As the third generation of his family born and raised on Lānaʻi, Kurt Matsumoto joined Oracle Corp. founder and billionaire Larry Ellison’s company, Pūlama Lāna’i, in late 2012. He said he wasn’t its first employee but came on board the same year it was formed (when Ellison purchased 98% of the island).
“The biggest change over time is that the island used to be a completely dedicated pineapple plantation. And now, there’s no pineapple grown at all. We have two hotels now, but as you drive through town, a lot of it still looks the same as it did when I was growing up.
“It’s a classic picture of rural America – kids walking to school and the neighbors all looking out for each other,” he said.
When asked what initially drew him to the role, Matsumoto said, “The opportunity to work with somebody like Larry Ellison and help the island have a chance at reaching sustainability is, of course, very attractive.”
That, and giving back to the island that raised him, he noted, adding, “I owe a lot to growing up on Lānaʻi and I look forward to continuing to create positive change.”
Pūlama Lānaʻi, a land and resource management company controlling Ellison’s holdings, aims to preserve Native Hawaiian culture and the ‘āina, as well as build community and economic opportunities, according to its website.
Delivering more affordable housing is one thing Matsumoto is proud of. “We just got done adding 150 new workforce rental homes – that’s a 10% increase in housing.”
Spanning 76 acres, Hōkūao, is the first housing development to be built on the island in 30 years. More than half of the single-family homes are affordable, with the remaining at market rates.
“Lānaʻi has some of the lowest rental costs in the entire state,” he said citing the Hawai‘i Housing Factbook 2025 by The University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization. According to report, median rent in ZIP code 96763 is $1,087 and the median single-family home price is $675,000.
For a population of over 3,000, there are more than 1,500 housing units on island. Matsumoto estimated that the island’s number of employed workers is close to 1,600.
Pūlama Lānaʻi directly employs 400 workers, he said. “We have an entire leasing and maintenance operation, so we’re the ones repairing homes and making housing available when new employees arrive on the island. On the commercial side, we own the grocery store, the gas station, the theater, and coming soon, a new bowling alley.
“It’s all about making the lifestyle on the island more manageable, making access to goods and services easier and less expensive,” Matsumoto continued. “Prior to us owning the gas station, gas prices were the highest in the state. Now, we're the lowest.”
In addition to a barge that brings in goods once a week, Pūlama Lānaʻi covers the cost of flying things in “to keep the shelves full,” he said.
This year, one of the company’s goals is to demolish the old, shuttered bowling alley and build a brand new one with a full-service restaurant and ’50s diner theme by November.
Other priorities include building more houses and outdoor art installations; upgrading the water system; and contining efforts to fence off 20,000 acres from mauka to makai to keep sheep and deer out and revegetate the land, Matsumoto said.
“The focus is really about making the lifestyle on Lānaʻi better for the people who live there. We’re not developing luxury homes for sale or only catering to visitors, we want to keep employment up, too,” he said.
In 2015, Pūlama Lānaʻi and the University of Hawai‘i Maui College launched its dual credit program, which allows Lāna‘i students to earn both a high school diploma and college credit. This year, 15 high school seniors participated from Lāna‘i High & Elementary School, the only school on the island, bringing the total to more than 200 students over 10 years.
“Reaching 10 years is a significant milestone. We started off as way to supplement what happens at school. But it’s turned into a pathway for kids to save money for their families and help achieve their higher education goals.”
Matsumoto said Lāna‘i High & Elementary School’s graduation rate had been high, but the matriculation rate was “well below the state average.”
“So, this has really changed that dynamic and has had a good impact on youth on island. Being able to see the results of the things we’re committed to is rewarding," he said. "All of our projects are being funded by Larry and it's all part of his commitment to the island and residents.”
He added, Lānaʻi students have come back home after going away to college to work on island, and even with Pūlama Lānaʻi.
“Within our workforce, of the people who serve in manager and director roles, close to 50% of them are either from Lānaʻi, meaning graduated from high school here, or they lived on Lānaʻi for 20 years or more. So, yes, we do have challenges filling holes, but we really try to invest in people, train them up and find appropriate work for them, which goes back to our role of enriching the community.”
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
