Viewpoints
Expert takes and informed perspectives.
Here you’ll find recurring and one-time local commentary on Hawai‘i’s most pressing community and policy issues. We seek out in-depth analysis, solution-driven views and special expertise. If there’s something on your mind that you’re an expert on, email the editor at kam@alohastatedaily.com for consideration.
Community Voices: By Restoring Our Reefs We Restore Ourselves
When corals are ripped out, we lose more than coral — we lose shelter for reef life, habitat for fish, and part of the reef’s natural ability to take the punch out of waves before they reach our shoreline. That loss affects our food systems, livelihoods and community health, says Alika Peleholani Garcia, executive director of Kuleana Coral Restoration.
Alika Peleholani GarciaJuly 08, 2026
Community Voices: Are your trees ready for hurricane season?
As hurricane season unfolds, it's worth remembering that preparing for storms isn't only about what we store in our closets or garages. It's also about caring for the living infrastructure that surrounds us.
Daniel Dinell & Carol KwanJuly 03, 2026
From Waipahu to Italy: Remembering Staff Sgt. Grover Kazutomi Nagaji
Born and raised in Waipahu, Nagaji joined the U.S. Army on March 25, 1943. He became a proud member of the 100th Infantry Battalion (Separate), 34th Infantry Division, and trained at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. One year later, he was deployed to Europe, where he saw action in Italy as part of the Allied campaign against German forces.
John DekhaneJuly 03, 2026
Community Voices: Commercial fishing is not a cultural practice
Rather than framing ocean protection as a burden, we should instead ask why Pacific Island peoples, and our protected and sacred oceans, are forced to bear the unfair burden of industrial fishing, write two members of the Papahānaumokuākea Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group.
Hau‘oli Lorenzo-Elarco and Kenika Lorenzo-ElarcoJuly 01, 2026
Community Voices: Why homeownership matters for Hawaiʻi's future
As affordability challenges continue to shape the housing conversation, expanding access to education, resources and pathways to ownership remains critical for local residents — and the Realtors who represent them.
Suzanne YoungJune 30, 2026
Community Voices: Legislative outcomes underscore the need for continued advocacy
Only one of the six OHA package bills introduced to directly benefit the Native Hawaiian community was ultimately transmitted to the governor for signature. Here's a rundown of the victories and losses from the 2026 legislative session, per the organization that aims to protect Native Hawaiian rights.
Leināʻala LeyJune 22, 2026
Beyond Tax Relief: Delivering Real Housing Solutions for Hawaiʻi
While tax relief puts vital funds back into the pockets of working families, the state cannot stem the tide of out-migration without taking aggressive action on housing.
Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, Sen. Sharon Moriwaki & and Sen. Troy HashimotoJune 18, 2026
Community Voices: 'Finding landfills is never easy'
Counties face growing landfill challenges. “It’s just regular language, ʻthrow it away,’” said Allison Fraley, Solid Waste Division chief, County of Kauaʻi. “There is no ʻaway’ here on the island.”
Donalyn Dela CruzJune 17, 2026
Community Voices: What preserving Papahānaumokuākea means below the surface
Marine debris from lost or discarded commercial fishing nets to plastic and other waste carried to the ocean by streams, rivers and lakes, does not simply disappear at sea. Much of the debris collected in the massive Great Pacific Garbage Patch north of Hawaiʻi eventually converges on our shores — especially in Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. Despite relatively little of this waste originating in Hawaiʻi, our local community continues bearing the responsibility of ongoing cleanup efforts to protect one of the most sacred and ecologically significant places on Earth.
Philamer FelicitasJune 09, 2026
Community Voices: When Congestion Rules All
Honolulu DTS director of transit Jon Nouchi is set to lead a public discussion about human transit on June 27 at AIA Hawaiʻi's book club, which this quarter aims to examine how public transit influences connectivity, community planning and the future of Honolulu’s urban spaces. Nouchi gives ASD readers a taste of the upcoming conversation.
Jon NouchiJune 09, 2026
Community Voices: 'Reestablishing food sovereignty for Hawaiʻi is a kākou effort'
Adapted from an undergraduate research thesis, student Rose Angelo talks with Maui community members about Hawaiʻi's "drastic change in food production and security, and how can Hawaiians come together to steward the land and their communities."
Rose AngeloJune 03, 2026
Community Voices: How Hawaiʻi parents can set kids free from digital addiction
A Mililani mom and certified life coach/private tutor shares tips on how local families can break free from daily struggles with screen time.
Karen K.C. GibsonJune 02, 2026
Community Voices: The people who will save Hawai‘i
Katie Chang, executive director of Center for Tomorrow's Leaders, talks about why she's bullish on Hawai‘i's future. She sees a thousand reasons each year — the number of student leaders in CTL's programs who are going to fight for their Hawai‘i.
Katie ChangMay 25, 2026
Community Voices: From resistance to regeneration at Waipā
Waipā’s efforts have expanded beyond growing food. They are also raising future farmers and community advocates. The valley serves as an outdoor classroom, providing educational programs for schools, families and community members.
Philamer FelicitasMay 25, 2026
Community Voices: Why is Haleakalā a sacred place?
On Haleakalā, the land from where the forest begins up to the summit is considered a wao akua (realm of gods). The summit itself is called the piko, or highest point, which draws down nourishment that feeds the entire, living, breathing mountain system.
Hina KneubuhlMay 19, 2026
Community Voices: Last week to apply for OHA’s Mahiʻai Micro Fund Program
Farmers impacted by the recent Kona Low storms may be eligible for awards of up to $5,000, while other eligible farmers may receive awards of up to $3,000 to support ongoing operational costs. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 15.
Bill BrennanMay 11, 2026
Community Voices: Hawaiʻi’s rural nurses hold the line. It’s time the state holds them up
In honor of National Nurses Day on May 6, HPU School of Nursing Dean Edna Magpantay-Monroe shares how the state has begun to take steps to strengthen rural health infrastructure, though more work is needed.
Edna Magpantay-MonroeMay 06, 2026
Community Voices: More on the Menehune
Famous to this day are the Menehune's wondrous works: Kīkī-a-Ola irrigation canal of Waimea; the koa forest and home of Hālau-a-Ola; the walkway through Alakaʻi, Kīpapa-a-Ola; and, this wondrous work, ʻAlekoko Fishpond, also called the “Menehune Fishpond.”
Kalani AkanaMay 05, 2026
Community Voices: Bound by ropes
In the mid-19th century, Hawaiian Catholics were frequently persecuted for their faith. One story recalls how Hawaiians in Kahikinui were rounded up by sheriffs, bound to one another in ropes, and marched along the Hāna coastline 90 miles to Wailuku.
Kalani AkanaApril 28, 2026
Community Voices: Combining career and kuleana in California
Jessica Kaʻiulani Hilo, who lives in Los Angeles, found strength intertwining her career goals with her Kānaka identity. “For being in the diaspora, I very much lucked out in still being very connected to the culture,” she said.
Megan Ulu-Lani BoyantonApril 24, 2026
Community Voices: The Menehune: A true race of people
Origins of the Menehune you may not be aware of.
Kalani AkanaApril 23, 2026
Community Voices: Hawaiʻi Women Lawyers opens doors for generations
The organization was started in 1976 by attorney Rai Saint Chu.
Richard TurbinApril 21, 2026
Rising pro surfer Kalā DeSoto finds purpose in the ocean
In January, 18-year-old surfer Kalānōweo DeSoto from Mākaha became the youngest invitational surfer to win Da Hui Backdoor Shootout held on Oʻahu's North Shore — and the only competitor in event history to win titles in both longboard and shortboard categories. Learn more about what got him in the water and his hopes for the next competition and beyond.
Donalyn Dela CruzApril 15, 2026
Community Voices: A story of enduring love
Beyond training people to preserve and perpetuate hula through hālau Nā Pualei o Likolehua, founder Leināʻala Kalama Heine wanted to instill in her students a love for all that is Hawaiian and determination to move the lāhui forward. Now under the leadership of her oldest daughter, Kumu Hula Niuliʻi Heine, the hālau is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year at the Merrie Monarch Festival.
Puanani Fernandez-AkamineApril 09, 2026
Community Voices: Help Hawai‘i farmers recover
An anonymous donor secured by Aloha State Daily will match dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000, donations made to the Hawai‘i Farmers Union Foundation's Hawai‘i Flood Response Fund.
Christian ZuckermanApril 08, 2026
Community Voices: The first coconut grove planted on Maui in over 100 years
The idea for Uluniu o Kapuawailana emerged about two years ago when Collier crossed paths with Niu Now members Indrajit Gunasekara, Kekaula Hanohano and Jesse Mikasobe-Kealiinohomoku. Together, they envisioned a way to reconnect people with coconut as a cultural responsibility and a foundation of food sovereignty.
Annabelle Le JeuneMarch 30, 2026
Community Voices: Building pilina on the Continent
Oregon- and Washington-serving nonprofit Olekona Hawaiian Civic Club's vision continues to center on Prince Kūhiō’s call to uplift the lāhui beyond the pae ʻāina. This is accomplished through scholarships, support for Native Hawaiian artists and businesses, increased access to health and traditional food services, the opening of spaces to learn mele, hula, oli, and traditional crafts, and culturally immersive summer programs.
Jayden Kepoʻo-CaspinoMarch 24, 2026
Community Voices: Threats to Greenland recall the annexation of Hawaiʻi
In Nuuk, the capital of Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), thousands gathered in what the Naalakkersuisut (the Greenlandic government) described as the largest protest in the country’s history. Similarly, Kanaka Maoli march annually to mark 133 years since the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. For both island homelands, foreign powers attempt to determine their futures.
Adam Keawe Manalo-CampMarch 17, 2026
Community Voices: Understanding Blood Quantum
It was not until the 1921 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act was passed by the U.S. Congress, with language defining “natives” as those individuals having 50% or more Hawaiian blood, that the idea of “blood quantum” to determine our Hawaiian-ness was introduced into the consciousness of our people.
Puanani Fernandez-AkamineMarch 09, 2026
Community Voices: A quiet pillar of the Polynesian voyaging renaissance
Milton “Shorty” Gervin Bertelmann (Aug. 15, 1947 – Nov. 26, 2025) was an extraordinary leader of Hōkūleʻa, who sailed twice from Hawai'i to Tahiti. Across his journeys, he raised the bar of excellence for voyaging, establishing rigorous standards of training, safety, preparation and conduct that remain foundational today.
Polynesian Voyaging SocietyMarch 03, 2026
Community Voices: Reviving Hawaiʻi’s extreme sport
Tom Pōhaku Stone, a waterman, cultural practitioner and educator, brought back heʻe hōlua, or land sledding, and is considered to be Hawaiʻi’s foremost expert in the sport. For the last 30 years, Stone has ridden his papa hōlua (sled) on ancient hōlua slides and grassy hills across the pae‘āina.
Puanani Fernandez-AkamineFebruary 23, 2026
Community Voices: Civic engagement does not negate nationhood
In the 19th century, organizations such as Hui Kālaiʻāina and Hui Aloha ʻĀina mobilized tens of thousands of Kānaka Maoli to defend constitutional governance, national sovereignty and the authority of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Adam Keawe Manalo-CampFebruary 16, 2026
Community Voices: Maintaining Hilo's Keaukaha Beach Park
A recent cleanup at Puhi Bay was initiated to utilize community resources and ʻike to support the park's transition into community-driven management. Discussions remain ongoing between Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and Keaukaha Community Association, which helped organize the event called “People for Puhi,” along with the group, Kānewala.
Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi February 10, 2026
Community Voices: Beyond the poverty line: Why income alone doesn't tell Hawaiʻi's economic story
Several states and regions have created multidimensional poverty measures tailored to their specific contexts. Hawaiʻi could do the same.
Corey IdleburgFebruary 07, 2026
Community Voices: Bringing hula to Kentucky
As an alakaʻi of Kumu Kawika Keikialiʻi Alfiche, Kaila Chung has led Hui Kaululehua in Louisville since 2022.
Megan Ulu-Lani BoyantonFebruary 04, 2026
Community Voices: Finding her niche in repatriation
Sarah Sissum serves as the repatriation fellow at the Field Museum’s Center for Repatriation, Tribal Relations, and Provenance Research in Chicago. There, she helps facilitate the return of human remains and sacred objects to their respective Indigenous communities.
Megan Ulu-Lani BoyantonJanuary 26, 2026