OHA seeks community input for its Wahiawā lands master plan

News Release from OHA

WAHIAWĀ (July 14, 2017) – More than 40 individuals attended a meeting last night to share their manaʻo about how the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) should move forward with managing its 511 acres of agricultural land in Wahiawā, which surrounds the culturally significant Kūkaniloko Birthing Stones.  

The meeting, which was held at Wahiawā District Park, is part of an ongoing effort to gather public input on the development of OHA’s master plan for its Wahiawā lands.  The public can continue to participate in this process by visiting www.oha.org/aina/kukaniloko/ to learn more and submitting comments to info@oha.org. 

In 2012, OHA acquired its Wahiawā lands as part of the larger effort of several non-profit and public entities to purchase 1,700 acres from the Galbraith Estate for agricultural and cultural preservation purposes.  OHA contributed $3 million to acquire the 511 acres to:

• Protect the Kūkaniloko Birthing Stones by providing a buffer against future incompatible development in the area;
• Explore the development of compatible agricultural uses and other programmatic initiatives; and
• Contribute to Hawai‘i’s food self-sufficiency, preservation of open space and watershed lands and overall community planning goals for central O‘ahu.

Kūkaniloko is a historical and sacred site located in the piko (center) of Oʻahu, a place where the highest chiefs were born and where birthing rituals were performed.

In November 2016, OHA began its master planning process for these lands.  OHA’s objective for its master plan is to develop a planning document that incorporates three land use typologies. These include: Protection (Palena ‘Āina); Education (Ho‘omālamalama); and Agriculture (Ho‘oulu ‘Āina).

As part of this process, OHA is currently conducting a number of community outreach efforts, including the formation of a Kūkaniloko Master Planning Working Group and engaging a number of civic organizations.  OHA plans to hold another public meeting in early 2018 to update on its planning process.  A last public meeting will be held in mid-2018 to present a draft master plan to the community.