OHA will be hosting a Zoom webinar to discuss the management of Kānaka ‘Ōiwi Burials on December 4, 2025 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.
Register HereThe Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) continuously seeks qualified candidates to recommend to the governor as nominees for appointment to fill vacancies on the island burial councils. We accept applications for all regions, year-round. We frequently recommend nominees for seats which are currently filled by a member whose term will expire the following year. Moreover, occasionally, we recommend that the governor appoint more than one representative from a certain region.
Apply HereThis past 2025 legislative session, the House and Senate passed resolutions recognizing that the state had failed to adequately manage its burial law responsibilities, including failure to provide adequate resources to administer burial laws and a lack of will to fulfill its kuleana. They also recognized that laws affecting burial sites are inadequate.
To address these issues, the resolutions tasked OHA with convening a working group to consider whether any portion of the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) burial sites program should be transferred to OHA, and other statutory and regulatory changes that might better protect iwi kūpuna.
See the complete 2022 Burial Sites Working Group Report here.
There are five island burial councils serving the following areas: Hawaiʻi, Maui/Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi/Niʻihau. Each council consists of at least nine members (with the exception of Moloka‘i). Every council must have at least one representative for each of six regions and up to three landowner/developer representatives. The Moloka‘i Island Burial Council consists of five members, including at least one representative for each of three regions and up to one landowner/developer representative.
The island burial councils play a crucial role in the care of iwi kūpuna (ancestral remains) found in Native Hawaiian burial sites and in recognizing respective descendants. Island burial council members meet on a monthly basis to:
OHA solicits candidates year round and considers applications each year, typically in the fall. Nominees are selected, approved by the OHA Board of Trustees, and transmitted to the governor by December 1. By law, a minimum of 20% of the regional representatives shall be appointed from a list of at least nine candidates provided by OHA. The governor appoints members to the island burial councils from lists developed by OHA and DLNR, usually in the early part of the year, and submits his/her appointees for Senate confirmation during the legislative session.
The Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs will hold a public hearing to receive public testimony on each of the appointees and will make a recommendation to the full Senate who will then vote whether to advise and consent to the appointments. The Senate must confirm all governor-appointed island burial council members during the legislative session at the time of, or immediately following, their appointment.
