On March 15, 2024, the University of Hawaiʻi Law Review hosted its Spring Symposium titled E Hoʻi ka Nani: Chief Justice Richardson’s Public Trust Legacy and Envisioning the Future of Wai. Ka Huli Ao co-sponsored the symposium, which brought together hundreds of water experts, community leaders, and legal scholars to discuss the power and potential of the public trust to shape Hawaiʻi’s water future, especially in light of Maui’s recovery from the devastating August 2023 fires.

Post-JD Legal Fellow Kaulu Luʻuwai ʻ21 moderated the Kūkulu Kaiāulu: Uplifting Community Water Protectors panel featuring Waiāhole kalo farmer Paul Reppun, kalo farmer and President of Hui o Nā Wai ʻEhā Hōkūao Pellegrino, and Maui Komohana water protector Kanoe Steward. The panel discussed strategies and lessons learned from the various water battles they have been part of, focusing on how water rights protected in the courts are exercised on the ground.

Professor Kapuaʻala Sproat ‘98 moderated the penultimate panel Plantation Disaster Capitalism: The Legacy of Settler Colonialism in Maui Komohana featuring Maui Komohana kupa, community leader, educator, and activist Kekai Keahi, Director of Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi Wayne Tanaka ʻ09, and Earthjustice attorney Elena Bryant ʻ11. The panel shed light on the harsh reality of plantation dominance in the region and the pernicious power they continue to hold over water. Reflecting on the catastrophic wildfires that swept through Lahaina in August 2023, the panelists candidly discussed the legacy of settler colonialism resulting from over a century of plantation water dispossession and diversion, exacerbated by climate change.

Hūlō to the organizers for a phenomenal symposium, and mahalo piha for uplifting CJ Richardson’s public trust legacy and truly envisioning the future of our wai and waiwai!