DHHL West Kauaʻi beneficiary meeting settles community values and prioritizes homesteads, water and blood-quantum work

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) staff convened a West Kauaʻi beneficiary meeting on June 18 to update a regional plan, confirm community values and collect project priorities from beneficiaries. The meeting produced a draft vision statement and a list of eight priority project areas that will be open for beneficiary voting June 22–July 22.

Kman, a DHHL land planner who opened the meeting, reviewed the planning framework and schedule for the regional plan and emphasized that the regional plan will guide what projects DHHL pursues locally. "This is our third beneficiary meeting," Kman said, outlining that a draft plan will be prepared after the meeting, a draft open house will be held August 15, and the DHHL commission will be briefed in mid‑August with final presentation expected in October.

Why it matters: beneficiaries framed the regional plan as a mechanism to move people from wait lists onto homesteads while ensuring lands are safe and sustainable. Attendees prioritized projects that would enable multigenerational homesteading, protect and restore water supplies that serve homelands, and address eligibility rules they said limit beneficiary access.

Values and vision: Participants reviewed and affirmed draft community values including kānaka/koʻkua (reciprocity), aloha (mutual care), ʻohana and multigenerational living, laulima/collective responsibility, and mālama (stewardship of land and water). Water featured prominently as a value and a priority: a facilitator read value language that included, "Water is not a commodity. It is the blood of the land."

Blood quantum and legal limits: Multiple residents raised concerns about blood‑quantum eligibility, urging DHHL to honor the original intent of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act and to consider ways to allow kūpuna and future generations to remain on homelands. Staff repeatedly stressed the legal limits of DHHL's authority: changes to federal or statutory blood‑quantum requirements would require actions beyond DHHL (a point staff summarized as "not possible for them to do alone"). The meeting recorded competing practical concerns: relaxing the percentage could expand the wait list and create resource constraints, while keeping current thresholds can leave families excluded.

Land readiness and environmental concerns: Attendees described legacy contamination on former plantation lands and emphasized the need for upfront soil and water testing, remediation plans, and infrastructure work before placing people on homesteads. One participant urged DHHL to "test all the natural waterways" and to clean topsoil and remove plantation-era debris before housing is sited.

Water infrastructure as a top project: Restoring the irrigation/ditch system and securing reliable potable and agricultural water was the most detailed project discussed. Participants referenced a roughly $10.8 million funding opportunity already pursued for ditch restoration and urged DHHL to work with county agencies to restore the Moʻihi (Mohei) stream intake and tunnel, repair leaking black pipe segments, and prioritize upper/middle/lower system repairs so drought resilience improves.

Other priorities: The group also proposed support for intergenerational living through accessory dwelling units, cesspool-to-sewer or alternative system conversion (noting an EPA pilot and technical assistance), disaster mitigation and evacuation routes, housing support services (self‑help housing, grants and loans), cemetery preservation suggested via Zoom, and market/self-sufficiency initiatives to help beneficiaries grow, process and sell food.

Project voting and participation: Staff presented a participation plan for priority voting that will run June 22–July 22. The proposed parameters allow lessees, applicants on the wait list and other homestead members who self‑identify to participate. Each participant will have five votes to allocate as they wish (for example, all five votes for one project or split across items) via an online Google form, telephone, email or requestable paper ballot. Staff said vote metadata (lessee/applicant/other member) will be tallied and a results summary distributed after the vote period.

Next steps: DHHL staff will prepare project profiles and a draft regional plan. Beneficiaries will reconvene for a draft open house on August 15 at Kaha Elementary School (10 a.m.–2 p.m.); public comment on the draft will be open for roughly 30 days (through about Sept. 15) before staff finalize and present the plan to the DHHL commission in October.

Attributions: Quotes in this article come from meeting participants and DHHL staff at the June 18 West Kauaʻi beneficiary meeting and are attributed to roles used in the meeting record (DHHL land planner Kman; attendees described here as residents or beneficiaries). Many direct suggestions and concerns were raised during public comment and the breakout visioning process and are summarized above.

Closing: The meeting closed with a brief prayer and logistical reminders about voting and the August draft open house. Staff asked beneficiaries to provide contact information so mailers and hard copy ballots can be distributed to those who need them.