Committee of Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions Meeting – April 21, 2026
Committee of Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions Meeting – April 21, 2026
The Committee of Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions (24th session) convened on April 21, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the West Hawaii Civic Center, with members participating remotely from Hilo and Kona. The primary agenda item was Resolution 516-26, authorizing the Director of Finance to enter into negotiations for the acquisition of lands or conservation easements for approximately 1,967.96 acres at Kumukahi in the District of Puna, utilizing the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation (PONC) Fund. The committee heard public testimony, deliberated, and voted to forward the resolution to the full council with a favorable recommendation.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Greg Owen testified in support of Resolution 516-26, representing himself and Wawa Communications Louis. He urged the county to acquire Kumukahi and turn control over to ancestral families, emphasizing the area's sacred status and need for protection from over-tourism. He cited personal experience living in Hawaii for 70 years and noted the presence of a state temple (Luakineheyao) dedicated to navigation, warfare, and human sacrifice.
- Kali of Prince testified in full support of the resolution, advocating for stewardship by ‘ohana and lineal descendants, specifically Uncle Kyoni Kalave and the Kumo Foundation. She urged the council to seek meaningful collaboration with lineal descendants and communities.
- Susie Osborne (co-founder of Ho‘oululāhui, a 30-year nonprofit) testified in full support, detailing her organization's capacity to lead stewardship (over $20 million in grants managed, experience with coastal land management). She noted that two board members are lineal descendants who have endured burial desecrations, and that Ho‘oululāhui will partner with the Kuomo‘o Legacy Foundation.
- Diga Kern testified in support, emphasizing the significance of the 2,000-acre acquisition and the alignment of diverse landowners. He urged committee members to read the PONC suggestion form for Kumukahi and highlighted regenerative tourism models from Bhutan, Palau, and Aotearoa, as well as local examples like Hā‘ena on Kaua‘i.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 516-26 Overview: Introduced by Councilmember Kirkowitz, the resolution authorizes negotiations to acquire approximately 1,967.96 acres (listed as priority #3 in the 2025 PONC Commission report). All property owners are reportedly on board to sell or enter conservation easements.
- Process Clarification: Councilmember Viegas asked whether individual resolutions are still required after the bulk resolution passed in 2024. Ben Shapiro (PONC program manager) and Jean Campbell (Deputy Corporation Counsel) clarified that the 2024 bulk resolution did not include Kumukahi (it originated from the 2025 report). A resolution is required for any acquisition; individual or bulk resolutions are both permissible. The committee confirmed that passing this resolution is necessary to proceed with appraisal and due diligence.
- Councilmember Statements:
- Vice Chair O’Neshi expressed strong support, calling the proposal an example of what PONC was intended for.
- Councilmember Kagiwata supported and thanked testifiers.
- Councilmember Kleinfelder (Kona) praised the work for preserving the parcels both environmentally and culturally.
- Councilmember Viegas expressed deep support, noting the cultural significance of Kumukahi as the first point touched by the rising sun, and thanked staff for clarifying the process.
Key Outcomes
- Motion: Councilmember Kirkowitz moved to afford Resolution 516-26 to the full council with a favorable recommendation. Seconded by Mr. Hustis.
- Vote: The committee voted 8 ayes, 0 nays, with 1 excused (Chair Inaba). The motion carried.
- Next Steps: The resolution will now proceed to the full Hawaii County Council for further consideration and authorization of negotiations.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Okay, good morning. We're at the Committee of Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions. There's the 24th session. We're at the West Hawaii Civic Center. Today is April 21st, 2026, and the time is. Oh, not yet. Sorry. No, no. Yes. 10 30 a.m. Sorry for rushing. Okay. Um I'm going to introduce the members today in Hilo. We have Ms. Kirkowitz, Kagiwara, Kimbo in Kona. We have Mr. Houstis, Ms. Kalimba, Mr. Conneli Kleinhauter, and joining us soon would be Miss Viegas and excuse is Chair Inaba. Oh. And I just wanted to shout out a happy birthday to my staff, Darlene Espejo. And today is her birthday. So happy birthday, Darlene. Okay. Mr. Clerk. Thank you, Vice Chair O'Neshi. I do have some. We do have some testifiers. Mr. Ariselli, can you assist us, please? Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk. Chair, just confirming we do have some testifiers in your remote sites. What we'll do is we'll start with our Pohoa testifiers, then we'll transition to our testifiers here in Hilo chamber and then end it off with our Zoom testifiers before coming back to Kona. So if we could start, Gloria, please, with your testifier in Pohoa. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. We have Greg Owen here commenting in support of resolution 516-26, representing himself as well as the Wawa Communications Louis. You have three minutes. Please restate your name for the love. Greg Owen. Greetings and Aloha, everybody. I'm Greg Owen, and I live in Baaba, about four miles from Kumukahi. My wish is that the county acquires Kumukahi and turns over the control and management of Kumukahi to the ancestral families. I've lived in Hawaii 70 years now, and when I was young, the family visited Kumukahi in 1958 when I was eight years old. This was before the famous 1960 Kapoho lava flow. While at Kumukahi, we swam in the thermally heated crystal clear 10-acre blue lake that the Hawaiians called Y Bella Bella. Slim Holt, a Hawaiian man from Hilo, leased Wai Bellavella and Holt started charging money.
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