Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

GOVERNOR GREEN, DHHL AWARD MORE THAN 660 PROJECT LEASES IN WEST OʻAHU, 
MARKING HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN FAMILIES

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 29, 2025

ʻEWA BEACH, OʻAHU – Nerves heightened and anticipation filled the room as more than 1,200 beneficiaries and their ‘ohana gathered at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in ʻEwa Beach. The group sat in eager anticipation while the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) prepared to announce the names of recipients for 665 project leases in West Oʻahu — the first such awards in more than 20 years.

Most have waited decades. Some before statehood.

“This is more than just awarding land; it’s about delivering on the promise of Prince Kūhiō and ensuring Native Hawaiian families have a permanent place to call home,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “Housing is healthcare — when people have stable, secure housing, their overall well-being improves. My administration is committed to making sure every family has that opportunity, and Saturday’s lease awards are a major step forward in that effort.”

The leases, 605 in Kaʻuluokahaʻi and 60 in Kaupeʻa, represent a significant step toward homeownership. This initiative is part of DHHL’s comprehensive approach to addressing its long-standing waitlist by expediting homesteading opportunities.

“These lease awards represent hope and progress,” said DHHL Director Kali Watson. “We are not just building homes; we are fostering communities. Our goal is to move as many beneficiaries as possible from the waitlist to the ʻāina, ensuring that Native Hawaiian families can create a legacy for future generations.”

Unlike previous processes, beneficiaries secure a homestead lot prior to the completion of development. This approach gives families the chance to prepare for both financial and program requirements, thereby ensuring long-term stability and the opportunity to transfer their leases to eligible successors.

“All my years living I’ve never experienced something like this, and I think this is the best,” said Roberta Akana, West O’ahu project lease awardee. “It’s magnificent.”

“When we house Hawaiians, we house Hawaiʻi,” said Representative Darius Kila (House District 44 – Honokai Hale, Nānākuli, Māʻili). Kila’s grandmother, on the waitlist since 1988, also received a lease that day.

Act 279, the department’s transformational $600 million allocation of general funds set forth in 2022 by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, played a crucial role in the development of both homestead projects by providing the necessary infrastructure.

 

A New Era for Hawaiian Homesteads

The awards ceremony on Saturday, March 22, 2025, is the first of three major project lease distributions this year. DHHL will award an additional 400 leases in West Hawai‘i in April and nearly a thousand on Maui in the fall. The department’s ambitious plan aims to issue more than 6,000 project leases statewide over the next two years.

Eighty-year-old Lani Sanborn Ahuna has been on the Oʻahu residential waitlist for 22 years and said he was overwhelmed when he heard his name called.

“I cried. Uē, uē,” Sandborn Ahuna said. “I want to put my feet on the ʻāina no matter how old I am.”

Following the issuance of the intended 665 project leases in Kaʻuluokahaʻi and Kaupeʻa, Watson called for the awarding of an additional 125 alternate leases: clearing the West Oʻahu project lease waitlist.

“This initiative ensures that Native Hawaiian families not only receive land but also have the support and resources to turn it into a thriving homestead,” added Watson. “A house is more than four walls — it’s the foundation for health, education, and economic stability. Mahalo to Governor Green, our lawmakers, and our partners for making today possible.”

Conducted the weekend before Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day, Representative Diamond Garcia (House District 42 – Portions of Varona Village, ʻEwa, and Kapolei, Fernandez Village) paid tribute to Prince Kūhiō and the transformative impacts of project lease awards in his speech: “We honor [Prince Kūhiō] by doing the work.”

Project leases provide a critical pathway to homeownership, offering options such as turnkey homes, owner-builder lots, and rent-to-own opportunities. Developers Gentry Homes and Mark Development, Inc. are working alongside DHHL to ensure that affordable, high-quality housing is available to beneficiaries.

For more information about DHHL’s lease awards and upcoming projects, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov.

 

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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  
Email: [email protected]