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<br />Comm 26-060 <br />3/4/2026 <br />Dear County of Hawaii, <br />This tesmony is in support of the applicaon to purchase the shoreline of Hakalauiki. <br />The shoreline of Hakalau is crically important to North Hilo community and the greater Hawaii <br />Island peoples...as it has been for many, many centuries. Manamana, a cherished ŋ shing area <br />within Hakalau, has connually fed families and sustained cultural pracces along that thousand <br />year trajectory of Hawaii lifeways. The open real estate market lisng of this nearly half a mile <br />stretch of shoreline falls short of any asking price because this parcel is źƒƒĻğƭǒƩğĬƌĻ in value <br />and needs greater governance than exisng real-estate laws...needs higher soluons like the <br />PONC process to ensure long term public access and enable nave and community-led <br />restoraon eorts. This is an opportunity to protect these natural and cultural resources that <br />has held its importance from me immemorial. <br />I work for a benefactress whose mission is the invest in nave Hawaiian leaders who have <br />worked hard to design, develop and implement nave Hawaiian grassroots soluons to develop <br />more and more nave Hawaiian leadership in their communies here in Hawaii and abroad. I <br />am also a private consultant for public and private enes who understand the crical <br />importance of ensuring the iwi (nave) lens is embedded in their projects for perpetual use <br />and connuity toward a thriving state of their visions. <br />I have published creave arts: nave Hawaiian songs, chants and poems. I also published nave <br />Hawaiian educaonal and evaluaonal research arcles in academic journals. I danced at lapa <br />(performance) level hula for the Kanakaole ohana years ago, and yet, their teachings stay <br />deeply relevant to my life and family for generaons now. This is the staying power of iwi <br />leadership. This is the crical factor of nave stewardship coupled with a nave leader who <br />knows ŷƚǞ to transfer nave knowledge to deeply felt places within their learning community; <br />in turn compelling heart-felt acvaon of civic duty, responsibility and service to the land and <br />sea in order to truly thrive. This is the disnguishing factor of the applicon from Kmaulihou <br />with the leadership of the Kanakaole ohana at its core. <br />I strongly urge the County PONC Commission to ƦƩźƚƩźǩĻ this applicaon as the top <br />consideraon because of its shoreline ŋ shery, its two streams, its nave plant resources, and its <br />potenal as a center for community-based restoraon via a vibrant robust community of <br />learners who already coalesce around tradions of hula, stewardship, haku mele, and nave <br />insights of powerful transference of knowledge that will compel our whole island toward real <br />soluons to the challenges of these tumultuous mes. Preserve the shoreline of Hakalauiki for <br />perpetuity. <br />Sincerely, <br />Kanani Aton <br />Private Consultant, Project Manager, Haku Mele <br />Hilo, Hawaii <br />