Board approves final transfer of state-owned lands to Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Today, the state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted to authorize the transfer of 318.25 acres of state lands in the Waiākea area of Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island from the Department of Land and Natural Resources to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

The transfer is part of a joint effort between DLNR and DHHL leadership, with the support of Gov. Josh Green, to resolve claims between DHHL and the state of Hawaiʻi relating to the use or alienation of Hawaiian home lands between Aug. 21, 1959 and July 1, 1988.  

Conveyance of the final parcel is still subject to approval by the Hawaiian Homes Commission, a nine-member board that governs DHHL. If approved, the total acreage conveyed would exceed the outstanding balance owed to DHHL.

“Today’s decision by the BLNR represents another important step toward honoring the state’s commitments to Native Hawaiian beneficiaries,” said Governor Josh Green. “The transfer of these lands will provide opportunities for Native Hawaiian families to establish homes and communities for themselves today and preserve their cultural heritage for future generations.”

“This has been a long time coming,” said BLNR Chairperson Ryan Kanakaʻole. “For more than 30 years, the state has had an obligation to make good on its commitment to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The conveyance of this final parcel will constitute full and final satisfaction of the land transfer authorized by the BLNR in 1994, and the fulfillment of Act 14, First Special Session Acts, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 1995. The Department of Land and Natural Resources is committed to working with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to see this matter to completion.”

On Oct. 28, 1994, the BLNR authorized the identification and transfer of approximately 16,518 acres of state-owned lands to DHHL to make the Hawaiian Home Lands Trust whole. Act 14, First Special Session Acts, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 1995, was passed by the state Legislature to fully effectuate the settlement of claims between DHHL and the state of Hawaiʻi, including the transfer of specific lands to DHHL to resolve claims relating to the use or alienation of Hawaiian home lands.

Over the last several years, DLNR staff have worked with DHHL to identify lands for conveyance in fulfillment of Act 14. On Aug. 14, 2026, the BLNR approved the conveyance of eight parcels totaling approximately 334 acres to DHHL. This approval reduced the outstanding balance owed to DHHL from approximately 619.25 acres to 285.25 acres. Transfer of the Waiākea land in Hilo would provide DHHL with 33 additional acres.