OHA staff brief trustees on three legacy properties; community testifies to protect Wailupe burial site

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs land department briefed the Committee on Investments and Land Management on July 23, 2025, about activities at three legacy properties and received multiple public testimonies asking OHA to preserve a Wailupe parcel where iwi kūpuna were reported.

Laurie Walker, interim director of land assets, said the presentation covered Palauea Cultural Preserve in Kīhei, Maui (TMK 21020034); Hoʻomana in Waialua, Kauai (TMK 41004021); and Kekaha Armory in Kekaha, Kauai (TMK 13002023). Walker said each briefing was high level and focused on stewardship, recent assessments and near-term work plans.

Palauea Cultural Preserve (Maui) Walker said the Palauea property is approximately 20.1 acres of conservation/preservation land that contains archaeological features and a halau. The University of Hawaiʻi Maui College stewards the site under a license and the land department is developing a comprehensive management plan with the Palauea advisory hui; the department is targeting an October 2025 completion for the plan. Planned property improvements include a donation-funded concrete parking pad and boundary fencing to exclude ungulates, and OHA-funded roof repairs after storm-related leaks. Walker said a May fire-assessment identified overgrowth near neighboring properties that the department is addressing by…