OUR
Guiding Vision
Kuleana to Land Stewardship
With over 363,000 acres of land throughout Hawai‘i, Kamehameha Schools (KS) has a kuleana to steward its landholdings for the betterment of the Native Hawaiian community.
Conservation and agricultural lands make up 99% of KS-owned lands, while its commercial properties represent 1% of its total acreage.
KS is committed to restoring and maintaining existing cultural and natural resources on its lands – spending over $13.4M in 2018 to stewardship activities.
With several commercial landholdings along the Honolulu Transit-Oriented Development corridor, KS’ Urban Core Strategy looks to redefine urban core living by creating high-density, mixed-use residential and commercial communities with communal open spaces, programming and activities that foster urban island culture.
OVERVIEW OF
Kamehameha Schools
A Legacy of a Princess
Kamehameha Schools is a private, educational, charitable trust endowed by the will of Ke Ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop, the great-granddaughter and last royal descendant of Kamehameha ‘Ekahi.
During her lifetime, Pauahi witnessed the rapid decline of the Native Hawaiian people, as well as their language and culture. She believed education would offer her people hope and a future, so she left her estate — about nine percent of the total acreage of the Hawaiian kingdom — to found Kamehameha Schools in 1887. Today, her endowment supports an educational system that serves thousands of Native Hawaiian learners throughout Hawai‘i and beyond.
Stewarding ‘Āina Pauahi
‘Āina, or land, is core to the Native Hawaiian identity and wellbeing—framing our shared histories, traditions and relationships, as well as providing great sustenance.
As stewards of ‘Āina Pauahi, Kamehameha Schools cares for approximately 363,000 acres of land passed down through Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop’s moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) in perpetuity. These lands help to achieve and support the schools’ educational mission by balancing returns across five values—community, culture, economics, education, and environment—to generate positive impact from a vast land and property portfolio that spans the pae ‘āina (Hawaiian Islands).
Hawaiian Placekeeping
Reframing the commonly known term “placemaking” from an indigenous lens, Hawaiian Placekeeping prioritizes cultural histories and knowledge, utilizes holistic measures of wellness, and engages an expanded role of community through process, dialogue, authenticity, and new aesthetics.
Rooted in principles of aloha ‘āina (love for the land) and hōʻola lāhui (revitalizing the Hawaiian people), Hawaiian Placekeeping also allows Kamehameha Schools to incorporate modern technology and creative approaches to planning and development that are responsive to the challenges and opportunities of our time.”