The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has begun the process of updating its statewide General Plan.
The General Plan, which is updated every 20 years, establishes statewide policies that guide land management and DHHL programs and includes the involvement of an investigative committee formed with Commissioners of the Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC).
Commissioners Randy Awo, Russell Kaupu, Zachary Helm, and Chair William J. Ailā, Jr. comprise the committee, pursuant to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Section 92-2.5 and Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules Section 10-2-16 (b) (1).
Effective Aug. 18, 2020, the investigative committee will participate in permitted interaction group meetings related to the update of the General Plan and will engage with DHHL staff on beneficiary outreach methods and policy considerations that are based on the feedback of beneficiaries. A draft General Plan update and final General Plan will be presented to the full Commission at a regularly scheduled commission meeting.
The General Plan update is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2022 and will include two rounds of state-wide beneficiary consultation meetings and other opportunities for plan update feedback. The first round of beneficiary consultation meetings is anticipated to begin in the first quarter of 2021. The meeting outreach formats are to be determined based on COVID-19 limitations.
“DHHL’s General Plan is the first opportunity within the planning process for beneficiaries to provide critical input into future policies and overarching strategies that guide DHHL’s utilization of trust resources in the implementation of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act,” said Deputy to the Chair Tyler Gomes. “This initial engagement is just one aspect of our planning and development process. The General Plan process provides us an opportunity to take stock of what has been accomplished, what needs improvement, and articulate a vision of where we want the Trust to go over the next two decades.”
As one piece of the planning framework, the General Plan provides a comprehensive policy that ensures coordinated, integrated, and orderly social, physical, and economic development of Hawaiian Home Lands through the establishment of goals, objectives, and implementing actions. The plan is followed by detailed Island and Regional Plans that are updated on a rotating basis and on their own timetable.
The last General Plan was published in 2002.
To learn more about DHHL’s planning process and statewide plans, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov/po.