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Office of Hawaiian Affairs asks for expanded budget, PLT inventory funding and proposes workforce housing in Kaka—ako Makai
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Summary
OHA presented a biennium request that includes staff for strategy and implementation, matched program funding for housing, health and education initiatives, support for a public land trust inventory and a Kaka—ako Makai proposal that would reserve a majority of new units for workforce housing.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs urged the House Committee on Finance to approve a larger general-fund appropriation and to support state cooperation on a public land trust inventory, while previewing a Kaka—ako Makai workforce-housing proposal for the 2025 session.
OHA board chair Kiley Kahele and CEO Kapohana Stacy Ferrera presented the agency—s request and a framework for a more active role coordinating state-level programs that affect Native Hawaiians. Ferrera described a package that pairs general-fund support with trust-fund commitments: OHA proposes $1.2 million per fiscal year for a strategic "coordination and accountability" team (13 FTE) to execute cross-agency coordination and program implementation, and $3.6 million (FY2026) and $3.7 million (FY2027) in matched program funds to support housing, social services, education, legal services and natural-resources protections.
"OHA's biennium budget request represents an extraordinary strategic investment in addressing historical, generational and systemic challenges faced by Native Hawaiians," Ferrera said, stressing that OHA will match the requested program dollars with trust-fund resources.
Public Land Trust inventory and partnership work
OHA described work under Act 226 to convene a working group with DLNR and Budget & Finance for a public land trust (PLT) inventory. Presenters said the working group met multiple times and will seek funding for an audit and inventory process; they said the governor is expected to submit a companion request and OHA will match part of the funding.
Kaka—ako Makai housing proposal
Ferrera and trustees told members OHA will present draft legislation this session to allow residential development on the Kaka—ako Makai property under conditions that prioritize workforce housing. The proposal would:
- Allow residential units in a defined Kaka—ako Makai area and require 50 percent plus one of units be dedicated to workforce housing (defined in the proposal as units at or below 140 percent of area median income); the remainder would be market-rate units used to subsidize cultural programming, promenade and open space.
- Include owner-occupancy preferences or deed restrictions to prevent immediate market flipping, prioritizing essential local workers (examples cited included teachers, healthcare and public-safety employees).
- Use OHA land and infrastructure contributions to lower developer risk in exchange for long-term affordability commitments.
OHA said the concept aims to deliver workforce units in the urban core and that details such as income targeting, deed restrictions and financing models will be provided with the bill.
Committee questions and next steps
Members asked about OHA—s grant monitoring, legal costs, the size of the proposed strategy team and how OHA measures program impact. OHA staff said they monitor grantees, maintain performance and impact metrics for grant recipients, and will publish baselines and indicators as the agency implements the new strategy-and-implementation function. OHA also said it is participating in the PLT working group and the governor will include funding requests for an inventory; OHA plans to match a portion of the funding.
Ending
OHA asked for legislative support for the general-fund request, PLT audit funding and for committee consideration of Kaka—ako Makai legislative language. OHA offered follow-up and supporting materials and invited members to an investiture ceremony later in the week.
