Department of Land and Natural Resources

(Hakipu‘u) – The Trust for Public Land (TPL), Hoʻāla ‘Āina Kūpono (Hoʻāla), the Fukumitsu ‘ohana, Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (HILT), the City and County of Honolulu’s Clean Water and Natural Lands Program (CWNL), and DLNR’s Legacy Land Conservation Program (LLCP) announce the acquisition and protection of 1.5 acres known as Hakipu‘u Lo‘i Kalo located in Hakipu‘u, Ko‘olaupoko, O‘ahu. 

For over a decade the Hakipu‘u community and kuleana descendants have been working to protect Hakipu‘u Lo‘i Kalo. This lo‘i kalo (wetland taro patch) sits at the foot of the Ko‘olau mountains, Kāneʻohe Bay, and neighboring Mōliʻi Fishpond. These lo‘i have been in active cultivation since ancient times, and are some of the last lo‘i in Hakipu‘u; a place once overseen by Hawaiʻi’s kahu, and revered to this day for its traditional navigators. 

Threatened by development and an end to kalo farming and community access,  TPL worked in partnership with the Hakipu‘u community for more than 8 years to find a conservation solution to protect these lo‘i. TPL took out a loan in 2016 to purchase the land and acted as a temporary owner, allowing the community time to raise the funds to purchase the property. TPL led efforts to raise $1 million to purchase and protect Hakipu‘u Lo‘i Kalo and convey it to community ownership under Ho’āla ‘Āina Kūpono. 

“We were humbled to work closely with the Hakipu‘u community, the Fukumitsu ‘ohana, and Ho’āla ‘Āina Kūpono to protect Hakipu‘u Lo‘i Kalo. This community teaches all of us by example, what it means to mālama ʻāina. We are confident that under community stewardship, Hakipu‘u Lo‘i will thrive and live on as a stronghold of Hawaiian agriculture and cultural practice,” said Reyna Ramolete Hayashi, TPL Project Manager.. 

The City and County of Honolulu’s Clean Water and Natural Lands Program acquired a real property interest in the form of a conservation easement valued at $650,000, and the State of Hawai‘i’s Legacy Land Conservation Program granted $350,000 to Hoʻāla ‘Āina Kūpono to purchase and protect the land.