DHHL awards 25 pastoral lots in Kahikinui, Maui
Posted on Dec 5, 2023 in Media Releases, Slider
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 3, 2023
DHHL awards 25 pastoral lots in Kahikinui, Maui
First Kuleana awards since the program’s inception in 1999
Left to right: Pono Asano (Executive Assistant to Mayor Richard Bissen), Harold Rodrigues, Kahikinui lessees, Chair Kali Watson (Hawaiian Homes Commission)
(KAHIKINUI, MAUI) – The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) awarded 25 pastoral lots Saturday, December 2, 2023, as part of the department’s Kuleana Program.
Established in 1999, the Kuleana Program was created through beneficiary consultation and is the department’s direct response to fulfilling the community’s needs and desire to be stewards of the land.
“It is a challenging program, but we do have people on our waitlist that are committed and will take on that challenge,” said Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairperson Kali Watson. “The department will be more actively involved, not only providing financing but assistance on the house construction so it’s an exciting time.”
At the program’s inception, 75 lots were awarded. Saturday’s awards are the first in more than two decades.
The Kuleana Program provides an alternative homesteading option for DHHL beneficiaries interested in living on unimproved Hawaiian Home Lands. Furthermore, the program addresses the department’s need to quickly provide homesteads to a growing list of beneficiaries, many of whom lack sufficient funding to acquire a traditional residential lease.
“I’m glad to become a member of that great community,” said DHHL beneficiary Harold Rodrigues. “Being in a homestead is a hardship but you persevere, as whoever is there now has persevered and built that community up to what it is now.”
Located on the leeward side of Haleakalā, Kahikinui encompasses 22,860 acres. The area is zoned for 101 lots ranging in size from 10 to 16 acres.
As part of the Kuleana Program lessees are required to maintain the roadways, their properties, the surrounding landscape, and historical features.
The department’s pastoral leases provide lands for ranching and gives beneficiaries the opportunity to build a home. DHHL awards pastoral lots on Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi, Maui and Molokaʻi. Pastoral lots vary in size.
###
About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921 with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of more than 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.
Media Contact:
Diamond Badajos
Information and Community Relations Officer
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
Cell: 808-342-0873