Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi
General Assignment ReporterKuʻuwehi Hiraishi is an award-winning journalist and founding member of the ‘Ahahui Haku Moʻolelo (Hawaiian Journalism Association). She was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and was one of the first graduates of the Hawaiian language immersion school Ke Kula ʻo Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu.
She went on to study Journalism & Mass Communications at Seattle University, and returned home to work on the Hawaiian language television news program ʻĀhaʻi ʻŌlelo Ola, which aired on Hawaii News Now’s Sunrise morning program.
Her unique skillset of Hawaiian language fluency and journalism were valuable assets in building the Hawaiian news media industry with the launch of ʻŌiwi TV, an on-demand television news station with programming produced by and for Native Hawaiians. Her in-depth research and reporting on Native Hawaiian water rights earned her and the ʻŌiwi TV team their first international journalism award at the World Indigenous Television Broadcasters’ Network Journalism Awards in 2012.
After a brief hiatus working in communications for the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, she returned to journalism as a general assignment reporter at Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Her commitment to her Native Hawaiian community and her fluency in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi has led her to build a de facto ʻōiwi beat at the news station, covering issues important to the Native Hawaiian and Indigenous communities. Contact her at khiraishi@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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The state is developing a plan to have the Kapāpala Canoe Forest serve as a sustainable, long-term source of koa for the traditional use of constructing koa canoes. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports. -
March 26 marks Prince Kūhiō Day in Hawaiʻi to celebrate the founder of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Prince Kūhiō also served nearly 20 years as Hawaiʻi's delegate to the U.S. Congress. But, before all of that, he spent a year in prison for fighting to restore the Hawaiian Kingdom government.
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Hawaiʻi lawmakers have rejected a proposal establishing Indigenous Peoples' Day as an official state holiday. Instead, legislators are proposing a day of observance — meaning no time off from work.
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Rent lease negotiations between the state and nearly 100 tenants in Waiāhole Valley on Oʻahu are sparking conversations about the future of this rural, agricultural community. The state has subsidized rents for tenants at below-market rates for decades, but increased operation and maintenance costs are forcing the state to rethink its landlord role. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.
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After five years of planning and preparation, Hōkūleʻa is set for a four-year voyage around the Pacific starting in June. The Moananuiākea Voyage will see about 400 crew members take part in a global education campaign. Kau ka peʻa, holo ka waʻa. Up go the sails, away goes the canoe. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.
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More than 70 medical students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine will soon take the next step in their careers. For the last four years, they have worked toward “Match Day.” That's the day students learn where they’ll work for the next several years to complete their medical training. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.
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A key Senate committee has advanced Governor Josh Green’s nominee to head the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Affordable housing developer Kali Watson won the approval of the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee, and now awaits a vote by the full Senate. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.
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Gov. Josh Green's appointee to head the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is up for a confirmation hearing today before the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee. Affordable housing developer Kali Watson's potential return to DHHL is receiving praise from the affordable housing industry, and concern from some in the Native Hawaiian community. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports.
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Aging infrastructure, affordable housing and clean energy are just some of the top priorities this year for Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth. Roth is the first of Hawaiʻi's four mayors to deliver his 2023 State of the County Address this week. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.
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Gov. Josh Green has nominated the eight members of the new Maunakea Stewardship and Oversight Authority. On July 1, a transition period begins to transfer control of Maunakea away from the University of Hawaiʻi. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi reports on what the authority has done so far.
