HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0459.183 2024-2026RE: SUPPORT Resolution 286-25 The use of PONC Funds for Honolulu Landing Acquisition
Aloha kakou,
My name is No'eau Woo -O'Brien and 1 testify today in strong support of the protection of ti c ;
Honolulu in Puna, Hawai'i. o n
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I strongly urge the Department of Finance to use PONC funds to purchase and protect Honolulu Landing_ -c �
This wahi pana is not simply land for sale. It is a living ancestor, a cultural and spiritual foundation that a` o-t
cannot be commodified or replaced. T '' c-;
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If Honolulu Landing is sold to foreign investors or private developers, the consequences will ripple far *:Z�
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beyond this one place. For Puna as a whole, development means: w
• Overburdened Infrastructure: Our roads are already narrow and limited, yet traffic is increasing.
Development at Honolulu Landing would funnel more cars into rural corridors never designed for
such capacity.
• 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, %ina 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 pana 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 remains a place of learning, connection,
and healing.
I urge you to act swiftly and decisively. Do not let Honolulu become another casualty of foreign
development. Let it remain, forever, as it was intended: a place of life, culture, education, and aloha %ina.
Mahalo nui for your time and for honoring this kuleana.
Me ka haahaa,
No'eau Woo -O'Brien
Director of Kawai'ula
Comm. �• jj�
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