The department's major purpose is to provide native Hawaiians with access to the land through homestead leases. Financial assistance to develop and maintain homesteads is also available through loan programs offerred by the department. Our program areas include housing, land development and community and economic development. These and other areas of concern will be covered in detail in subsequent hearings. Current Concerns F. While the department has the land base to serve the beneficiary group, there are insufficient funds to develop the lands and Provide financing. To finance infrastructure improvements, it is estimated that this cost will exceed $500 million based on 1987 costs and dollars. Loan funds to finance home construction and development of farms will also be required, with an estimated $750 million needed for this purpose. It is also estimated that by the year 2000, the department could be serving 20,000 lessees, more than six times the number of lessees served in 1984, and about three times the number in 1987. The DHHL land base on Oahu will soon be completely developed and more than 5,000 applications have been received for awards here. locations on Oahu. There is a need for more land in suitable The return of Hawaiian home lands held by the federal government at Lualualei, Oahu or compensation will alleviate this problem. Our experience over the past 60 years has demonstrated that land alone cannot address native Hawaiian problems and needs. Balanced programs are needed to deal with components of a whole system. For example, the DHHL farm program requires land, water, financing, training technical assistance and committed native Hawaiians. We need to explore methods in which additional financing can be provided to native Hawaiian lessees to develop their homestead lands. The homestead land should also be treated as ancestral land, that is, handed down from generation to generation, to the heirs of the original native Hawaiian lessees. This would be culturally in keeping with Hawaiian values related to ancestors, family and land. I hope that in this presentation, you have gained some awareness of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, our programs and its many complexities. These hearings present an opportunity for the federal government to affirm its support of the Hawaiian Home Lands program. The program has made significant achievements from its humble beginnings. These achievements would not have been possible without the commitment and support of the State of Hawaii. Notably lacking has been the corresponding federal support of this program. In the coming days, we will be sharing with you further details of our various program areas and requesting your assistance, in funds and services, to supplement the state's efforts in moving this worthy program into the future. Withdrew and restored 50 acre parcel situate at Keaukaha, Tract 2, to Territory of Hawaii for use by the Department of Commerce -- condition: if use cease, revert back to available land status. · Note: Quitclaim deed dated 1/20/67, USA granted back to State the 50 acres subject to a 1.73 acre 50' wide roadway easement and a 0.12 acre 10' wide overhead power and control cables easement. 1425K |