DHHL AWARDS NEARLY 100 TURNKEY HOMES IN WAIKAPŪ, MAUI

 

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI 

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

KA ʻOIHANA ʻĀINA HOʻOPULAPULA HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA 

KALI WATSON

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HOʻOKELE 

KATIE L. LAMBERT

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

DHHL AWARDS NEARLY 100 TURNKEY HOMES IN WAIKAPŪ, MAUI

Development of Phase II to Start in May 2025; Families to Move In Early 2026

 

Governor Josh Green, M.D., state and county leaders greet and congratulate Puʻuhona Phase II awardees.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 7, 2025

KAHULUI, MAUI – Within the Pilina Building at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, tables decked with vibrant purple orchid lei lay at the ready, while the melodic sounds of leo kiʻekiʻe and the distinct chatter of excitement signaled the start of a transformational day for which many have waited decades.

On Saturday, April 5, 2025, nearly 300 beneficiaries and their ʻohana eagerly awaited the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands’ (DHHL) Puʻuhona Phase II lot selection where 91 turnkey homes were awarded for Maui’s newest homestead community in Waikapū.

“The wait for a home should never be measured in decades and these 91 families have endured against all odds,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D. “We have a responsibility to them, and to every Native Hawaiian on the waitlist to move faster, build smarter and deliver on the promise of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.”

For almost four hours, applicants’ names were announced in the order they applied; starting with those from the late 1980s. As awardees took their places in line to select their lots, some considered the number of bedrooms they’d need for their growing families; others considered the lots’ locations.

Regardless of their selection, everyone was grateful for a piece of land to call home.

“This project is not just about building homes, it’s about rebuilding ancestral connections, creating opportunities, and empowering generations to thrive on the ʻāina,” said DHHL Director Kali Watson. “Prince Kūhiō’s vision was clear – to empower Native Hawaiians through land. Through the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, he worked to return the lands to Native Hawaiians, fostering a sense of pride, identity, and belonging. We walk that same path today, guided by his vision.”

The awarding of homes marks progress in the development of the department’s first Act 279 project. Act 279 allocated a historic $600 million in general funds to the DHHL in 2022 to specifically tackle its long-standing waitlist.

In June of 2024, 52 homes were offered as part of Puʻuhona Phase I making it the first such award on the Valley Isle in 17 years. Phase I families are expected to move into their homes this summer.

Construction on Phase II is set to begin in May of this year. The first homes are scheduled for completion in February 2026.

Phase II offered 91 homes of two- to five bedrooms. Homes range in price from $411,422 to $699,000.

Puʻuhona: Maui’s Newest Homestead Community

Puʻuhona is the name of the first of four puʻu, or hills, that travel up to Hanaʻula, Waikapū’s highest peak. Named in likely reference to the native tree, hona was highly valued for the fibers found in its inner bark, which were used to craft rope and cordage for fishnets. The creation and intertwining of these materials represent the unity and growth of a community as individual strands come together to form a stronger bond.

“Every day we strive to build balanced, resilient communities, and Puʻuhona is no exception,” said Dowling Company president and developer, Everett Dowling. “The needs of our Native Hawaiian community are at the forefront in the development of each homestead community, and we will continue to build until everyone on the waitlist has a house of their own.”

The department acquired the roughly 47-acre parcel through a land transfer with the Dowling Company, Inc. in exchange for affordable housing credits from the county of Maui.

Puʻuhona will comprise 137 turnkey homes and 24 improved vacant lots: each lot averaging 7,500 square feet in size. Groundwork on the project began in May 2023.

More to Come on Maui

The DHHL has six homestead projects in development on the island of Maui.

This includes:

• Honokōwai: 50 lots
• Leialiʻi 1B: 181 lots
• Wailuku single-family: 207 lots
• Waiehu mauka: 404 lots
• Kamalani: 400 lots
• Kēōkea-Waiohuli: 404 lots

“To our ‘ohana: please don’t lose hope. The department has more than 1,600 units coming to the island of Maui and we look forward to the opportunity to award leases later this year,” Watson added. “With the backing of Governor Green, our department will explore innovative ways to get our people into the homes they rightfully deserve.”

To learn more about DHHL’s upcoming Maui projects, click here.

Click here to download visuals, soundbites.

B-ROLL (3:53)

SOUNDBITES

Tina Leikaha, Puʻuhona awardee, Kahului resident

(:08 seconds)

“I’m so excited, I was nervous, being patient, but when they called my name, I was like, oh my gosh, I just said chee hoo.” 

(:12 seconds)

“At least my kids can come home now, we have them in the mainland, some of them live in Vegas, Washington, Oregon, so now they can come home, whenever they like, we have a home for them.” 

Sheldean Dudoit, Puʻuhona awardee, Makawao resident

(:19 seconds)

“I feel relieved now being able to call a place home, not only for me but for my kids, knowing that I’ve been through a lot of obstacles in my life but now I see the end and there’s the bright light at the end of the tunnel.”

(:18 seconds)

“I really thought like aww man, I was giving up hope, and my sister was like, no, you’re going to get something, you’re going to get something, just hang in there, so I just had to keep the faith, and it all paid off.”

# # #

 

About the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands:

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands carries out Prince Jonah Kūhiō  Kalanianaʻole’s vision of rehabilitating native Hawaiians by returning them to the land. Established by U.S. Congress in 1921 with the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, the Hawaiian homesteading program run by DHHL includes management of more than 200,000 acres of land statewide with the specific purpose of developing and delivering homesteading.