Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Waitlist Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission adopts pilina‑based priority wait list to prioritize place‑tied beneficiaries
Summary
After statewide beneficiary consultation and a re‑noticed Maui hearing, the commission adopted administrative rule amendments to allow a pilina‑based priority wait list that can prioritize lineal descendants and long‑term residents in specific homestead master/settlement plans.
The commission voted to adopt administrative rule amendments establishing a pilina‑based priority wait list that lets beneficiaries with documented place‑based ties — either 18 years of residency or lineal descent identified through master or settlement plans — receive priority for awards in specific homestead areas.
Planning staff summarized the proposal and public hearings. Julianne Cachola said the rule defines residency (18 years in the draft), requires a pilina application process, documentation standards and a beneficiary appeal mechanism for determinations. Speakers at the Maui hearing and earlier statewide consultations framed pilina as a corrective to displacement: "When the system places a beneficiary on the ʻāina where their lineage resides ... we ensure the success of the homestead," testified Aina Aloha Iowane.
Commissioners discussed scope and process: adoption of the rule does not itself open areas; pilina priority can only be implemented when an area has a master plan or a settlement plan that defines the eligible place and after beneficiary consultation. The motion passed (6 ayes, 1 no, 2 abstentions).
