#lahaina strong

More than 100 people who were displaced by the fire or left Lahaina years ago are reuniting this week for a series of special events that organizers hope will mark a major step in the community’s healing.

Lahaina Strong and the Hawai‘i State Energy Office will host a community meeting on June 12, focused on the future of energy in West Maui and Hawai‘i’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045.

The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee voted 6-1 Tuesday to advance new hotel zoning districts for thousands of short-term vacation rentals facing a county-mandated phase-out—overriding unanimous rejection from all three county planning commissions.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142 has endorsed Green Party candidate Pāʻele Kiakona for Hawaiʻi State House District 14, marking a notable departure from the union’s typical political endorsements. The move reflects a rare crossover between organized labor and the grassroots movement that emerged after the Lahaina fires.

The Lahaina Energy Partnership (LEP) invites Lahaina community members to participate in the next Community Co-Design Workshop on Monday, May 18, 2026, at the Lahainaluna Cafeteria. Doors open at 5 p.m., with the program beginning at 5:30 p.m.

One month after the kona low storms, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation announced the first round of more than 20 grants to nonprofit organizations statewide from the Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund, deploying more than $650,000 to nonprofits supporting communities facing over $2 billion in statewide damage. 

The donation drive will take place on Wednesday, March 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kahului Shopping Center parking lot (next to Burger King). Community members are encouraged to drop off much-needed supplies and volunteer their time to help collect, sort, and prepare donations for transport to Molokaʻi.

The Clean Elections Hawai‘i Coalition called for a special prosecutor to investigate potential campaign finance violations involving Hawai‘i’s Executive Branch of government, citing a need for impartiality to restore public trust.

The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee recessed a discussion Wednesday after a brief deliberation on the path forward for Bill 9, which aims to phase out thousands of short-term rentals in apartment-zoned districts to free up housing for residents.

Lahaina Strong, a community group that arose in the wake of the Lahaina wildfire disaster, is calling for the Maui County Council to take expeditious action on Bill 9, which would phase out short-term vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts. “We are still awaiting confirmation of dates for the two full Council hearings required before Bill […]

Lahaina Strong is calling on the Maui County Council to pass Bill 9 in its “clean form—without carve-outs, amendments, or delay,” and has launched a petition detailing their request.

Op-Ed: Lahaina Strong’s De Andre Makakoa shares his thoughts on the rising trend of pop-up markets in Hawaiʻi saying they provide a positive shift for the local economy.

Local partners of the Lahaina Energy Partnership have released the “Community-Identified Energy Pathways Report.” The LEP invites all community members to join the Phase 2 Kickoff Co-Design Workshop on July 24, 2025, to continue shaping a resilient, community-guided energy plan for Lahaina.

Lahaina Strong, in partnership with Maui Behavioral Health Resources and hosted by Maui Land & Pine, welcomes the inaugural Lahaina Strong Mākeke, happening on Saturday, June 14 from 4 to 8 p.m. at 1000 Kapalua Drive in West Maui.

Senate Bill 332 Senate Draft 1 would prohibit sellers of foreclosed homes from bundling properties at a public sale. Instead, each foreclosed home would be sold separately. Previous foreclosure crises have resulted in the replacement of owner-occupied homes with investor-owned rentals, prolonged vacancies and unmaintained residential properties.

The workshop takes place on March 11, 2025, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Lahainaluna cafeteria. This workshop will focus on microgrids, grid ownership models and community priorities.

A bill to exempt state-financed housing developments from county council approval has passed second reading on the Hawaiʻi Senate floor and advanced to the Ways and Means Committee.

This second session is about taking those initial ideas and turning them into actionable pathways for a resilient energy future that honors Lahaina’s heritage.

A Maui coalition of the Hawaiʻi Workers Center has departed to Washington D.C. where they will demand that Congress release disaster recovery funds for Lahaina. 

After losing his home, running marathons to raise money for the Lahaina community has become Kahaiali’i’s mission. “Every step I take, they’re taking those same steps with me,” he said.