#Na Wai Eha

Maui County says Wailuku Water Co. should fix system damage caused by storms, but the private utility said it is financially strapped and that the county county could do the work faster under the governor’s emergency proclamation.

The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court on Thursday issued a landmark decision in the long-running water case over Nā Wai ‘Ehā, “The Four Waters” of Waihe‘e, Waiehu, Wailuku, and Waikapū in central Maui. In a 134-page unanimous opinion authored by Justice Sabrina McKenna, the court ruled in favor of Maui community groups Hui o Nā Wai ‘Ehā and Maui Tomorrow Foundation, who were represented by Earthjustice, and joined by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).

The Grand Wailea has announced the first Homecoming Performance of Maui-native singer-songwriter, Kamalei Kawaʻa, a Grammy nominee and top-20 contestant on NBC’s “The Voice”. The concert will be held on the Grand Wailea’s Molokini Garden on Friday, June 7 from 6 to 10 p.m.

Maui musician Kamalei Kawaʻa secured a spot on Team Chance during the Blind Auditions of NBC’s “The Voice” by singing “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Just seconds into his audition, Chance the Rapper turned his chair in the hopes of securing Kawaʻa for his team.

Maui musician, Kamalei Kawaʻa, is among those who auditioned for Season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice,” he announced via his social media platforms on Thursday.

Maui Huliau Foundation and their program partners are again inviting Maui youth ages 13-21 to participate in two in-person events where students can learn hands-on career skills from professionals working to protect Maui’s natural resources and ecosystems from mauka to makai.

In attempts to avoid property loss or subdivision flooding, the County of Maui is planning to reinforce a portion of the Wailuku River bank near Wailuku Millyard. The county said it is consulting with stream advocacy group Hui o Nā Wai ʻEhā and will conduct work that won’t interrupt mauka-to-makai stream flow or the movement of aquatic species. It acknowledged that some stream projects have altered the delicate environment. 

The “Best of the Best” of E Kūpaʻa Kākou Hawaiian music series, is set to be live-streamed at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, Dec. 24. Some of the highlighted artists include Nā Wai ʻEhā, Amy Hanaialiʻi Gilliom and Kalani Peʻa.

Maui community groups Hui o Nā Wai ‘Ehā and Maui Tomorrow Foundation, who started this legal action 17 years ago to restore Nā Wai ‘Ehā stream flows diverted by plantations for 150 years, are expressing concerns about key parts of the decision they are hoping can be clarified or improved.

The mayor says his decision is expected to incentivize developers to build more units sooner by offering greater certainty to those seeking to build affordable rentals and attainable workforce housing.

The most comprehensive application of the Hawai‘i Water Code to water use and protection in history has been reached after more than two decades of conflict at Nā Wai ʻEhā on Maui, according to state officials. The term Nā Wai ʻEhā refers to the “four great waters of West Maui: Waihe’e, Waiehu, Wailuku, and Waikapū.

Kamalei Kawaʻa of Waiehu, Maui, and leader of the Grammy-nominated and four-time Nā Hōkū award-winning group Nā Wai ʻEhā, debuts his first solo recording and music video, Sweet Dreams Kuʻu Momi.

Kamalei Kawa‘a and Kalanikini Juan, members of the Grammy-nominated group Nā Wai ‘Eha took music classes at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College and gave their appreciation for the lessons they learned from the college.

The annual government bill includes funding for housing, roads, public transit, and infrastructure, as well as Native Hawaiian health and education programs.

Maui’s Nā Wai ʽEhā is the latest artist from Hawaii to be nominated for a Grammy award.  The four-member group from Wailuku, Maui is one of five finalists in the Best Regional Roots Music Album category for their sophomore release “Lovely Sunrise.” 

The Hawai‘i Academy of Recording Arts announced the nominees for this year’s Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards’ Favorite Entertainer of the Year.

E Kūpaʻa Kākou honors and celebrates the efforts of some of the 2020 Maui Nā Hoku Hanohano award nominees, accompanied by Maui hālau each Friday in September from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The series will be live streamed from the Maui Arts and Cultural Center.  There will be no in-person audience and the public is encouraged to view the stream online. 

The virtual concert will air on Friday, July 17, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. on Facebook Live.

Maui highlights include: $40 million for the widening of Puʻunēnē Avenue from Kamehameha Avenue to Kūihelani Highway; $11 million for Kāʻanapali Beach Restoration and Berm Enhancement; and $4 million for the acquisition of Nā Wai ʻEha as part of the CIP budget for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

This yearʻs theme is “I Mau ʻo Hawaiʻi He ʻĀina Aloha,” which is roughly translated as “In order to preserve Hawaiʻi as a beloved homeland.”