Sept. 23, 2026

The journey to bring abundance back to Lahaina

The recent Lahaina Homecoming brought current and former community members together along Front Street to reconnect with people and place, while looking ahead with hope. The gathering reflected both the progress made and the years of collective effort still needed. As Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha works alongside the Lahaina community and in partnership with others, several initiatives are underway, and others are being explored, to reduce future wildfire risk, restore ʻāina and wai systems, and strengthen the community’s long-term recovery and resilience.

A commitment to Lahaina’s keiki, ʻohana and future

A significant milestone over the past year has been Kamehameha’s commitment to make ʻāina in Kuʻia available for the future home of King Kamehameha III Elementary School.

The new campus will allow the school to remain in the Lahaina community it has long served, keeping generations of keiki and ʻohana connected to place. State lawmakers recently authorized $188 million in insurance proceeds to support construction of the school, along with off-site infrastructure and roadway improvements needed to serve both the campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

More than a replacement school, the new campus is envisioned as an anchor for the community that will grow around it. Kamehameha continues to work closely with state and county partners to support thoughtful planning for housing, transportation, emergency access and evacuation, wildfire resilience and other long-term community needs.

Expanding stewardship and restoration ma uka

Kamehameha’s stewardship in Lahaina expanded in September 2025 with the acquisition of approximately 3,885 acres in Mākila, Waineʻe Ma Uka and Kahoma.

These lands connect directly with existing Kamehameha ʻāina in Paunau and Kuʻia, creating an opportunity to steward a larger, contiguous landscape and strengthen connections between the lands ma uka and the communities they sustain ma kai.

Across these lands, restoration efforts are already underway, with a focus on reducing invasive vegetation and wildfire fuels, restoring native ecosystems and improving the resilience of the landscape. Perimeter fencing has been completed to protect key restoration areas from invasive animals. Interior fencing is expected to be completed in the coming months to support managed cattle grazing as one sustainable approach to reducing vegetation and fuel loads.

The acquisition of these lands also creates an opportunity to better manage the landscape as a whole. Healthy forests support healthy watersheds, well-managed lands can reduce wildfire risk, and resilient ʻāina ma uka contributes directly to the safety and well-being of communities ma kai.

The future stewardship of wai

For generations, the Lahaina community has recognized that its future depends on the thoughtful stewardship of the region’s water resources. Wai is a public trust resource, and Kamehameha believes its stewardship should reflect the needs of the communities and ʻāina that depend upon it. To this end, we are considering the acquisition of the assets of Launiupoko Irrigation Company through a subsidiary, providing an opportunity to help shape the long-term stewardship of wai in West Maui.

At the same time, Maui County is pursuing a broader vision to transition much of West Maui’s privately owned water infrastructure into public stewardship for the first time in more than a century. That effort includes the county’s proposed acquisition of the Launiupoko Water Company, Olowalu Water Company, and Maui Land & Pineapple Company’s water systems.

Within this broader effort, Kamehameha is in preliminary discussions with Maui County regarding the Launiupoko Irrigation Company system. Kamehameha is open to transferring the right to acquire the system to the county while ensuring continued access to the water needed to restore ʻāina, serve kuleana lands and the ʻohana who live on them, and support Lahaina’s long-term recovery.

Exploring how Kuʻia lands could support community priorities

Kamehameha is also in the early stages of discussions with Maui County regarding a potential land transaction involving part of our Kuʻia lands ma kai.

At the center of these conversations is the county’s effort to create housing that is affordable and accessible to local families. Kamehameha supports that priority and is exploring whether making lands available to the county could help Lahaina families remain in or return to the community they call home.

Discussions are also considering how future roadway connections, access routes and other planning could improve traffic circulation, strengthen emergency access and evacuation, create additional wildfire buffers, and support a safer, more resilient community.

A Maui County Council committee recently took up the preliminary water and land discussions. As these conversations evolve, Kamehameha will continue to share updates with the community through our Lahaina website.

Stewarding ʻāina Pauahi for future generations

Lahaina reflects one example of how Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha fulfills its kuleana as a steward of ʻāina Pauahi across the pae ʻāina. While each place has its own needs and opportunities, our responsibility remains the same: to care for Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s land legacy in ways that create enduring waiwai for our lāhui and sustain her mission.

In Lahaina, that has meant acquiring thousands of acres ma uka to restore ʻāina and watersheds and reduce wildfire risk, while also planning to make other lands available for the future King Kamehameha III Elementary School and exploring opportunities to support housing and infrastructure as the community rebuilds.

Through our moku approach, we consider these choices within the broader context of place, looking across communities, geographies and generations to understand how ʻāina can create the greatest collective waiwai. That may mean acquiring and restoring ʻāina, protecting lands for the long term, creating opportunities for education and community use, developing lands responsibly, or, when appropriate, releasing ʻāina when doing so creates greater enduring value for the lāhui.

Our starting point is our kuleana to ʻāina, culture, community and Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s mission. We believe that when we begin there and steward well, stronger communities, healthier lands and deep relationships create the foundation for long-term financial strength as well. These are not competing outcomes; responsible stewardship is what allows Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s land legacy and mission to endure.

Continuing the work together

Lahaina’s recovery will continue to require thoughtful planning, strong partnerships and a shared commitment to its future. The efforts underway today, from wildfire resilience and ʻāina restoration to education, wai, housing and infrastructure, are interconnected pieces of the long-term work needed to strengthen Lahaina’s resilience.

As one of many partners in this crucial work, Kamehameha remains committed to stewarding Ke Aliʻi Pauahi’s lands in ways that support Lahaina and our broader educational mission for future generations.