The University of Hawaiʻi is currently seeking to maintain land authorization on Mauna Kea. The adoption of HB 2024 would strip UH of their land authorization on Mauna Kea.
HB 2024 is problematic, but so is the renewal of UH’s lease.
Both DLNR and UH are desperately trying to prove that UH is an ideal land manager for Mauna Kea and that a new authority would lack the capacity to manage the mauna.
DLNR has made claims that if it weren’t for UH’s management of Mauna Kea, the mountain would be lost to commercialization.
UH has also threatened that if they lose land authorization, they will no longer be able to maintain the roads for vehicle access to the summit.
The state and UH are trying to gaslight our community into believing that we need them in order to take care of our land and access our mauna. This is an example of colonial violence. We do not need the state to decide what is best for our land.
Only Kānaka Maoli can speak for our land.
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