakers accountable through follow-up interviews, issue briefs, and continued public engagement.

To everyone who has responded to action alerts this session – mahalo nui loa for your continued support. Your voice makes a difference.

OHA welcomes your feedback at publicpolicy@oha.org and encourages you to remain engaged and involved as we move forward together.

The post 2026 Legislative Landscape Raises Concerns appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

By Lindsay Kukona Pakele, OHA Strategy Consultant

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA) Mālama Honua Home Improvement/Renovation Program Grant for Nonprofits (Mālama Honua) is a pilot grant that supports a nonprofit partner to administer a health and safety-focused home improvement program for income-qualified Native Hawaiian homeowners who are otherwise ineligible for traditional financing.

The selected nonprofit will provide targeted grants to address urgent, documented health and safety repairs that threaten habitability, helping Native Hawaiian homeowners remain safely in their homes.

The grant program was developed through extensive research of existing home repair program models, consultation with home repair programs in Hawaiʻi, and rooted in the lived experiences of our OHA beneficiaries. It also supports OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola Strategic Plan goals for housing stability, economic security, and health outcomes for beneficiaries.

OHA identified service gaps (the need for support systems to help homeowners maintain habitability); financial barriers (financing is often inaccessible for income limited beneficiaries); scarce resources (existing home repair grants are rare and funding is exhausted rapidly); and determined that there are urgent infrastructure remediation needs in our Native Hawaiian communities.

The Mālama Honua grant solicitation was released on February 1 and OHA has been sharing information about the program via its website and social media platforms, and via a recent Zoom webinar that explained how prospective nonprofit partners can apply for the grant as well as the need for grant evaluators for both the Mālama Honua and Capitol Improvement Project (CIP) grants.

Once a nonprofit partner(s) has been selected, the nonprofit partner(s) will receive/process Mālama Honua applications from beneficiaries and administer this OHA-funded grant program.

Grants of up to $10,000 will be available for minor safety repairs. Examples include accessibility and mobility modification; simple kitchen and bathroom repairs such as cabinets, sinks, toilet, ventilation, etc.; or pest and infestation remediation.

For more critical repairs, up to $20,000 may be granted. Critical repairs include things like structural integrity; plumbing, water and waste systems; electrical systems; drywall, insulation and weatherproofing; and lead and asbestos mitigation.

Elective renovations, such as remodels, additions, landscaping or non-essential upgrades are not covered.

OHA Trustees have approved $250,000 for fiscal year 2026, and $500,000 for the following year. The program is open to homeowners with either fee simple or DHHL properties, and there is no pre-set list of home repair contractors.

Once a nonprofit partner has been selected, more information will be made available about how and when homeowners can apply for a Mālama Honua grant.

For more information go to oha.org/housing.

The post OHA’s New Home Repair Grant Will Soon be Available appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

Submitted by OHA’s Beneficiary Services Staff

Ua lele ka manu i Kahiki.

He haliʻa aloha no Gayla Haliniak, a wahine koa whose life was devoted to her people, her island, and her kuleana to Molokaʻi.

Gayla was a fierce and passionate advocate who was never afraid to speak up on behalf of her community. She was known for her feisty spirit and strong voice, especially when it mattered most. When she spoke, her words carried the mana of Molokaʻi: grounded, fearless, and full of purpose.

She served with deep knowledge, understanding Molokaʻi not just as a place, but as a people. Her advocacy was rooted in her love for Molokaʻi and respect for the voices she represented. She remained unwavering in her commitment, even when standing firm meant going against the grain. She lived for her people, always choosing kuleana over convenience, and pono over silence.

Thorough her 11 years of service to Molokaʻi as a beneficiary services agent with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Gayla gave much of her time and energy to support her island. She worked tirelessly to advocate for Molokaʻi and its residents, always with courage, honesty, and responsibility.

Gayla carried Molokaʻi, not only in her naʻau, but in the deepest part of her being. Her love for her island was ancestral and sacred; it guided every choice she made. She was a protector, a voice of truth, and a warrior of aloha who stood firm when others could not. And alongside her strength was her warmth, her love for her ʻohana, her laugh, and the insights she shared so freely.

Gayla stood fierce and firm in the love of her land, as a champion for her people – and her legacy will continue in the seeds that she planted within us. She will be remembered for her service to our lāhui and aloha for her beloved Molokaʻi Nui a Hina. Aloha nō.

The post A Fierce and Passionate Advocate appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

“Eō e nā ʻŌiwi ʻōlino.
Answer, o Natives, those who seek wisdom.”

Welina! This inaugural “Nā ʻŌiwi ʻŌlino” column is designed to keep our lāhui updated on the work of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ (OHA) Public Policy team. Mahalo to the late Aunty Mālia Craver who gifted the name to OHA in the early 2000s for its Native Rights Campaign. She shared that the intention behind the name was “to have the [lāhui] be people with knowledge and wisdom in everything they do.”

In this spirit, we will spotlight advocacy issues that OHA is currently working on and invite you to join us in taking collective action for our lāhui.

Our team advocates year-round at the county, state, and federal levels, in both agency and legislative forums, to ensure Native Hawaiian perspectives and rights inform important policy decisions.

The state legislative session that opens on the third Wednesday in January is particularly important for advancing policies that improve the conditions of Native Hawaiians and defending against attacks on Native Hawaiian rights.

For the 2026 legislative session, OHA’s trustees have approved the following six bills for our team to champion. We hope the lāhui will join us in supporting these bills.

1. Relating to Island Burial Councils
   The five Island Burial Councils (IBCs) play an integral role in implementing the state’s Historic Preservation Law (HRS Chapter 6E) and protecting iwi kūpuna, including by approving burial treatment plans and recognizing lineal and cultural descendants. Currently, several IBCs have been limited in their ability to carry out these essential functions due, in part, to difficulties recruiting candidates and meeting quorum requirements for voting. This bill proposes reducing static quorum requirements, authorizing OHA to provide per diem stipends for regional members, and extending the timeline for filling mid-term vacancies from 30 to 75 days.
2. Relating to Historic Preservation
   

   

   Act 293 (signed in July 2025) expanded an existing loophole in the state’s Historic Preservation Law by exempting projects on residential properties in so-called “nominally sensitive areas” from review. This new category of properties could be interpreted to cover large developments in areas known to contain a high concentration of iwi. The term “nominally sensitive” could be interpreted to include construction sites where work commenced prior to the enactment of legal mandates to survey or inventory properties for burials. This bill would close this loophole by removing the “nominally sensitive” language and limiting the residential exemption to projects without a ground-disturbing impact.
3. Relating to the Land Use Commission
   The Land Use Commission (LUC) is responsible for placing all land in Hawaiʻi in one of four categories (conservation, rural, agricultural, urban), and ruling on petitions to reclassify land, usually from a lower to higher classifications to enable development. This bill would mandate that at least one LUC member have expertise in water resource management and empower OHA to recommend candidates for the existing Hawaiian land use and cultural practice expertise seat. This would ensure critical water expertise informs land use decisions early in the planning process and give OHA – and beneficiaries – a role in nominating candidates to the Hawaiian expert seat.
4. Protect Reef Fishes from Commercial Aquarium Collection
   This bill would permanently prohibit extraction of Hawaiʻi’s nearshore marine life for commercial sale as aquarium pets and ornamental aquarium displays, with exceptions for scientific and educational institutions. The proposed ban is consistent with OHA’s existing duties to advance Native Hawaiian traditional and customary rights under Article XII, section 7 of the Hawaiʻi State Constitution as aquarium collection is associated with the decline of targeted fish species, including those used by Native Hawaiians for cultural and subsistence purposes.
5. Amend the Hawaiʻi State Constitution to Prohibit Live-Fire Military Training
   The public land trust is comprised primarily of former crown and government lands of the Hawaiian Kingdom. This proposed constitutional amendment gives the people of Hawaiʻi the opportunity to protect public trust land from further harm through a question on the 2026 ballot asking: “Shall the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi be amended to prohibit destructive live fire military training – defined as the discharge of large caliber munitions employing standard, incendiary, high explosive or inert rounds, whether portable, crew-served, or vehicle- mounted – from occurring on the public trust lands identified in Article XII, section 4?”

   Because Hawaiʻi does not have a citizen-initiated ballot process, the only way to place the live fire issue before the electorate is by passing a bill through a two-thirds supermajority of House and Senate members. If this bill passes the legislature, this question will go before voters next November.

6. Relating to Rent Stabilization
   Median rents in Hawaiʻi increased by approximately 80% between 2019 and 2023, contributing to Hawaiʻi’s affordability crisis. Unaffordable housing is a primary driver for the out-migration of residents and decreases the quality of life for the 52.5% of Native Hawaiian families in Hawaiʻi that spend more than 30% of their income on housing. This bill will establish a 3% cap on rent increases, consistent with the average annual cost of living increase received by wageworkers but provides exemptions for owner-occupied properties.

To learn more and sign up for updates on OHA’s legislative package and other important measures this 2026 session, visit oha.org/advocacy.

The post Summary of OHA’s 2026 Legislative Package appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) announces the launch of its new Capital Improvement Project (CIP) grant program, a strategic investment approach designed to strengthen Native Hawaiian wellbeing through investments in long-term, community-serving infrastructure.

CIP grants support Hawaiʻi-based organizations and government agencies for the design and construction of projects approved for CIP funding by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature.

These projects are intentionally designed to meet the needs of the Native Hawaiian community and align with OHA’s Mana i Mauli Ola (MiMO) Strategic Plan, balancing immediate community benefit with enduring, systemic impact.

As part of OHA’s commitment to responsible resource stewardship, CIP grants prioritize long-lived physical assets that create lasting benefits for Native Hawaiian communities. Unlike programmatic grants that focus on short-term services, CIPs emphasize infrastructure and capital assets that will support community wellbeing for generations.

This approach reflects MiMO’s guiding principle of pairing near-term support with long-term, sustainable change – ensuring that today’s investments continue to serve the lāhui well into the future.

The CIP grant solicitation will be released on Jan. 1, 2026, and will be available at oha.org/economic-self-sufficiency/grants.

The post OHA Launches New CIP Grant Program appeared first on Ka Wai Ola.