Category: Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Maui residents ask Alexander & Baldwin for 15% of Central Maui lands for the future

Advocates for affordable housing, local food, and the environment come together to plan for Maui’s sustainable future

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI (Tuesday, April 24) — Maui residents presented a petition with over 1,000 signatures this morning to Alexander & Baldwin, asking the corporation to make 15% of their Central Maui lands available for local food production, affordable housing, and conservation. The petition, started by the Hukilike no Maui: Together for Maui, asks A&B to invest in Maui’s future by selling or donating approximately 5,000 acres to parties interested in small scale agriculture, affordable housing communities, and conservation easements.

“Our message was very well received today by A&B,” said Angel Mau, a Hukilike coalition member who attended the shareholder meeting. “We were even able to talk with Christopher Benjamin, Alexander & Baldwin’s CEO and president, after the meeting. He expressed his gratitude for us sharing our ideas and we look forward to meeting with them again soon,” said Mau.

“A lot of Maui residents are concerned about the future of the 30,000 acres in Central Maui that were formerly sugar cane,” said Lucienne De Naie, longtime Huelo resident and coalition member who also attended the shareholder meeting. “This coalition is really flipping those concerns around and creating a positive conversation about Maui’s future. Today’s meeting helped us confirm that it is possible,” said De Naie.

The 5,000 acres that the Hukilike Coalition is asking for includes plans for sustainable communities in Puʻunēnē and Haliʻimaile that are integrated with affordable housing and small scale agriculture for local food production. The coalition also seeks land for the preservation of natural and cultural resources at Baldwin Beach Park, Maʻalaea Bay, Kealia Pond, and Waiʻale sand dunes and reservoir. The public can sign onto the petition at hukilikenomaui.org

“Like all corporations A&B is largely focused around maximizing their profit for their shareholders, but they have supported the community in the past and we hope they continue to do so in the future,” said Jerry Riverstone, a recent Maui resident and coalition supporter. “They expressed their intent on taking the future of Hawaiʻi seriously at the meeting today and working in partnership with the community. I am optimistic that this coalition will be able to work closely with A&B to create a holistic, sustainable future for Maui and beyond,” said Riverstone.

After the meeting, Maui residents returned to share with the community the outcome of the meeting. Residents gathered outside the A&B office in Kahului to hear the news and stand in solidarity with the over 1,000 petition signatures and a dozen local organizations expressing their support for a brighter future for Maui.

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About Hukilike no Maui: Formed in 2017, Hukilike no Maui is a coalition of affordable housing advocates, local food production advocates, environmentalists, and Maui residents that recognized the need to unite to advocate for the sustainable future of their island. The coalition aims to create space for Maui’s communities to be an active part in the future of A&B’s former sugar cane land.

**Media Advisory** April 24, 2018

Maui residents ask Alexander & Baldwin for 15% of Central Maui lands for the future
Advocates for affordable housing, local food, and the environment come together to plan for Maui’s sustainable future

WHAT: 
Oʻahu– Maui residents, shareholders, and allies present petition at Alexander & Baldwin’s annual shareholder meeting, asking A&B to release 15% of their Central Maui lands as an investment in Maui’s communities to ensure a holistic and sustainable future for the island. The petition, started by Hukilike no Maui: Together for Maui, with over 1,000 signatures asks A&B to sell or donate 5,000 acres of their former sugar cane land to public or private entities to establish small scale agriculture, affordable housing, and managed open spaces. Press conference with Maui residents, shareholders, and allies to follow.

Maui– “15% for the Future” advocates will come together outside the Alexander & Baldwin office in Kahului to demonstrate their support for local food production, affordable housing, and protected wahi pana in Central Maui.

OʻAHU: A&B SHAREHOLDER MEETING & PRESS CONFERENCE

WHO:Maui residents & Hukilike Coalition supporters Angel Mau, Lucienne DeNaie, Clare Apana, Jerry Riverstone, Adriane Raff Corwin
WHERE: Hokulei Ballroom, Dole Cannery, 735 Iwilei Road, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
WHEN:Tuesday, April 24, 8-9:15 am, press conference to follow in lawn outside Dole Cannery Theatre on Iwilei Road
VISUALS:Press conference with Maui residents and allies, matching shirts, banners, signs. Hukilike Coalition supporters available for comment.

MAUI: RALLY IN SUPPORT, OUTSIDE A&B KAHULUI OFFICE

WHO: Lehua Simon, Mālamalama Maui; Stan Franco, FACE Maui; Rob Weltman, Sierra Club Maui Group
WHERE:11 S. Puʻunēnē Avenue, on the sidewalk outside Alexander & Baldwin’s Maui office
WHEN:Tuesday, April 24, 12-2pm
VISUALS:Maui residents and allies gathering in solidarity to support the 15% for the Future campaign, local musicians, banners, signs

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About Hukilike no Maui: Formed in 2017, Hukilike no Maui is a coalition of affordable housing advocates, local food production advocates, environmentalists, and Maui residents that recognized the need to unite to advocate for the sustainable future of their island. The coalition aims to create space for Maui’s communities to be an active part in the future of A&B’s former sugar cane land.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New coalition brings together Maui residents to rally for new uses of A&B’s former sugar cane lands

Advocates for affordable housing, local food, and the environment come together to plan for Maui’s sustainable future

KAHULUI, HAWAIʻI (Wednesday, April 18) — The end of commercial sugarcane cultivation on thousands of acres in Central Maui that are held by Alexander & Baldwin poses challenges but is also tremendous opportunity to address many of the long-standing problems facing the people of Maui. The island’s population continues to grow as tourism reaches new levels, all the while Maui residents are priced out of their homes, the majority of the food is imported, and unique environments and culturally sensitive lands are destroyed or access is denied.

Maui could have a very different future, one that meets the needs of its people while continuing to offer its beauty and cultural legacy for the world to enjoy. The Hukilike No Maui: Together for Maui Coalition seeks to bring together communities that advocate for affordable housing, small scale agriculture, and conservation to create a brighter future for Maui. The coalition was started by long-time Maui advocates for affordable housing, agriculture, and the environment.

“In 2017, the Hukilike Coalition did an affordable housing survey where we asked residents to tell us about their problems with housing on Maui. The responses were sobering: so many people who have lived here for generations are not seeing a future on this island because they can’t afford to buy or rent housing in this market,” said Rob Weltman, chairperson of the Sierra Club Maui Group and member of the Hukilike No Maui Coalition. “It’s clear the island’s environmental resources are under stress, but so are Maui’s people. We need to build far more affordable housing and expand our local food production.”

While not always seeing eye to eye in the past, the Hukilike partners understand that these problems are interconnected and progress in these areas requires working together to identify land use solutions that meet the needs of the whole community. This requires a new, holistic, and collaborative approach to planning that looks beyond individual parcels and projects and takes into account the long-term and complete requirements for infrastructure, jobs, education, retail, services, and recreation, as well as protecting the quality of our ʻāina, kai, wai, and the integrity of our special places.

“For too long, there has been too much animosity between the groups about how to develop this island. Now we’re coming together to listen to each other’s concerns and make a decision together,” said Stan Franco, FACE Maui Housing Co-Chair and member of the coalition. “No single person or organization has answers to all the challenges. But working collectively with the community, big, innovative solutions can be found.”

After a year of meeting with stakeholders, the coalition publicly announced its first campaign, “15% for the Future,” which petitions Alexander & Baldwin to donate or allow the sale of lands in Puʻunēnē and Haliʻimaile to local entities to establish small scale agriculture to serve the community’s needs and affordable housing for Maui residents. The Hukilike Coalition is also asking A&B to create permanent conservation easements or donate particular areas that have cultural and environmental significance, and make arrangements for those lands to be cared for by local cultural practitioners. The public can sign onto the petition at hukilikenomaui.org

“All of Maui’s people could benefit if we adopt a sustainable approach to the use of the Central Maui lands. We have an unique opportunity right now to address the needs of Maui’s residents. If we make those changes today, Maui’s future will be so much brighter for ourselves and our future generations,” said Lehua Simon, lifelong Pukalani resident and member of the Hukilike No Maui Coalition.

Maui residents and allies will deliver the petition at A&B’s annual shareholder meeting on Tuesday, April 24th, 2018. A “15% for the Future” rally will be held on Maui that same day at 12 pm, outside A&B’s Kahului office at 11 S. Puʻunēnē Avenue.

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About Hukilike no Maui: Formed in 2017, Hukilike no Maui is a coalition of affordable housing advocates, local food production advocates, environmentalists, and Maui residents that recognized the need to unite to advocate for the sustainable future of their island. The coalition aims to create space for Maui’s communities to be an active part in the future of A&B’s former sugar cane land.