Community group outlines multi‑year plan for homestead cemetery, urges licensing approach and sustainable funding

Waimea Nui Community Development delivered an informational presentation on Jan. 20 outlining a decade‑long effort to establish a homestead cemetery on DHHL lands.

Mike Hudson explained the group’s investigation into legal and regulatory frameworks and said Hawaiian Home Lands are largely exempt from fee‑for‑plot rules that govern typical county cemeteries; instead the homestead would seek a license to manage, develop and operate a cemetery under a cemetery authority model approved by the commission. "We're gonna kind of go over it a little bit... the main reasons is that no fee — you cannot buy 1 plot on Hawaiian homelands," Hudson said, explaining how a license rather than a pre‑need business model fits trust land rules.

The presentation covered required rules and recordkeeping, dispute‑resolution considerations (who may be buried and how non‑Hawaiian spouses or out‑of‑district claims are handled), and options for sustaining ongoing maintenance through economic engines such as a crematory, chapel, urn storage and contracted morgue services. Hudson and other presenters emphasized that the homestead membership must approve operational rules before the commission would license a cemetery authority.

Commissioners asked about long‑term maintenance, potential funding sources and the need for uniform policies statewide. Staff noted the item was informational and pledged to return with more structured recommendations and, where membership approval exists, a license approach for the commission’s consideration.