House Finance Committee Tours Big Island Projects and Priorities

Members of the House Finance Committee spent several days on Hawaiʻi island in December assessing legislative priorities that touch on conservation, culture, public safety, and education. The delegation toured sites in both East and West Hawaiʻi as lawmakers reviewed projects supported by the State Legislature and met with local stewards and administrators.

In West Hawaiʻi the committee visited ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, a community-centered coral reef restoration initiative. "ʻĀkoʻakoʻa empowers local communities to steward reef health using tools such as coral nurseries, reef mapping, and water-quality monitoring, in partnership with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources, to support long-term restoration and care across West Hawaiʻi’s coastal areas and state parks." Local practitioners and volunteers see the work as essential to fisheries, shoreline protection, and visitor economy resilience as changing ocean conditions put reefs at greater risk.

The delegation was led through Huliheʻe Palace by Daughters of Hawaiʻi President Manu Powers and was briefed on preservation needs for the nineteenth century site. "Administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks and stewarded by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, Huliheʻe palace was originally built in the nineteenth century by High Chief John Adams Kuakini, Governor of the island of Hawaiʻi. Constructed of lava rock and home to koa wood furnishings, royal portraits, featherwork, tapa, quilts, and other artifacts, Huliheʻe Palace preserves Hawaiʻi’s royal legacy and remains a vital cultural resource for the community." The palace remains key to cultural education and heritage tourism on the island, and preservation work safeguards irreplaceable artifacts and community connections.

In South Kohala the committee inspected the District Court site and received background on the Judiciary’s need for a new South Kohala courthouse; the Legislature has already appropriated funds for design of a replacement facility. At the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Agricultural Farm Laboratory in Panaʻewa, lawmakers reviewed a $509,000 state capital improvement project intended to design and develop critical infrastructure improvements including a new well, pump and water distribution system, a compost facility, an equine pasture, and related items. Those upgrades are aimed at strengthening the farm’s educational, research, and community agriculture role.

For residents, the committee’s visits underscored how state funding and oversight connect to everyday services and long-term island resilience, from legal access and cultural preservation to sustainable fisheries and agricultural training. The committee said the site assessments will inform ongoing legislative decision-making about priorities and investments for Hawaiʻi island communities.