I Mana I Ka Wai: DHHL Water Law & Advocacy Trainings
Rep. Kyle Yamashita (center) with Ka Huli Ao staff, DHHL representatives and beneficiaries outside Ha’ikū Elementary School.
On Saturday June 16, 2018, Ka Huli Ao in partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands presented the third of ten I Mana I Ka Wai Water Law & Advocacy Trainings in Haʻikū, Maui. Ka Huli Ao Director Kapua Sproat and Post-JD Fellow Mahina Tuteur gave an introduction to Hawaiʻi’s legal framework with a focus on the rights and responsibilities of DHHL beneficiaries. After Attorney Alan Murakami of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation presented on the status of East Maui litigation, Jonathan Scheuer, Ph.D., provided insight into DHHL’s water policy. Recent law graduate Mahesh Cleveland and current student Luʻukia Nakanelua went through two case studies to explore potential avenues for homestead communities to better protect their interests and resources throughout the water use and development process.