HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0459.167 2024-2026Executive Board
Lisa Lehua Kaulukukui
President
Kelll Bond
Vice President
Clarence Kalimahana
Young
Secretary
James "Kimo" Sanborn
Interim Treasurer
Directors
Erin Henderson-
Lacerdo
James Kaulukukui, Jr.
Michelle Keli'ipio-Lee
Kupuna Advisors
Lilinoe Keli'ipio Young
M. Kau'i Keli'tpto
Michael Warsh
Anthony Keli'ipio
Sue Wilcox Keli'ipio
RE: SUPPORT Resolution 286-25 The use of PONC Funds for Honolulu Landing
Acquisition
Aloha kakou,
My name is Lehua Kaulukukui, and I testify today as a lineal descendant of
Honolulu, Puna. I come before you in deep kuleana to speak for the'aina, for our
kupuna, and for the future of our keiki.
I strongly urge the Department of Finance to use PONC funds to purchase and
protect Honolulu Landing. This want pans is not simply land for sate0t isAtiving
ancestor, a cultural and spiritual foundation that cannot be commodifie�
replaced. c
If Honolulu Landing is sold to foreign investors or private developers, the<.
consequences will ripple far beyond this one place. For Puna as a Moleq-<
development means: ir—
• Overburdened Infrastructure: Our roads are already narrow anq�limij_ed' yet
traffic is increasing. Development at Honolulu Landing would fponel m_ ore
cars into rural corridors never designed for such capacity. `O
• Water Insecurity: Puna relies on fragile catchment and limited water systems.
Large-scale development will place unsustainable demands on water
resources, threatening both residents and ecosystems.
• Loss of Access and Heritage: Honolulu Landing contains historic coastal trails,
villages, and cultural features that tie us directly to our kupuna. Once covered
by concrete, our mo'oku'auhau will be silenced forever.
• Community Displacement: Foreign investment drives up property values and
taxes, forcing local families off the land their ancestors stewarded. This is not
just development — it is erasure.
Puna has already carried the heaviest burdens of unchecked growth. We face
insufficient infrastructure, long commutes, limited healthcare access, and fragile
utilities. Adding luxury developments or speculative projects only deepens
inequities and disregards the rural character of our community.
More importantly, for Native Hawaiians,'aina is not a commodity.'Aina is kupuna.
To sell or destroy this place is to wound our ancestors and sever the living
relationship that sustains us. The PONC Fund exists to prevent this exact harm: to
protect wahi pans of cultural, historical, and environmental importance before
they are lost to speculation and profit.
By purchasing Honolulu Landing with PONC funds, you affirm that this land is not
for sale to the highest bidder — it belongs to the people, to our heritage, and to
future generations. This action will preserve access, safeguard natural resources,
and ensure that Honolulu Landing remains a place of learning, connection, and
healing.
I urge you to act swiftly and decisively. Do not let Honolulu Landing become
another casualty of foreign development. Let it remain, forever, as Masintended: a place of life, culture, education, and aloha'ai��mMahalo nut for your time and for honoring this kuleana. Ref.To:Me ka ha%ha'a, Ref.Date
Lehua Kaulukukui �)"" 1