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Thousands of Native Hawaiians who have a legal right to reclaim ancestral land will never be able to — because the land is running out.
But it's not just because there are too many — state and federal agencies also kept taking the land for free THREAD
But it's not just because there are too many — state and federal agencies also kept taking the land for free THREAD
The Hawaiian homes program can only has enough land to provide about 3,200 more residential lots on Oahu. But there are 11k Hawaiians on the waitlist.
To understand how the land shrunk, I need to take you back to 1921...
To understand how the land shrunk, I need to take you back to 1921...
When the land trust was created nearly a century ago, the law was very vague about boundaries. And there was a key carve out: “cultivated sugar-cane lands” couldn’t be part of the trust, exempting some of the most valuable land.
Look at the light green area below in Waimanalo for a sense of how much land was off the table
That left a lot of the land very remote or rugged, which makes it difficult and expensive to actually build housing on.
But it gets even more complicated.
But it gets even more complicated.
For decades, no one really knew what land was in the trust and what wasn’t.
A federal and state task force in the 1980s couldn’t locate a SINGLE map or document that showed the boundaries of trust land.
A federal and state task force in the 1980s couldn’t locate a SINGLE map or document that showed the boundaries of trust land.
The island impacted the most was Oahu.
Of the 200k+ acres statewide in the trust statewide, only 7,800 are in Oahu. But it’s the most populous island and has the highest demand for homesteads. And only a fifth of its land is suitable for housing. Here’s most of what’s left:
Of the 200k+ acres statewide in the trust statewide, only 7,800 are in Oahu. But it’s the most populous island and has the highest demand for homesteads. And only a fifth of its land is suitable for housing. Here’s most of what’s left:
Some were able to take advantage of the confusion over the trust land boundaries. In the decades since the act was passed, both the state of Hawaii and the federal government took thousands of acres of land, using it for military bases, game preserves, schools and other purposes.
In the 1970s and 1980s, calls for a proper accounting of the trust grew in Hawaii. Reports were commissioned, most notably the federal-state task force mentioned earlier.
Then in 1995, the state and federal government made a promise to Native Hawaiians. Both passed legislation authorizing the transfer of thousands of acres to restore the trust to the size called for in the original act.
But it’s been 25 years and they *still* haven’t given all the land that they promised. Specifically, the state still owes the trust 1,300 acres and the federal government owes it for the use of land in Lualualei for a naval base.
The land state/fed agencies HAVE returned hasn’t made much of a dent in the shortage on Oahu. The state has known about this since at least the 1970s.
But it gets even worse...
But it gets even worse...
The state provided about 440 acres to the trust on Oahu, most of which was usable. The federal government transferred about 900, but NONE of it has been usable for homesteading.
Now the trust is in a precarious position.
Now the trust is in a precarious position.
Even if state and federal government gave all the land they still owe back in the form of usable Oahu land, it still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the *current* demand.
But that’s a big if, and demand is still growing.
But that’s a big if, and demand is still growing.
The state says there’s not a lot of developable land available on Oahu for the trust, which is why so little of the land it transferred was on the island. The federal government said the trust has rejected some offers because the land was too costly to develop or unfit for it.
There is an agreement with the federal government currently in the works for about 80 acres in Ewa Beach, which could satisfy the U.S. obligation under the 1995 law. This would be the first federal land transferred that could be used for housing.
So where we go from here? There’s only so much land that can realistically be acquired. That means vertical development (high-rises, multi-family) will need to be a big part of the department’s strategy going forward. Read more about this conundrum here: https://www.propublica.org/article/the-government-promised-to-return-ancestral-hawaiian-land-then-never-finished-the-job
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This project was done in collaboration with @StarAdvertiser reporter Rob Perez, who is going to continue his partnership with us for another 3 years! And trust me we’ve got much more to dive into on this
