By Kapiʻolani Street
NaHHA would like to share an article from one of our Lamakū Hoʻokipa, our Beacons of Hospitality, who are making a positive impact through the value of mālama and as a contributing member of the Native Hawaiian community.
As a Hawaiian, my kuleana extends far beyond my job description. Each time I step onto a project, I carry my ancestors with me and the voices of our people. Working on Koa Ridge, a master-planned community in the ahupuaʻa of Waiawa, has been deeply personal, challenging me to reconcile my cultural identity with both my personal and professional roles.
We know that development in Hawaiʻi has come at great cost to the Native Hawaiian people.
ʻĀina, once cultivated with care, is divided and sold. I’ve stood in places where wahi kūpuna once thrived, and I’ve heard the pain of those who fear that each project pushes us further from who we are.
Still, I believe that development, when guided by values like mālama ʻāina, can build a vibrant future. Many locals, including first-time homeowners, will make Koa Ridge their new home. If growth is inevitable, I stand to ensure it’s shaped with cultural accountability and purpose.
Koa Ridge sits on lands that once nourished loʻi kalo and thriving communities. From the outset, Castle & Cooke conducted cultural and archaeological assessments, preserved or documented significant sites, and continues cultural monitoring under Section 106, not just to meet legal standards, but to honor the legacy of this special place.
One of our most important partners has been the Lenchanko ʻOhana, the kiaʻi of Kūkaniloko. Their guidance has grounded our work in ʻike kūpuna and affirmed that land is intimately tied to us, deserving of respect and care.
From Hawaiian language street names to native landscaping and interpretive signage, our efforts aim to embed sense of place, not as decoration, but as declaration. These actions are purposeful in rooting new communities in historical context binding their connection to our ancestors.
To those in our Native Hawaiian community who feel the tension, as I often do, I see you and I feel it too. It is not easy to straddle these worlds, but we must. If Native Hawaiians are not present in these spaces, we forfeit the opportunity to influence and shape the outcomes.
Development and cultural perpetuation are not mutually exclusive. Their coexistence demands deep engagement and steadfast commitment to honoring living culture, not just its memory.
Kapiʻolani M. Street, P.E., is a Native Hawaiian civil engineer from Maui and manager of engineering & site development at Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaiʻi. With degrees in engineering, anthropology, and business, she brings a multidisciplinary lens to culturally rooted development and was named the 2021 Hawaiʻi Young Engineer of the Year for her leadership in shaping infrastructure that honors place, people, and purpose.
