Holomua on Maui
Holomua on Maui
Where we are in the process…
The Holomua Marine Initiative launched the planning process on Maui first as a pilot, and then will continue island by island to ensure that enough resources and effort can be dedicated to the initiative as each island is unique and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. This initial pilot on Maui will help the Holomua team identify any strengths or opportunities in the planning process and approach, and allow the process to be adapted and revised as needed.
We are currently in Step 2 of the process, which involves the Maui Navigation Team- a group of community members who represent Maui ocean users and fishers, working closely with DAR and the Holomua team to identify management priorities for the island and draft management plans. The Navigation Team will utilize available science, Maui based data, and community input to set management goals and priorities for Maui’s nearshore reefs. Examples of management can include educational efforts, new or updated signage, enhanced outreach, restoration projects, additional monitoring, or the creation of new marine management areas.
What’s Next?
Building a management proposal…
The first Maui Navigation Team meeting took place on February 25, 2023 and served as an introductory meeting for the team to get to know each other and get situated in their role on drafting management goals, solutions and actions for Maui’s nearshore waters. The rest of the meetings will focus on diving into monitoring data and management tool options to start considering different management solutions to address the concerns voiced by the Maui community. Eventually a management proposal will be drafted and shared out with the broader Maui community for feedback and input sometime in Fall 2023.
Maui talk story sessions at a glance
The first step of the Holomua community planning process kicked-off with Talk Story sessions on Maui in October 2022. This process will be rolled out to each island over the next few years.
In late October 2022, DAR hosted three in-person talk story sessions/meetings in Wailuku, Lāhainā, and Hāna, where local residents shared their ideas on how we can work together to ensure that our ocean resources that sustain us can thrive today and for generations to come.
195 residents attended the talk story events where the community became familiar with the Holomua initiative, shared Maui stories of current management efforts, and offered an opportunity for DAR to gather the larger community’s input on the future of marine resource management for their island’s nearshore waters.
Posters and handouts from the in-person events
Photos from the events
Lahaina
Wailuku
Feedback and input from Maui fishers and community members at these TalkStory events
The following forms were provided by community members willing to participate in the community talk story session. The forms are being shared without revision (minus the personal phone numbers) in their own handwriting, and each template represents mana‘o from 2-6 Maui community members per form collaborating to provide their thoughts and ideas for a way forward for Maui.
Community Talk Story Event Feedback from Wailuku
Oct. 28, 2022
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Total pages: 5
Community Talk Story Event Feedback from Lahaina
Oct. 29, 2022
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Total pages: 4
Community Talk Story Event Feedback from Hāna
Oct. 30, 2022
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Total pages: 3
Community members from Maui shared their stories of current management efforts and inspiration for the future
The following notes were hand drawn live during the three unique Maui community story-sharing sessions.
Building the Navigation Team
Over 80 nominations for the Maui Island Navigation Team were submitted by residents and community members of Maui. All nominees were be contacted by DAR and asked if they were willing and interested in being part of the Navigation Team. More than 30 community members accepted their nominations and expressed interest by filling out a short questionnaire which gathered more information about who they are, how they fit the qualifications needed, and why they were excited to join the process. This information helped ensure that the Maui Navigation team is diverse and representative of various resource users and Maui moku.
An independent three-person selection committee that included Tamara Paltin, Jimmy Gomes, and Archie Kalepa made the difficult and final decision on the current 20-member Island Navigation Team. All of the information and submitted responses were carefully reviewed by the selection committee to ensure that the composition of the Maui Navigation Team matched the recommendations by the Maui community during the October Talk Story events, which included ensuring that each moku, various ocean users, and different types of fishers were represented as part of the team.
Meet the Selection Committee
Archie Kalepa is an accomplished waterman and lifeguard from Lāhainā, Maui who has spent much of his life in the water surfing, paddling, sailing, and keeping others safe.
Jimmy Gomes lives in Kula, Maui and served on the Board of Land and Natural Resources for 8 years which included engaging DAR with the goal of helping to find a balance for all our people in the State of Hawaiʻi.
Tamara Paltin was born and raised in Hawaiʻi nei, spending two decades as an Ocean Safety Officer on Maui and loves to spend time with family at the beach whether surfing, paddling canoe or free diving with her ʻohana.
Navigation Team Meetings
As the Maui process serves as a pilot for the initiative, DAR is committed to creating a space that will provide the best support and tools needed for the Maui Navigation Team to succeed. After taking into account the feedback received from the initial Navigation Team meeting held on February 25, 2023, DAR reflected that in planning for future meetings. The second meeting on April 29, 2023 was a more informal meeting to share information and discuss the various regulatory and non-regulatory tools within DAR’s authority that the Navigation Team can utilize in their proposed management strategies. Team members had lively conversations on potential ideas of management and how that would look like for different places on island. This meeting served to prepare everyone for the two-day in-person meeting currently being scheduled this summer, where the members will decide on what management tools would work best for the island of Maui.
