Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

A state wildlife biologist says bird flu in Hawaiʻi is not a matter of "if" but "when"; Retired Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald joins a coalition of former justices speaking out about the importance of the rule of law

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is considering legislation this upcoming session to help reduce its waitlist for its beneficiaries. HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports.

By the end of 2025, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands will have spent $120 million of the $600 million appropriated by the state Legislature in 2022 to develop homestead lots for beneficiaries.

The state transferred about 30 acres of land to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs over a decade ago to settle a long-standing dispute over ceded land revenues.

For more than 100 Hawaiian Homes beneficiaries on Maui, a decades-long wait is over. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports on the first Department of Hawaiian Homelands’ agricultural lease awards in more than 20 years.

Shifts in federal policy towards clean energy are expected to raise electricity bills. A new initiative from the Hawaiian Council is designed to help residents reduce energy costs in their homes. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote speaks to the program's lead.

The island's newest homestead community in Waikapū will have 91 homes, ranging in size from two to five bedrooms. Construction of Puʻuhona Phase II is slated for completion by February 2026.

Hawaiʻi's first homestead was established on Moloka’i in 1922 as a pilot for what became Hawaiian homelands across the islands. As HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, Molokaʻi homesteaders continue to honor Prince Kūhiō's legacy and on his birthday week, are celebrating a milestone on the island.

Dozens rallied at the Hawai‘i Capitol's rotunda ahead of Prince Kūhiō Day to advocate for House Bill 606, which would give more funding to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

Kali Watson has been leading the charge at the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. He spoke to The Conversation about bills at the Legislature, new projects, and more.