the ahupuaʻa o kahana cultural living park

171 Pages·2016·9.66 MB·English

TOWARDS CO-MANAGEMENT:
THE AHUPUAʻA O KAHANA
CULTURAL LIVING PARK
PLANNING PRACTICUM – FALL 2012
DEPARTMENT OF URBAN AND REGIONAL
PLANNING
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA
HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I
TOWARDS CO-MANAGEMENT:
The Ahupuaʻa ‘O Kahana Cultural Living Park

Planning Practicum Fall 2012
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Honolulu, Hawai‘i,
March 2013

Practicum Members
Alex Broner
Hisila Manandhar
Hril Siu
Lauren Esaki
Maile Norman
Mika Okuno
Priza Marendraputra
Rara KC
Tamanna Rahman

Faculty Participant
Professor Luciano Minerbi

Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors only and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the resource persons or any agency or organization mentioned
in this report. While efforts have been made to provide useful and reliable information, the
authors of this report, and the University of Hawaii, do not assume liability for any damages,
or misrepresentations caused by any inaccuracies in the data, or as a result of the use of the
data, and their use on a particular system. No warranty is expressed or implied, nor does the
availability of this report constitute such a warranty. The reader is encouraged to go to the
original data sources, maps, and their metadata for verification, as they derive from different
fields, methods, and tools. This report’s information and data are not for use in litigation. Its
intent is only for education and discussion.

Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 1
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This report is written by the Fall 2012 Graduate Planning Practicum of the
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai’i. Our practicum
team consisted of nine students from different educational backgrounds and
nationalities. The practicum has provided the students an opportunity to acquire
valuable knowledge and experience in collaborative planning and analysis in
community development. We learned about Hawaiian history, culture, archaeological
sites, land and ocean resources, and the challenges involved in community
planning. In particular, we reviewed plans, reports, and surveys about the Ahupuaʻa
O Kahana, as well as, conducted site visits, met with key stakeholders and “talked
story” with Kahana residents. Ahupuaʻa O Kahana has been an interesting and
complex case for us to learn about, and we are very much honored to study this
valley for the Kahana Planning Council (KPC). Overall, it has given us a practical
learning experience in working together with peers, our professor, and especially the
many Kahana residents and the Kahana Planning Council.

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to our professor, Dr. Luciano
Minerbi for guiding us through understanding the essence of the planning practicum.
His patience, time, and dedication to this project have helped in creating this report.
We are also grateful to the Kahana Planning Council for giving us the opportunities
to attend some of their monthly meetings, and to allow us to observe the Ahupuaʻa O
Kahana. In particular, we really appreciate all of the help from Renee Kamisugi, the
Kahana Park Manager of the Department of Land and Natural Resources and her
assistance with our site visit of Kahana. We would also like to extend our deepest
mahalo to Aunty May and Uncle Nana for their mana‘o during the site visit. We also
gained valuable information from respected guest speakers including: Ululani Beirne
(KPC member), Lauren Tanaka (State of Hawai‘i Planner), Sunny Greer (Kahana
resident), Ralph Makaiau (Former Chairperson of KPC), Ben Shafer (Current
Chairperson of KPC), and Laulani Teale (KPC member) .

Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Before Western contact, the ahupuaʻa, or Native Hawaiian land division of
resources from the mountain to the ocean, of Kahana was one of many ahupuaʻa on
O‘ahu. However, after subsequent urban and suburban development, Kahana is one
of the physically and functionally most intact ahupuaʻa, and the only State-owned
and managed ahupuaʻa on the island.

The circumstances surrounding Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State Park are unique,
and therein lies its many challenges. The 1970 purchase of the entire ahupuaʻa of
Kahana by the State of Hawai‘i Legislature served as a way to prevent large scale
commercial developments in the area, and also established it as a “cultural living
park.” The cultural living park concept aimed to protect Kahana’s natural resources
while allowing residents to continue living in Kahana, under the condition that they
maintained their traditional Hawaiian culture and shared it with visitors.

Since the establishment of the park, various plans for its management have
been created, though none were formally adopted. In the 1970s and 1980s there
was contention over a number of issues which led to the State Legislature
intervening in 1987 with Act 5. Act 5 called for DLNR to issue 65-year residential
leases to qualified individuals, and for residents to participate in the park’s “cultural
interpretive program” in lieu of cash payment for leases.

Act 5 established the fundamental character of the relationship between the
State and Kahana residents and specifies that in exchange for the lease, each
household is required to contribute 25 hours a month of labor towards the Cultural
Interpretive Program (CIP). However, since the passing of Act 5, a number of issues
and controversies have developed.

Over the years, communication difficulties have created challenges between
park personnel and residents to the detriment of the cultural interpretive program.
Some residents are fully up to date in their required hours, some have partially fallen
behind, while others are not participating in the program at all. Various physical
improvement projects such as fishpond restoration, a community center, and stream
clearance that were identified in the past have not yet been fully completed for a
number of reasons including lack of funding. Furthermore, while Act 5 does address
the issue of intergenerational transfer of existing leases, the ability to grant new
leases to these households was found to have expired. These households found
Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 3
themselves living in Kahana under “revocable permits” with no guarantee that they
would not be evicted in the future.

For all of these reasons the State Legislature passed Act 15 in 2009. Act 15
provided for:

• A 2 year moratorium (subsequently extended) on evictions for evictions from
the park
• Authorized the Department of Land and Natural Resources to issue long-term
residential leases to qualified persons; and
• Established the Kahana Planning Council to develop a master plan park that
will provide a framework, proposes rules, measurements for success, and
planning process.

In support of Act 15 and the work of the Kahana Planning Council, a team of
graduate students with the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the
University of Hawai‘i conducted research and wrote this report under the guidance of
Professor Luciano Minerbi, who is a non-voting member of the Kahana Planning
Council. After analyzing numerous documents on Kahana, the team developed a set
of conclusions and recommendations that touch on the acknowledgement of
Kahana’s complex history and demographics, approaches to natural resources and
environmental management, and strategies to effective co-governance. We hope
this report can serve as a reference for residents, stakeholders, and decision makers
in their efforts to construct a master plan that is reflective of the people, history, and
future vision of Kahana.

Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 4
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AKAC Aha Kiole Advisory Committee
BLNR Board of Land and Natural Resources
CIP Cultural Interpretive Program
CZM Coastal Zone Management
DBEDT Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
DOH Department of Health
DLNR Department of Land and Natural Resources
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
GIS Geographic Information System
GPS Global Positioning System
HACBED Hawaii Alliance of Community-Based Economic Development
HAR Hawaii Administrative Rules
HB House Bill
HoLIS Honolulu Land Information System
HRS Hawaii Revised Statute
KAB Kahana Advisory Board
KGC Kahana Governance Council
KAC Kahana Advisory Council
KPC Kahana Planning Council
KVAB Kahana Valley Advisory Board
KVLP Kahana Valley Living Park
KVSP Kahana Valley State Park
LUC Land Use Commission
NASS National Agricultural Statistics Service
NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
ORMP Ocean Resources Management Plan
QLCC Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center
SIA Social Impact Assessment
SB Senate Bill
SCR Senate Concurrent Resolution
SMA Special Management Area
SR Senate Resolution
USC United States Code

Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page & Disclaimer 1
Acknowledgements 2
Executive Summary 3
List of Abbreviation 5
CH.1 INTRODUCTION 9
1.1 Purpose of the Report 9
1.2 Structure of the Report 9
1.3 Methodology 10
1.3.1 Data Collection: 10
1.3.2 Data Analysis & Synthesis: 11
1.4 Limitations 11
CH.2 OVERVIEW OF HISTORY, PAST PLANS, BILLS AND ACTS 12
2.1 Pre Park History 12
2.1.1 Pre-Western Contact 12
2.1.2 Western Contact 12
2.1.3 The Great Mahele of 1848 13
2.1.4 The Kuleana Act of1850 13
2.1.5 Land Tenure Transactions 14
2.1.6 Robinson Agency Development Plan for Kahana Valley (1955) 16
2.2 Post Park History 17
2.2.1 The Comprehensive Plan for Hawai‘i State Parks (1962) 17
2.2.2 The Report Covering the Proposed Park Development of Kahana Valley
(1965) 17
2.2.3 Division of State Park commissioned Tongg Association Master Plan 18
for the development of Kahana Valley (1970) 18
2.2.4 Educational Program Plan by Department of Education and DLNR (1972) 19
2.2.5 Mogi Plan for Kahana Valley State Park (1974) 20
2.2.6 Mogi Revised Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (1978) 21
2.2.7 The Living Park Plan for Kahana People by the ʻOhana Unity Council (1979) 23
2.2.8 Kahana State Park Development Plan (Draft 7) (1985) 24
2.2.9 Kahana Valley Preliminary Project Plans by Hui Mālama ‘Āina o Kahana (1987) 26
2.2.10 Social Impact Assessment (SIA) of Kahana Valley State Park by Lewin (1992) 27
2.2.11 Environmental Assessment and Restoration/Revitalization Plan by Carol (1995) 28
2.3 Chronology of Kahana Valley 29
2.3.1 Chronological Table of Pre-Park and Post-Park History 29
2.3.2 Concluding Remarks 33
2.4 Bills and Acts 35
2.4.1 SR # 186 (1970) 35
2.4.2 Act 5 (1987) 36
2.4.3 Act 15 (2009) 38
2.4.4. H.B. # 1210 41
2.4.5 Analysis 41
2.5 Chronology of Bills and Acts 46
2.5.1 Sequential study of the Legislature Bills and Acts of Kahana Valley 46
2.5.2 Concluding Remarks 48
CH. 3 CURRENT CONDITIONS 50
3.1 Kahana’s Environmental Setting 50
Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 6
3.1.1 Description of Place 52
3.1.2 Land Tenure 58
3.1.3 Ahupuaʻa Zones 61
3.1.4 Conservation District 63
3.1.5 State Coastal Zone Management Program 66
3.1.6 Climate 68
3.1.7 Water Sources 68
3.1.8 Soil 74
3.1.9 Agriculture 83
3.1.10 Fishponds 86
3.1.11 Hazards 90
3.1.12 Population 94
3.1.13 Resource Potential 94
3.2 Socio-Economic Conditions 102
3.2.1 Population/ Demography 102
3.2.2 Socio-Economic Resources 104
3.2.3 Cultural Resources 110
3.2.4 Promotion of Socio-Cultural Resources 114
3.2.5 Challenges 117
CH. 4 GOVERNANCE 119
4.1 Importance of Governing Systems 119
4.1.1 Governance in the Past: A Brief Overview 119
4.2 Working towards Effective Governance 122
4.2.1 Resident Relationship with DLNR: Ho‘oponopono and Negotiation 122
4.2.2 Creating a Clear Understanding between Parties 123
4.2.3 Multi-Party Governance and Cooperation 124
4.2.4 Resident Self-Governance 124
4.3 Ahupuaʻa Management in Modern Times 128
4.3.1 Ahupuaʻa Management and Ecosystems Based Management 129
4.3.2 Developing an Ahupuaʻa Management Model for Kahana in Modern Times: 129
4.4 The ‘Aha Council 131
4.4.1 Reconciling the ʻAha Council with Western Governance Institutions 132
4.4.2 Traditional Ahupuaʻa Economy, Capitalism, and the Interpretive Hour Economy 132
4.4.3 The Market Economy and Traditional Resource Use 135
4.5 CONCLUSION: The Future in the Balance 136
CH. 5 NEXT STEPS 137
5.1 Ahupua´a Management in Modern Times 137
5.2 Hoʻoponopono 139
5.3 Implementation as Adaptation 140
5.4 Community Based Economic Development 141
5.5 Reconciling Ahupuaʻa and Contemporary Management 142
5.6 Finding Allies 145
5.7 Asset Mapping 147
5.8 Summary of Overall Recommendations: 148
5.9 Conclusion: Challenges and Opportunities 148
REFERENCES 149
APPENDIX A: TEMPLATE OF BUSINESS PLAN 154
APPENDIX B GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS OF AHUPUA’A O KAHANA 158
APPENDIX C STUDENTS PRESENTATION 167
Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 7
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 1 Chronological Table of Pre-Park and Post-Park History 29
Table 2 Chronologies of Bills and Acts 44
Table 3 Subzone Descriptions of Conservation Districts 62
Table 4 Soil and Land Condition Map of Kahana (1953) 76
Table 5 Important Laws and Regulations 87

Figure 1 Act 5 and Residential Leases 37
Figure 2 H. B. # 1450: Related to State Park 42
Figure 3 Arial view of Ahupuaʻa O Kahana 48
Figure 4. The ancient land divisions of Oʻahu with Kahana highlighted 49
Figure 5 Park Distribution Map 51
Figure 6 Government Plan 53
Figure 7 Residents Plan 54
Figure 8 Building Structure of Ahupuaʻa O Kahana in 1829, 1936 and 1992 55
Figure 9 Changes in Ownership Pattern 56
Figure 10 Land Tenure of Ahupuaʻa of Kahana 1913 58
Figure 11 Indigenous Management Models and Protection 60
Figure 12 State of Hawaii Conservation District Subzone 61
Figure 13 Special Management Area Map of Kahana 65
Figure 14 Streams in Kahana. (Hammond 1989) 67
Figure 15 Stream Corridor Concept 69
Figure 16 Permit Chart for Non-Governmental Activities in Streams and Wetlands 70
Figure 17 Hand Labor and Equipment Comparison Chart 71
Figure 18 Dominant Soil Types in Kahana 73
Figure 19 Soil Characterstics in Ahupuaʻa O Kahana 74
Figure 20 Sketch Map of 1953 Kahana Land Condition 79
Figure 21 Georeferenced Map of 1953 Kahana Land Condition 80
Figure 22 1953 Archaelogy Map 83
Figure 23 Map of Huilua Fishpond in 1920 (Apple 1975) 85
Figure 24 Location of three Known Fishponds 86
Figure 25 Flood Zones and Contour Lines 89
Figure 26 Tsunami Evacuation Zone 96
Figure 27 Land Use Map in 1953 93
Figure 28 Vegetation Map 1974 94
Figure 29 Household Income Distribution in Kahana Ahupuaʻa 103
Figure 30 Educational Attainment Chart (in Kahana and Hawaii) 106
Figure 31 Kahana Archaelogical Sites Map 110
Figure 32 Archaelogical and Histrocial Structures 111
Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 8
CHAPTER 1
1 INTRODUCTION

Kahana is a unique place representing the last mostly intact Ahupuaʻa on
O‘ahu. Kahana’s residents represent a culture and lifestyle which still has strong
links to traditional Hawaiian and plantation era customs. Kahana was established as
the State of Hawai‘i’s only “cultural living park” in order to preserve, promote, and
learn from Kahana and its residents. The uniqueness of Kahana does however lead
to some challenges which must be addressed if the vision of the cultural living park
and the aspirations of its residents are to be achieved.

1.1 Purpose of the Report

The primary purpose of this research is to produce a document or some
supportive deliverables that would help the Department of Land and Natural
Resources (DLNR), the Kahana Planning Council (KPC) and the residents of
Kahana Valley in making Kahana Valley a thriving cultural living park. We hope that
this research will serve as a useful reference in formulating a master plan for the
cultural living park.
Additionally, this research assists the students of this Planning Practicum in
learning about community planning. The project has helped us in understanding a
process that involves local residents, social organizations, and government
agencies.

1.2 Structure of the Report

This report consists of five chapters.
Chapter one explains the purpose of this report, structure of the report, and
research methodology.
Chapter two summarizes and analyzes history, past plans, bills, and acts in
order to contextualize past and current planning efforts in Kahana Valley, while
assessing the opportunities and challenges that are also present.
Chapter three describes the existing environmental and social conditions in
Kahana in order to identify strengths, areas for improvement.
Fall 2012 Plan 751 Practicum – Ahupuaʻa O Kahana Page 9