About Us
Our Story
Hawaiʻi Land Trust was born from aloha. In the late nineties and early 2000s, four distinct, island-based land trusts emerged across Hawaiʻi—each sparked by a deep and abiding love for ‘āina and the urgent need to protect places that fed both hearts and bodies. These were grassroots efforts rooted in community. In 2011, they united to become a single, stronger organization—Hawaiʻi Land Trust—founded on the belief that together, we could go further.
Today, Hawaiʻi Land Trust is Hawaiʻi’s local, islands-wide, nationally accredited land trust. Grounded in our core values and guided by years of proven success, we serve as a trusted partner, connector, and facilitator. We work alongside communities, governments, funders, nonprofits, and others to address Hawaiʻi’s most urgent systemic challenges, carrying forward our legacy with renewed purpose and bold intention.
Our Vision:
I ola ka ʻāina, i ola kākou nei.
Hawaiʻi’s lands thrive and nourish its people.
We envision a Hawaiʻi where Hawaiian and local leaders steward thriving biocultural ecosystems, productive food systems, and vibrant kamaʻāina and local communities that support a healthy and equitable society where residents have all they need to lead fulfilling lives.
Our Mission:
To protect, steward, and cultivate reciprocal relationships between people and ‘āina that sustain Hawaiʻi.
The Relationship Between People & 'Āina
Hawaiʻi Land Trust understands that people and land exist in a symbiotic relationship —the well-being of each depends on the health of the other. When we nurture and strengthen the beneficial qualities of this relationship, we help create a more thriving Hawaiʻi.
At the core of this relationship are Hawaiʻi’s beautiful and storied landscapes, unique native ecosystems, fertile soils, and other natural resources that sustain the farms that feed us, produce the water we drink, drive our economy, host our homes and places of recreation, and shape our culture and communal identity. It is our sacred responsibility to ensure these critical connections with ‘āina continue for generations to come.
Guiding Principles & Core Values
Our key guiding principles are the foundation of our mission. They define why we do what we do and guide every decision, action, and relationship in our work.
AlOHA ‘AINA - We love the lands of Hawaiʻi.
We believe that ‘āina encompasses the relationship between people and all the lands that feed us, whether they be natural, cultural, agricultural, or urban. ‘Āina is our kūpuna, and a thriving Hawaiʻi requires all ‘āina to be cherished, protected, and nurtured through reciprocity, respect, and responsibility.
KAULIKE - We care for Hawaiʻi’s people.
In a time of immense and growing inequality, we prioritize helping those in greatest need and advancing equity. Caring for ‘āina means addressing the historical and ongoing injustices that have impacted Hawaiʻi’s people and places. Our programs and initiatives uplift underserved and underrepresented communities by reflecting diverse voices in decision-making and providing more equitable access to ‘āina and resources.
KULEANA - Caring for ‘āina and community is a sacred responsibility
This is an honor, a duty, and a privilege that we embrace with deep humility. Through pono stewardship, we uphold our commitment to creating a better Hawaiʻi today and a more positive legacy for future generations. We encourage our team and partners to share in this kuleana with ownership, care, and dedication.
We place a deep emphasis on these core values, ensuring we hire a team that personally connects with them and collaborates with similarly aligned supporters, partners, and revenue streams.
MOʻOKŪʻAUHAU – The genealogies of our place and people guide us forward.
HOʻOMAU – We seek enduring impact, sustainability, and resilience.
LAULIMA – We go further together.
HOʻOKAʻOI – We strive to better serve the ever-shifting needs of our ‘āina and community.
ALAKAʻINA – We express and cultivate leadership.
Our Strategic Approach
Core Strategies
Our mission articulates three overlapping core strategies that together support the continuity and benefits of reciprocal relationships between people and ‘āina in perpetuity.
Protect:
We recognize that important existing connections with ‘āina are threatened by dispossession, displacement, conversion to incompatible new uses, improper management, environmental disasters, and other issues. We help mitigate these threats to ensure these vital relationships continue.
Steward:
We go beyond protection, seeking to maximize the reciprocal benefits of relationships with ‘āina. We deepen connections and build a culture of aloha, responsibility, and interdependence—where people take care of the ‘āina and each other, and the ‘āina takes care of people.
Cultivate:
We look to the future and acknowledge that new relationships with ‘āina are essential to continue the cycle of reciprocity. We enable access to and facilitate space for these relationships to form and deepen.
'Āina Priorities
We advance our mission and core strategies across three areas of land use to provide the most impactful relationships with ‘āina. Multiple uses may overlap in the same physical area—ranging from natural to built environments—to maximize community impact.
Biocultural Ecosystems: Ecologically significant landscapes that are woven together with Hawaiʻi’s cultural heritage, knowledge, practices, and traditions.
Food Systems: ‘Āina that provides healthy food for our local communities.
Kamaʻāina and Local Communities: ‘Āina that provides housing, good jobs, and essential services for kamaʻāina and local communities.
How We Work
Operational Strategies
Hawaiʻi Land Trust implements its core strategies across its ‘āina priorities through three key operational approaches:
‘Āina Transactions: We use legal and financial tools—such as easements, leases, sales, and other land use agreements—to preserve important existing land uses and expand access to ‘āina for stewardship and community use.
‘Āina Stewardship: We responsibly care for ‘āina in partnership with community and kamaʻāina, ensuring its long-term health, sustainability, and productivity. This includes restoring natural and cultural resources, growing food, managing infrastructure, mitigating risks, facilitating access, monitoring, and research.
‘Āina-based Community Programs: We deliver programs rooted in relationships with ‘āina that uplift the well-being of Hawaiʻi’s people. These programs are often implemented through cross-sector partnerships with community organizations, educators, healthcare professionals, cultural practitioners, farmers, and businesses.