People Of Maui

At 59 years old, many men might begin thinking about retirement and savoring their twilight years. Not Kevin Grant.

The Japanese Cultural Society of Maui announced the recipients of this year’s Nihon Bunka Awards are Lahaina Jodo Mission’s Reverend Gensho Hara and business owner Shannon Loo. The award is given to outstanding individuals for their excellence and lifetime dedication to the perpetuation of the Japanese arts and culture, and for their unselfish willingness to […]

Mauiʻs Jason Arcilla from Pukalani, secured a spot on Team Gwen by singing “Dreams,” by Fleetwood Mac. The moment was captured on Season 24 of NBC’s The Voice, which aired on Tuesday evening, Oct. 3, 2023.

The ‘ukulele-powered band Kanekoa, the Vince Esquire Band and Grammy-nominated Natalie Ai Kamauu perform at benefits for Maui wildfire victims this weekend. Find our comprehensive listing HERE.

Since the Lahaina fire destroyed much of the Maui town on Aug. 8, Kimberly Buen of California been trying to find her father Maurice Buen, who is among the hundreds of people still “unaccounted for.”

Mā‘alaea Harbor was busy this afternoon are Maui residents gathered supplies and loaded them into boats to send over to people still in Lāhainā following a wildfire that ripped through the old Hawaiian fishing village.

Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund co-founder Hannah Bernard is happy with the successes of her groups on Maui and Hawaiʻi islands, including the scores of volunteers who help to clean up marine debris. The nonprofit educational organization is part of a broad movement to protect endangered species, such as the Hawksbill and green sea turtle, and to take measures to maintain clean coastal waters. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota talks to Bernard about Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund’s successes and future challenges in this People of Maui series.

Two people who have successfully helped the Maui Invasive Species Committee since its inception are Teya Penniman, acting manager, and Christy Martin, who started with MISC in 2000, but now helps with statewide issues including policy and funding. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota interviewed Martin and Penniman as part of this People of Maui series.

In 1986, Kīʻope Raymond was asked to join the board of the ʻAha Pūnana Leo to found the first private, nonprofit pre-school in Hawaiian language on Maui. There are now three ‘Aha Pūnana Leo schools on Maui and pathways enabling Hawaiian immersion language students to receive instruction and graduate from Lahainaluna, Hāna, and King Kekaulike high schools. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Raymond as part of this People of Maui series.

Kīhei Community Association president Michael Moran points out that his group has had its measure of successes in pushing forward projects that benefitted South Maui from Māʻalaea to Mākena. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota conducted this People of Maui interview.

Rodney Lash Nui Kilborn was a firefighter on Maui and had sponsored a number of amateur surfing events as a volunteer organizer on the Valley Isle, when he led a number of other watermen to help to start the first annual Peʻahi surfing contest in the mid-1990s. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Kilborn for our People of Maui feature.

On his HawaiiOnTV.com, his productions include a variety of island entertainment, including hula and slack key music. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota interviewed Burgmaier for this People on Maui feature.

“We’re looking for equitable, humane care for residents and visitors to West Maui, where more than 50% of the county and state income on Maui is derived from taxes,” said Joseph Pluta, president of the West Maui Taxpayers Association. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota interviewed Pluta, who is working to ensure West Maui gets its fair share of improvements.

Theo Morrison has been a staunch advocate for the restoration of historic buildings and the preservation of Maui history, through her work as executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation for the past 15 years. Morrison, once a fiber artist creating baskets from a variety of natural materials, has helped to successfully weave the stories of Lahaina’s past into an amazing tour through history. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota conducts this People of Maui interview.

Jazz Maui founder Bryant Neal has been involved in helping to organize music workshops for Maui youths for more than two decades. His latest nonprofit project is a weekly Jazz Maui venue featuring jazz artists in the Sunset Jazz Series at Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate Factory, including those who volunteer with students at workshops in schools. Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Neal.

Maui born Jason Baum has been a presence in the music and film industry as a producer for more than a decade. The Maui High school graduate has been nominated for four Grammys in his career thus far, and is up for another Grammy this year with hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5” in the category of Best Music Video. He was interviewed by Maui Now’s writer Gary Kubota.

When Maui resident Donna Domingo started as a cashier at the Maui Lu in Kīhei in the late 1970s, she never thought that one day, she would rise to become the first female president of the Hawaiʻi ILWU Local 142 with 18,000 members statewide, then including longshoremen, hotel workers, and pineapple, sugar, and general trade employees.

When Japan merchant Jokichi Tasaka arrived in Hawaiʻi in the early 1900s, he brought with him his talent as a confectioner, making Japanese candy, including sweet rice crackers and azuki bean-filled pastries such as manju and mochi. But it was his son Gunji who in the 1920s would eventually create a sherbet called “Guri Guri” that continues to be a popular treat on Maui today.

Preserving a Hawaiian church more than 140 years old takes perseverance and patience–traits that Kahu Wayne Higa has a lot of, as he embarks on a task to honor its historic legacy.

How does a Maui girl move from working as a waitress to singing to an audience of thousands of people? Top 10 American Idol finisher Camile Romero discusses her transition from a love of hip-hop and reggae to becoming a star in an interview with Maui Now.