We want to thank the Senate committees on Water and Land and Hawaiian Affairs — and chairs Sen. Lorraine Inouye and Sen. Maile Shimabukuro — for the opportunity today to provide more context and facts relating to OHA’s plans for Kakaʻako Makai and its Hakuone plan. We are grateful that senators are moving Senate Bill 736 forward, and while we sincerely hope the Senate grants a public hearing as well, we look forward to our next opportunity in the Senate to discuss OHA’s vision and the need for residential development in building a true local community. We’d like to thank all of those from across the state who submitted testimony for this important bill — we’ve been overwhelmed with the support we’ve received from the lāhui across social media, from online petitions to op-eds and letters to the editor. We continue to believe Hawaiians deserve the opportunity to realize our long-delayed vision to create a living, vibrant kipuka in Honolulu that can promote and embrace Native Hawaiian culture, serve as a critical economic engine to support OHA’s mission, and be a place that all of Hawaiʻi can enjoy. Kakaʻako is not just a plot of land, and OHA is not just any developer. We hope our elected leaders here in the capitol embrace this opportunity to do right by Hawaiians for the benefit of all Hawaiʻi.
