While Kamehameha Schools’ relationship with a place may take different forms over time, our kuleana to that place and its people remains. 

That kuleana weighed heavily as we considered our evolving relationship with Kaʻūpūlehu. After long and careful consideration, Kamehameha has agreed to sell the land beneath Kona Village, A Rosewood Resort, to KW Kona Owner, LLC (KWKO), an investment affiliate of resort lessee Kennedy Wilson, for $245 million. The transaction closed Sept. 25, 2026. 

The sale follows Kamehameha’s 2025 sale of our remaining interest beneath Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, also within Kaʻūpūlehu. Together, these transactions complete the transition of the Kaʻūpūlehu ma kai resort properties, golf course and residential lands that were first developed more than 40 years ago and have since been actively leased and stewarded by their respective operators. These decisions have not come easily. 

Our decision regarding Kona Village also reflects the relationship Kamehameha has built with Kennedy Wilson and confidence in its continued care for the property. Following the destruction of the resort in the 2011 tsunami, Kennedy Wilson invested in restoring and rebuilding Kona Village, helping renew the property and recreate value for the community, its employees, visitors and Kamehameha Schools. Through that work, Kennedy Wilson has demonstrated a long-term commitment to this place and has been a valued partner and lessee. 

Like those entrusted with Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s legacy before us, we have a responsibility to carefully manage the lands and financial assets within her endowment for risk, return, concentration and long-term resilience. That responsibility helps ensure Ke Ali‘i Pauahi’s resources can fully support our schools, programs and educational mission today and in perpetuity. Over the past five years, Kamehameha’s annual spending in support of education has increased by nearly $100 million to $530 million in fiscal year 2024-2025. 

“Kamehameha remains committed to fulfilling Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s educational mission and ʻāina legacy, maintaining our long history as a major landowner in Hawaiʻi and stewarding ʻāina in ways that advance ke ea Hawaiʻi and our lāhui,” said Jack Wong, chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools. “That requires us to actively and carefully manage ʻāina Pauahi for the long term. Sometimes that means acquiring, developing and restoring lands, from farms, ranches and forests to commercial and residential properties, watersheds and water systems. It also means making decisions through the lens of moku, ahupuaʻa and community, recognizing that different places call for different approaches. In recent years, we have acquired nearly 11,000 acres, bringing ʻāina Pauahi to approximately 373,000 acres. We have also had to make some very hard choices, including selling our remaining interests beneath Four Seasons Resort Hualālai and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and now Kona Village. We do not make those decisions lightly. They allow us to reinvest and strengthen Ke Ali‘i Pauahi’s endowment so we can continue increasing our support for education while building our capacity to restore and care for ʻāina Pauahi.” 

Our relationship with Kaʻūpūlehu continues 

While ownership of the resort lands beneath Kona Village and Four Seasons Resort Hualālai has changed, Kamehameha continues to steward more than 16,500 acres within Kaʻūpūlehu. We remain committed to working with lineal descendants, cultural practitioners, community members and partners to mālama the ahupuaʻa and its cultural and natural resources. 

Across these lands, Kamehameha is working to restore abundance and expand opportunities for community connection and use. At Hualālai Ranch ma uka, which returned to Kamehameha’s care in 2015, ongoing work includes cattle ranching, coffee cultivation, rare species surveys and agritourism. We are also exploring more diversified agriculture, archaeological stewardship, regenerative experiences and carbon sequestration through 3,000 acres slated for forest restoration. 

Kamehameha is also expanding opportunities for people to access and mālama ʻāina Pauahi through collaborations with our ʻĀina Ulu partners. In Kaʻūpūlehu alone, nearly 2,500 engagements and more than 60 community events over the past year have brought haumāna, ʻohana and community members onto ʻāina for stewardship, learning and cultural experiences. 

A critical partner in this work is the Kaʻūpūlehu Foundation, which helps mālama the area’s historical and cultural resources through grants supporting organizations including Hoʻōla Ka Makanaʻā, Uluhaʻo o Hualālai, Nā Maka Onaona, The Nature Conservancy and Hui Kahuwai. Their work helps preserve and protect wahi kūpuna, koehana, anchialine ponds, dryland forests, and nearshore and marine resources. Kamehameha serves on the foundation’s board and has secured ongoing funding for its work through our land agreements within Kaʻūpūlehu. 

Carrying relationships forward 

Our kuleana to place is also reflected in a series of agreements established as part of the Kona Village sale. Kamehameha and KWKO have formalized commitments aimed at preserving the cultural, historical and natural significance of Kaʻūpūlehu. 

Those commitments include enhanced cultural access rights, long-term stewardship obligations, community investments and educational opportunities. They are intended to help ensure that important relationships to place continue and that the cultural, historical and natural resources of Kaʻūpūlehu are cared for long into the future. 

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imua kamehameha,  'āina pauahi

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