Hawai‘i County Leeward Planning Commission approved Kamehameha Schools’ Special Management Area Use Permit (SMA) application to remove the former Keauhou Beach Hotel at Kahalu‘u Ma Kai.

The 40 community members and organization leaders who testified in support of the project were filled with aloha, as they hugged one another and thanked the commission for allowing this special project to move forward.

The approval was granted during a public hearing in Kona on Oct. 22, 2015. It marked another significant milestone for the project and the culmination of years of working closely with the community to create a plan that addresses cultural, social and environmental concerns.

“I am so happy to have a free environment open to cultural learning and full of cultural history,” said Alapa‘i Kauliʻa, who testified in support of the SMA and who has participated in several of the ongoing programs currently hosted at Kahaluʻu Ma Kai. 

“Now that Kamehameha Schools has taken the initiative to bring life and culture back to this place, I now understand the things that were instilled in me since keiki time.”

Removal of the hotel serves as the first step in the Schools’ plans for a 21st-century educational complex that will serve as the piko for Native Hawaiian, ʻāina-based, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) education in West Hawai‘i.

Most importantly, the Kahalu‘u Ma Kai education complex largely addresses the first three goals set forth in Kamehameha’s strategic plan for 2015 - 2020, Kūhanauna. These goals seek to deliver world-class education through a network of Native Hawaiian schools; contribute to a community’s efforts for improved educational systems, and cultivate a strong Native Hawaiian identity.

Focused on education and land use in the West Hawai‘i region, this project supports Kamehameha’s desire to form strategic partnerships with other community and educational institutions such as the Department of Education, universities, and Native Hawaiian charter and immersion schools.

“This project is very much about bringing together Pauahi’s land legacy and assets in West Hawai‘i, our educational mission and community. It’s about doing things driven by community, for community, and with community going forward,” said Kāʻeo Duarte, VP of Kamehameha’s Community Engagement and Resources Group. 

“So in many ways this is a physical manifestation of Kamehameha’s new strategic plan going forward.”

Before KS’ West Hawai`i region team can move forward with removing the hotel structure, an Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS), which has been submitted to the State Historic Preservation Division for review, must be accepted.  A burial treatment plan and a preservation plan are currently being created with input from families whose genealogy originates from the area. These will also be submitted for acceptance.

For more information on Kahalu‘u Ma Kai, visit www.ksbe.edu/kahaluumakai.

Kahalu’u Ma Kai: A place for 21st-century intellectual exchanges

Known historically as an intellectual training ground for Hawai‘i’s leaders, the cultural landscape of Kamehameha Schools’ Kahalu‘u Ma Kai property is on its way to being transformed into a piko (center) for 21st-century educational exchanges.

Today, nearly 2400 learners from across the pae ʻaina (island chain) visit Kahaluʻu Ma Kai to engage in traditional educational practices.

Serving as a piko for ʻāina-based, STEAM educational excellence, Kahaluʻu Ma Kai provides a unique opportunity to integrate education with land stewardship, culture and community building.

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strategic plan,sp 2020,ce&r,community engagement and resources,aina-based education,community education,sp2020

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