Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2022

 Chair Ailā Statement on DOI Announcement of Consultation Policy

(Kapolei, Oʻahu) – Hawaiian Homes Commission Chair William J. Ailā, Jr. issued the following statement on the U.S. Department of the Interior’s announcement of the development of a formal Native Hawaiian community consultation policy.

“The inclusion of community perspectives in government policymaking is a critical piece of civic engagement. DHHL established a formal Beneficiary Consultation Policy of its own in 2009 and has successfully used it to engage with native Hawaiian beneficiaries to make the implementation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act a better reflection of the community’s wants and desires. This DOI announcement is a welcomed step forward by the United States towards additional collaboration and inclusion of the Hawaiian perspective in its policymaking.”

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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 the management of over 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.

Media Contact:
Cedric Duarte
Information and Community Relations Officer
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
(808) 620-9591
[email protected]