“Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua” (‘Ōlelo no‘eau #2178)

Unfolded by the water are the faces of the flowers

May 17, 2024 | Honolulu, O‘ahu

In Hawai‘i, as in many other indigenous communities, water is life (“Ola i ka wai”). Kapua‘ala Sproat, University of Hawai‘i Law Professor says, “in these incredibly isolated island communities, water was and remains the source of all life.” The people of Maui have been fighting for water access rights for over a century. To feed the sugar plantation industry in the 1800s water was diverted from West Maui to sugar cane fields compromising the traditional Hawaiian ahupua‘a system. Today, although sugar cane production is no longer a staple in the Hawai‘i economy, the systems created during this era continue to impact access to water and land resources. The August 8, 2023 Lāhainā fire has re-ignited the debate over water access rights and pushed community members to demand better management of Maui waters. Some even believe had West Maui’s water not been diverted all those years ago, this day may have turned out differently.

Many visitors of Maui know Lāhainā as a popular vacation destination, but it is more than just a place for tourists. It is rich with Hawai‘i history that predates the illegal overthrow in 1893. In 1802 King Kamehameha I made Lāhainā the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom before unifying the Hawaiian islands in 1810. The Lāhainā Historic District, which includes downtown Lāhainā, Front Street, and the surrounding area, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Kaniela Ing, a former Maui representative and Kānaka Maoli who grew up in the area, told NBC News, “If you start from one end of Front Street and walk to the other end, it’s like a physical timeline of the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom... It’s remarkable and just the thought that that history may have been lost in this fire or any bit of that history is heartbreaking."

The 2023 Maui wildfires destroyed more than 2,200 homes and businesses and displaced nearly 10,000 people. While urging lawmakers to crack down on short-term rental policies at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, Lāhainā fire survivors shared about their neighbors and family members having to leave Hawai‘i while tourists continue to come to Maui for “vacation”. It is estimated that more than half of the Lāhainā community has already been displaced and is gone. Courtney Lazzo, a fire survivor, shared, “How do you expect a community to recover and move forward and heal when the people who make Lāhainā Lāhainā aren’t even there anymore?”.

Eight months after the Maui wildfires, survivors are still living in beach encampments and staying in temporary housing as they wait for longer-term options to become available. Governor Josh Green just signed Bill SB 2919 into law a couple of weeks ago which grants counties more authority to regulate short-term rentals and creates opportunities for long-term housing. Governor Josh Green says, “The bill clarifies the counties' authority to control the time, place, manner, and duration of land uses, particularly transient accommodations including short-term rentals.” A day after this bill was passed Maui Mayor Richard Bissen continued the push for short-term rental regulation on Maui island by proposing legislation that would eliminate more than 7,000 vacation units - more than half of Maui’s total - by Jan. 1, 2026. This decision comes after months of Lāhainā fire survivors and community groups, such as Lāhainā Strong and Fishing for Housing, advocating for government officials to prioritize housing for locals. Additionally, in an effort to rehouse those impacted by the wildfires, two temporary housing projects on Maui are currently being built. One, a development at Maui Lani in Kahului, welcomed its first family this past month and will be completed in July. The other, Ka La‘i Ola, a housing project in Lāhainā, will create 450 units to support wildfire survivors.

In an interview with Kokua Mau, Noelani Ahia, Kānaka Maoli activist and co-founder of Maui Medics Healers Hui addressed the topic of, “Grieving Lāhainā: Past and Present.” During the interview Noelani shares that in order to support Kānaka Maoli moving forward we need to find pathways to get Hawaiians back on their land. Noelani, who has been on the ground in Lāhainā supporting the community from the start, says the land is important to Hawaiians because it “contains the bones of our ancestors that literally give us our food and our life source so that we can carry on.”

As the Lāhainā community rebuilds we look to organizations/groups who prioritize the needs of the Lāhainā community. Organizations like the Maui Medics Healers Hui who is providing culturally appropriate physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual support; and grassroots organizers like the Lāhainā Strong folks who provide immediate relief to those most impacted and continue to advocate for accountability from FEMA, federal, and state supports. We hope to be another resource for the Lāhainā community during this time and offer free keiki and ‘ohana yoga classes every Thursday from 4-6pm at Napili Park. If your family or a family you know in Lāhainā or other parts of Maui would like to check it out, please come join us. Individuals and kūpuna are welcome as well! Our intention is to kāko‘o folks on the ground with this community support and refuge. As always, feel free to reach out to us with questions or mana‘o.

Resources page from the County of Maui (Maui Nui Strong): https://www.mauinuistrong.info/getsupport

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