The real property taxes for my ‘ohana land are so high. How can I get it reduced?
By Liʻūla Christensen, NHLC Senior Staff Attorney Real property taxes are burdensome and must be kept current to avoid tax liens and foreclosures. The counties offer a variety of exemptions that may apply to your property to reduce real property tax amounts. The four counties offer a kuleana property tax exemption that reduces the real property tax on kuleana lands to at least the minimum real property tax. In order to qualify, the kuleana land must be owned in whole or in part by a lineal descendant of the person that received the original title to the kuleana. This ...
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation Welcomes Its 2025 Fall Students to the Huʻeaʻo Program
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation is proud to welcome its Fall 2025 Huʻeaʻo undergraduate interns, Joanie Wood (Dartmouth College) and Samantha Murray (University of Queensland). NHLC’s Huʻeaʻo experiential learning program allows undergraduate and law students from schools around the world to learn about Indigenous legal advocacy within an Indigenous-led, Indigenous rights legal practice. Students that participate in the program assist with substantive legal projects, engage with community, and participate in cultural practice trainings to develop cultural competence and knowledge about the law, Native Hawaiian culture, and the ʻāina necessary to effectively represent and advocate for the lāhui. NHLC is honored ...
Kahoʻohanohano Midwifery & Traditional Birthing Practices Litigation Settled
As a result of litigation and legislative advocacy, Native Hawaiian practitioners can now train and engage in traditional birthing practices without fear of criminal penalties Today, the state of Hawai‘i agreed to end a case brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation (NHLC), and the law firm Perkins Coie. The case challenged a law that restricted midwifery in the state, preventing pregnant people in Hawai‘i from using skilled midwives and traditional birthing practitioners for their pregnancies and births, as they have for generations, and threatening Native Hawaiian traditional birthing practices with criminal liability. The lawsuit shed ...
How does adoption affect DHHL eligibility?
Can I designate my adopted child as the successor to my lease? What about other adopted relatives? By Henderson Huihui, NHLC Staff Attorney, ʻOhana Services There is a legal distinction between legal adoption and the traditional practice of hānai. The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act (HHCA) provides a specific list of relatives who may succeed to a homestead lease. This list includes spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings, as long as they have at least 25% biological Native Hawaiian blood quantum. The list also includes parents, nieces, and nephews, as long as they have at least 50% Native Hawaiian blood quantum, referred to ...
Is there a way to prepare a will if you are unable to afford an estate planning attorney?
By Devin Kamealoha Forrest, Esq., NHLC Staff Attorney and Research Specialist In Hawaiʻi, wills are governed by The Uniform Probate Code under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (“HRS”) §560. This law generally outlines three criteria which are necessary for a document to be considered a valid will. First, the document must be in writing. Second, the document must be signed by either the testator (person making the will) or by some other individual at the direction of the testator and while in the testator’s presence. Third, the document must be signed by at least two individuals within a reasonable time after they ...
How does putting land in a trust protect it for future generations?
By Devon Haia, Esq. Equal Justice Works Disaster Resilience Fellow and Staff Attorney Whether property was recently purchased, or passed down through generations, ʻohana can use a family land trust as a legal shield to protect and preserve their land for future generations. A trust is a legal tool used to hold title to assets. Every trust has a creator, at least one trustee, and at least one beneficiary. When an asset, such as land, is placed in a trust, title to the land splits: the trustees hold legal title and the beneficiaries hold equitable title. Legal title means the ...
NHLC Welcomes its Huʻeaʻo Summer Class of 2025
The Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation welcomes its 2025 Summer Students! NHLC’s Huʻeaʻo experiential learning program welcomes undergraduate, law, and other graduate students throughout the year. Most are with NHLC during the summer. NHLC’s program is a unique opportunity for students to learn in an Indigenous-lead, Indigenous rights legal practice. Each summer the program welcomes students from across the country who have a passion for law, Indigenous justice, and pono stewardship of the ‘āina. This year's class includes three law students, one graduate student, and seven undergraduate students representing nine colleges and universities across the United States. NHLC is proud ...
Foreclosure Halts Permitting Process for Controversial Punaluʻu Resort Development Community
HILO, Hawai‘i- The future of Punaluʻu, one of the most biologically rich and culturally revered places in Kaʻū, is now uncertain, but a proposed resort development that threatened its integrity may be off the table for good. A Hawai‘i circuit court has approved an order of foreclosure against developer Black Sand Beach, LLC, after the company defaulted on a $3.4 million mortgage. The 147-acre property is now headed for public auction, pausing plans for a sprawling luxury development that faced sustained public opposition. The developer’s proposed “Punaluʻu Village” project included 225 residential and vacation rental units, a commercial center and golf ...
BLNR Rejects U.S. Army’s FEIS Required to Renew Lease for Continued Bombing of Pōhakuloa
On Friday, May 9th, in a powerful defense of Hawai‘i’s environment, cultural heritage, Hawaiian rights and public lands, the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources voted to reject the U.S. Army’s final environmental impact statement for its proposed “retention” of up to 22,750 acres of state-owned land it currently leases at Pōhakuloa Training Area on Hawai‘i Island. The area is a U.S. military training base located in the high plateau between Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Hualālai. It spans more than 132,000 acres, making it the largest U.S. Department of Defense installation in the islands. The board’s rejection effectively ...
My ʻohana lost our home & the title is in the name of deceased family members. How can we update the title, so we can access loans to rebuild?
By Liʻulā Christensen, NHLC Senior Staff Attorney When multiple family members own undivided interests or shares in a single property, that property is generally considered “heirs’ property.” Sometimes title is still in the name of a deceased relative because the property has passed down, sometimes even across multiple generations, without the legal paperwork and process required to keep the title in the name of the current, living owners. As a result, sometimes large groups of relatives can own partial interests in family land, however, they often do not have deeds or court documents listing their ownership interest in the property. ...
