Keliʻi Akina
Keli‘i Akina, Ph.D., is president and CEO of Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i.
Latest from Keliʻi Akina
Community Voices: Will sky-high Skyline costs ever stop climbing?
"So far, every request for more money or an extension of the county’s general excise tax surcharge has come with detailed justification," writes Keli‘i Akina. "What we haven’t seen is any attempt to reassure taxpayers that fiscal accountability is an important part of the plan."
Keliʻi AkinaAugust 19, 2026
Community Voices: Grassroot still stands with Lahaina, three years later
"I’m not sure I believe Hawaiʻi residents are losing interest in Lahaina," writes Keli‘i Akina on the day of the three-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires. "As president of the Grassroot Institute, I promise you that our team remains as committed as ever to Maui’s recovery."
Keliʻi AkinaAugust 11, 2026
Community Voices: Empty homes tax just empty promises
Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i helped persuade the Honolulu Charter Commission to not advance a poorly conceived empty homes tax to the ballot. Instead, as GIH proposes, improvements to zoning and permitting could speed the supply of housing.
Keliʻi AkinaJuly 26, 2026
Community Voices: Planting the seeds for progress
Two laws supported by Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i have passed, allowing farmers to run home kitchen operations on their properties and build on-site housing for much-needed workers.
Keliʻi AkinaJuly 14, 2026
Community Voices: When licensing goes too far
Highlights from Grassroot’s annual legislative wrap-up visits, including how a hair braider in Hawaiʻi got their license to open a small business.
Keliʻi AkinaJune 30, 2026
Community Voices: Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi turns 25, same year U.S. turns 250
A personal invite to Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi's 25th Anniversary Gala on Sept. 4. The theme of the evening is "The Freedom to Thrive," and will bring together Grassroot’s friends from around the Islands and the country to enjoy a meal, open bar, entertainment and more.
Keliʻi AkinaJune 23, 2026
Community Voices: Defending the First Amendment
New law, known as Act 11, will prohibit groups you might normally think of as representing you from saying anything about candidates for public office, ballot measures or political parties. Learn more about the lawsuit filed by Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi.
Keliʻi AkinaJune 16, 2026
Community Voices: Lawmakers choose innovation over red tape
We can’t predict whether seagliders will take off as an efficient and economical way to travel interisland, but it is nice to know that efforts are being made to ensure the potential growth of a new industry will not be held back by unnecessary regulations, writes Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i's Keli‘i Akina.
Keliʻi AkinaJune 02, 2026
Community Voices: A good lesson in curtailing government growth
Kudos to Councilmember Val Okimoto and the Honolulu Budget Committee, which made the fiscally responsible decision this week to ax most of the funding for the city’s Office of Economic Recovery.
Keliʻi AkinaMay 26, 2026
Community Voices: More housing reforms for Hawaiʻi
If the governor approves these particular measures, 2026 will go down as yet another year in which the Legislature made significant progress toward resolving Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis.
Keliʻi AkinaMay 18, 2026
Community Voices: Historic 2024 tax cuts rescued for majority of Hawai‘i residents
Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i played a part in convincing the Legislature to preserve nearly all of the promised tax cuts that had been poised for repeal at the start of the session.
Keliʻi AkinaMay 11, 2026
Community Voices: Untangling occupational licensing rules
If passed, Senate Bill 2876 would replace burdensome cosmetology licensing requirements for natural hair braiders with a simple registration. This is a step in the right direction for local entrepreneurs, Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i notes.
Keliʻi AkinaMay 07, 2026
Community Voices: The unintended consequences of transfer taxes
Studies on the effect of real estate transfer taxes in general have found they are associated with reductions in investment, income, jobs and economic activity. It's also likely to make the state’s housing crisis worse, per Grassroot Institute of Hawai‘i.
Keliʻi AkinaApril 29, 2026
Community Voices: When good bills go bad
Several of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi’s priority measures still in play aim to make a dent in Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis.
Keliʻi AkinaApril 21, 2026
Community Voices: How building new homes benefits everyone
Several remaining reforms in the state Legislature propose more housing in Hawaiʻi at all levels, without spending a dime of taxpayer money. But how will legislators respond?
Keliʻi AkinaApril 14, 2026
Community Voices: The Legislature found $150 million. So where’s our tax relief?
Gov. Josh Green kicked off this year’s session claiming the state’s budget crunch is so bad that it justifies “pausing” the phase-in of the historic income tax cuts he signed into law in 2024. If that’s true, why has the Legislature put forth a budget that blows past his suggested spending by more than $195 million?
Keliʻi AkinaMarch 30, 2026
Community Voices: Is the Jones Act finally sinking?
President Donald Trump recently issued a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act and within 24 hours, foreign ships were being chartered to carry essential goods. When nearly every emergency, from hurricanes to military action, raises the need for a Jones Act waiver, it is time to stop issuing temporary waivers and start looking at permanent reform.
Keliʻi AkinaMarch 23, 2026
Community Voices: Housing bills looked like winners, until they didn’t
This is regrettable not just because of what it means for Hawaiʻi’s ongoing housing crisis, but also because of the way it happened.
Keliʻi AkinaMarch 18, 2026
Community Voices: Fighting to save Hawai‘i's income tax cuts
Bills before the Legislature to claw back tax relief were met with stiff opposition from voters. These proposals to abandon announced tax relief have eroded public trust — and raised a lot of questions about our government’s commitment to reducing Hawai‘i’s cost of living.
Keliʻi AkinaMarch 10, 2026
Community Voices: The hidden problem with emergency powers
Bills currently before the Legislature would put some much needed restrictions on Hawai‘i's emergency powers law, which grant the governor and mayors extraordinary control with little accountability. They would also provide the Legislature with the means to end a declared emergency.
Keliʻi AkinaMarch 02, 2026
Community Voices: Time to tackle Hawaiʻi’s health care crisis
There are several significant health care bills still making their way through the Legislature. Perhaps the most important are those that would reform the state’s medical “certificate of need” regulations.
Keliʻi AkinaFebruary 24, 2026