Images of Old Hawaiʻi

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Hoʻokuleana LLC to Receive “Innovation in Sustaining Places” Award

We are proud and honored to report that we just received word that the American Planning Association – Hawaiʻi Chapter selected us to receive the “Innovation in Sustaining Places” award for a Master Plan we prepared for a private agricultural park on the Big Island.

This is our third APA-Hawaiʻi award in a row; in prior years, two of our other plans were given the “Environment/Preservation” awards.

According to APA-Hawaiʻi, the award “Recognizes examples of truly innovative best practices for sustaining places.  Submissions should show specific examples of how sustainability practices are being used in how places are planned, designed, built, used, and maintained at all scales and how place-based strategies are integrated in the broader discussion of sustainability. Areas of specific interest include energy use and efficiency, green infrastructure, resource conservation, transportation choices and impacts, compact development, density, diversity, revitalization, employment opportunities, and population impacts.”

We took a different approach in the preparation of the plan.  In addition to the conventional land use layout, we made specific management and operational recommendations.  These were made to help assure that agriculture (food) will be the focus, goals/commitments are being addressed and tenants/collaborators are on track to fulfill the mission and vision.

Ultimately, a goal is to meld Hawaiian traditional wisdom with modern sustainability concepts and take an integrated approach in the design and operation of the Ag Park, incorporating understanding and respect for the land, the surrounding community and the environment.

In addition to other approaches listed throughout the Master Plan, we sought to incorporate the following sustainability approaches: Mālama ‘Āina, Organic Farming Practices, Composting, and Beneficial, Effective and Indigenous Microorganisms.

The context in which the Master Plan was prepared, particularly in relation to the overall Agricultural Park management strategy, addressed strong and recurring themes of Tradition, Sustainability, Integrated Holistic Approach, Long‐term Timeframe, Cooperation and Collaboration, Diversity of Foods and Economic Viability.

While farmers claim to be notoriously independent, attempts are made at every stage of the development and operation of the Park to incorporate multiple uses/reuse of resources; this included demonstrating the benefit of allocating one farm’s “waste” to fill another farm’s “need.”  In a sense, the Ag Park management philosophy views the overall Agricultural Park more like an integrated farm, rather than an assemblage of independent, individual farms.

The goal and central theme of the plan is:  “Food from Kohala for Kohala.”

I’ll have some more on this, later, but am excited to share the great news we received at the end of this past week.  The award will be formally presented in September at the statewide Hawai‘i Congress of Planning Officials’ meeting.  The image illustrates some of the uses proposed within the Master Plan.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Kapi‘olani Park

Kapi‘olani Park was dedicated and named by King Kalākaua to honor his wife, Queen Kapi‘olani.  It was the first public park in the Hawaiian Islands.

The park was dedicated as “a place of innocent refreshment for all who wish to leave the dust of the town street.”

Scotsman Archibald Cleghorn, Governor of Oʻahu and father of Princess Kaʻiulani, was tasked to come up with the design for the park.

Characterized from the beginning as “swamp land in a desert,” Kapiʻolani Park became a park specifically because it wasn’t considered suitable for anything else, and because of its peculiar climate – it’s one of the few places on Oahu where rain almost never falls.

An important part of the initial park was its oval horse race track.  King Kalākaua reportedly liked gambling on horse racing and in 1872 he helped form The Hawaiian Jockey Club (this organized the sport according to the rules that governed races elsewhere.)

In the wet winter of 1876, horseracing enthusiasts from Honolulu asked King Kalākaua to find a dry course for their popular races. King Kalākaua chose an unoccupied dry plain at the foot of Diamond Head.

On June 11, 1877, Kapiʻolani Park was dedicated.

Nearby wetlands and stream provided a diversity of scenery and activity.  Picnicking took place on the banks of streams; trails and bridges over the waterway added to the restful ambiance.

Back in the late-1800s and early-1900s, a lagoon in Kapiʻolani Park contained many islands and islets. The largest was called Makee’s Island (named after James Makee, a Scottish whaling ship captain and the Kapiʻolani Park Association’s first president.)

Makee’s Island started near the corner of Waikīkī Road and Makee Road. (Later, Waikīkī Road was renamed Kalākaua Avenue and a portion of Makee Road joined Kapahulu Road to become Kapahulu Avenue.)

The island, shaped like a long rectangle, was over 700-feet long and 100-feet wide. On it was the first Kapiʻolani Park bandstand, a wooden gazebo-like structure.

The Royal Hawaiian Band performed there on Sunday afternoons and occasionally had night concerts.

At that time, Waikīkī was a popular retreat for the royal families, merchants of Honolulu and visitors.  They were attracted by the long white sand beach, the protective reef and the proximity to Honolulu.  Then, there were relatively few visitor accommodations.

Initially, people would convert their homes and rent rooms.  Finally, in 1893, the first famous Waikīkī hotel opened, “Sans Souci.”  It became one of the first beach resorts (that end of Waikīkī is still called “Sans Souci Beach” – makai of Kapiʻolani Park.)

At the turn of the century, more hotels began to spring up in Waikīkī – starting with the Moana Hotel in 1901, the Royal Hawaiian in 1927 and others.

In the early years, the park’s primary attractions were an exotic bird collection and horse racing, especially the running of the Rosita Cup, held annually on King Kamehameha Day.

Peacocks, trees and palms were added to the park, with plantings obtained from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Roads and trolley lines were extended to include “Waikīkī Road at Makee” (Kalākaua and Kapahulu Avenues.)

Then the zoo component started to expand.  During 1914 to 1916, more animals were exhibited at Kapiʻolani Park. The first animals included a monkey, a honey bear and some lion cubs. In 1916, Daisy, a friendly African elephant, arrived in Honolulu.

In 1947, the Honolulu Zoo master plan was approved to occupy the triangle of Kapiʻolani Park lying between Kapahulu Avenue, Monsarrat Avenue and Paki Street.

Nestled near the Zoo is the Waikīkī Shell, a venue for outdoor concerts and large gatherings (it was home to the now retired Kodak Hula Show.)

Likewise, sports activities also expanded.  Polo was introduced and baseball was played, in addition to tennis courts, field laid out for soccer and rugby and a continuous path for walkers and joggers.

This area now includes Kapiʻolani Park, Waikīkī Zoo, Waikīkī Shell, Waikīkī War Memorial Natatorium and Waikīkī Aquarium.

The image shows Kapiʻolani Park in about 1900.  The carriages are lined along the race track and a polo game is going on in the center.  I have also added other images and maps on Kapiʻolani Park in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/peter.t.young.hawaii

© 2012 Hoʻokuleana LLC

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA)

The Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association (NaHHA) was founded in 1997 by George S. Kanahele, Kenneth Brown and other Native Hawaiian professionals to address concerns about how Native Hawaiians and Hawaiian culture were perceived and represented in tourism.

They determined that, in order to have greater success in improving tourism and honoring Hawaiian culture and its people, they would need support; in 1997, they formed NaHHA, a 501 (c)(3) private nonprofit.

NaHHA advocates for the development and advancement of Native Hawaiians in tourism as the best investment in future leaders and in the perpetuation of authentic culture in the industry.

Working to better connect the Hawaiian community and the tourism industry, NaHHA has formed alliances with various Hawaiian organizations and nonprofits, artists and cultural practitioners, and with tourism associations, hotels and private businesses.

These connections and alliances have gained NaHHA recognition as lead agency for the Hawaiian Culture Initiative of the Hawai‘i State Tourism Strategic Plan.

In keeping with their mission, NaHHA recently completed a two-year train-the-trainer program to develop Hawaiians to provide cultural training and consultation.

Ola Hawai‘i, “Hawai‘i Lives” is NaHHA‘s educational program for today‘s ho‘okipa (hospitality) industry, for managers and employees who seek to have a better understanding of the Hawaiian culture.

While the curriculum is designed around Hawaiian values, it honors the cultural diversity of Hawai‘i.

Native Hawaiian culture not only lends fundamental value to Hawaii as a visitor destination but is exploited as a marketing theme in the selling of Hawaiʻi raising expectations that Native Hawaiian experiences are readily and easily accessed.

The reality is that visitors and locals alike are hard-pressed to find native Hawaiian cultural experiences.

Information that will connect them to authentic Hawaiian cultural experiences is difficult to access because it is not included in the mainstream visitor information programs.

NaHHA also sponsors Native Hawaiian Tourism Conferences and dialog with the goal to enable partnerships and inspire actions that result in:

• a greater collaboration between Hawaiian businesses/community and the visitor industry
• increased integration of Hawaiian culture in hotels and other businesses;
• practices that mālama ʻāina – care for our natural environment
• creative tourism, empowered communities and successful businesses

In 2006, while I was at DLNR, I had the opportunity to participate as a speaker at the NaHHA Native Hawaiian Tourism Conference.  The conference theme was, “Celebrating Hawaii’s Heritage – Sustaining Our Island Legacy.”

I clearly saw the opportunity for the State (and more particularly DLNR) to partner with NaHHA by focusing on cultural matters in the visitor industry venue.

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) awarded a coveted Gold Adrian Award to the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association’s (NaHHA) Ola Hawai’i Manual.  (This is the largest and most prestigious travel marketing competition globally.)

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

Chief’s Children’s School – (The Royal School)

Founded in 1839, O‘ahu’s first school was called the Chief’s Children’s School.  The cornerstone of the original school was laid on June 28, 1839 in the area of the old barracks of ‘Iolani Palace (at about the site of the present State Capitol of Hawaiʻi.)

The school was created by King Kamehameha III; the main goal of this school was to groom the next generation of the highest ranking chief’s children of the realm and secure their positions for Hawaii’s Kingdom.

Seven families were eligible under succession laws stated in the 1840 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i; Kamehameha III called on seven boys and seven girls of his family to board in the Chief’s Children’s School (two more students were added in 1842.)

The Chiefs’ Children’s School was unique because for the first time Aliʻi children would be brought together in a group to be taught, ostensibly, about the ways of governance.

The School also acted as another important unifying force among the ruling elite, instilling in their children common principles, attitudes and values, as well as a shared vision.

Amos Starr Cooke (1810–1871) and Juliette Montague Cooke (1812-1896), missionaries from the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, were selected to teach the 16 royal children and run the school.

(After his experience running the school teaching and training Hawai‘i’s future monarchs, Amos Cooke then co-founded the firm Castle & Cooke which became one of the “Big Five” corporations that dominated the early Hawaiian economy.)

In this school were educated the Hawai‘i sovereigns who reigned over the Hawaiian people from 1855, namely, Alexander Liholiho (King Kamehameha IV,) Queen Emma, Lot Kamehameha (King Kamehameha V,) King William Lunalilo, King David Kalākaua and Queen Lydia Lili‘uokalani.

No school in Hawai‘i has ever produced so many Hawaiian leaders in one generation.

In addition, the following royal family members were taught there: Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, Princess Elizabeth Kekaaniau Pratt, Prince Moses Kekuaiwa, Princess Jane Loeau Jasper, Princess Victoria Kamāmalu, Prince Peter Young Kaeo, Prince William Pitt Kīnaʻu, Princess Abigail Maheha, Prince James Kaliokalani and Princess Mary Polly Paʻaʻāina.

They ranged upon entry from age two to eleven, and differed widely in their temperaments and abilities, goals and destinies.  But they all had one common bond: their genealogical sanctity and mana as Aliʻi-born.

The school building was square-shaped, about seventy-six square feet in area, with a courtyard in the center and a well.  The thirteen or so rooms included a large classroom, kitchen, dining room, sitting room and parlor, and living quarters for the students and the Cookes.

The entire complex was surrounded by a high wall, apparently intended as much to keep people out as to keep them in.

In 1846 the name was officially changed to Royal School; attendance was restricted to descendants of the royal line and heirs of the chiefs.

In 1850, a second school was built on the site of the present Royal School; it was opened to the general public in 1851.

In 1904, a two-story building was constructed and, in 1967, the present school was built.  A new administration/library building was erected in 2000.

Today, Royal School is centrally located at 1519 Queen Emma Street (you drive by it as you go down Punchbowl Street as you come off the freeway.)  The student body is made up of over 350 students.

Royal School truly has a proud past, as illustrated through the words of its school song: We are Na Ali’i of Royal School; We have a rich and royal past.

by Peter T Young Leave a Comment

What Do We Do With Agricultural Land?

Hawai‘i State government has a long history of studying and evaluating land needed for agriculture.  Here’s a list of various State-initiated statewide agricultural land use studies:

Land Use Commission (1961)
In 1961, the State Legislature approved the first state land use law in the nation and formed the Land Use Commission (LUC.)  All lands in the State were then mapped into three categories – Urban, Agricultural and Conservation.  (Rural was added in 1963.)

The LUC is required by law to conduct comprehensive reviews of this mapping; however, the last review was done in 1992, twenty years ago.

Land Study Bureau (1972)
In 1972, the Land Study Bureau report was prepared by UH and it grouped soils into land types based on soil & productive capabilities (“A” (very good) to “E” (not suitable.))  It also produced several ‘Crop Productivity’ ratings for pineapple, sugar, vegetables, forage, grazing, orchard and timber.

Land Capability Classification (1972)
Also in 1972, UH and USDA produced a Land Capability Classification focusing on agricultural suitability limited by soil & climatic conditions.  Again, productivity estimates were only for limited crops, sugar, pine, pasture, woodland.  Eight Classes were identified, I – VIII (best to worse) with an effective cutoff to I, II & III.

Hawai‘i Constitutional Convention (1978)
In 1978, the Hawai‘i Constitutional Convention (and subsequent vote by the populace) amended the State Constitution adding ‘Agricultural Lands’ in Article 11, Section 3.

In part, the Constitution was amended by adding, “The State shall conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self-sufficiency and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands.”

“Lands identified by the State as important agricultural lands needed to fulfill the purposes above shall not be reclassified by the State or rezoned by its political subdivisions without meeting the standards and criteria established by the legislature and approved by a two-thirds vote of the body responsible for the reclassification or rezoning action.”

Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) (1978)
In 1978, in response to the amendment to the Constitution, UH (through CTAHR,) State Ag and USDA conducted the Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) analysis.

A range of factors were considered, including soils, climate, moisture supply, input use, etc and production-related factors were generalized.  Ultimately, 3 classes of important agricultural lands were identified: Prime, Unique and Other.

Land Evaluation & Site Assessment (LESA) (1986)
In 1986, a commission was formed and produced the Land Evaluation & Site Assessment (LESA) report. Standards & criteria for identifying important agricultural land were created and a numeric scoring system was incorporated into it.

There were three components, Agricultural production goals (market,) Land Evaluation (soils, topography, climate) and Site Assessment (physical factors, location, land use.)

So, how much land is identified as “very good,” “Class I, II or III,” “Prime” and/or “Important?”  Of the approximate 1.9-million acres of lands in the Agriculture district (under the LUC mapping,) the following is a breakdown of the “best” in each study:

• Land Study Bureau (1972) – 447,250-acres; 24% of Ag district
• Land Capability Classification (1972) – 381,610-Acres; 21% of Ag district
• ALISH (1978) – 846,360-acres; 46% of Ag district
• LESA (1986) – 759,540-acres; 41% of Ag district


While adequate land has been used and has been available for Hawai‘i’s historic export crops (primarily sugar and pineapple,) the fact that these agricultural ventures no longer exist in their historic scales calls into question the appropriateness of using these prior studies in evaluating today’s needs. 
In addition, from self-sufficiency, food security and sustainability contexts, I believe evaluation for protection of “good” land for agricultural use should initially focus on primarily staple food crops (for local consumption, not export.)
I continue to believe we need to have a frank discussion about what our needs are and start to take the necessary steps to ultimately realize our goal of food self-sufficiency. 
In that discussion, I think we also need to acknowledge that 100% food self-sufficiency – especially if we intend to continue to eat the wide range of foods we find in our grocery stores – is probably not practical. 
Look in a store near you, there are lots of things we like and choose to eat but cannot viably grow here.
The discussion also needs to identify truly-farmable land to be placed in the broad category of “Agricultural.”  Rather than have that category be part of the “catch all” for marginal lands as in past experience, it should include truly farmable land.
Right now almost half the state is designated “Agriculture” (about 1.93-million acres;) an almost equal amount is designated “Conservation” – less than 5% of the land area in the State is designated “Urban.”
Since the 1960s mapping where broad-brush strokes designated agricultural lands, communities have changed … a lot.
The State should look to the County General Plans and their local Community Development Plans as guides in evaluating various land uses.  (We also need to remember, farming is not limited to the agricultural district; you can farm in your urban backyard.)
Broad-based community planning efforts have identified urban centers and growth areas – lots of land presently in the State “Ag” designation are “Urban Expansion” areas (especially lots of the non-productive land adjoining growing communities;) these should be reclassified to urban, to be consistent with the more-recently approved community-based plans.
Once we have identified land that is truly appropriate for agriculture, then we need to note from that group land that is essential for Hawaii’s farming needs – the important agricultural land.
I know I have posted several prior messages on dealing with agricultural land.  I do so because I think it is an important subject.  I am not saying, ‘don’t build on Ag land’ – I am saying, let’s identify where it is viable, what we need and then work to protect it.
Prior mapping and studies were broad-brushed and based on export farming.  Some land presently mapped as “agricultural” is not practical Ag land; it should be designated something else.  (I was tempted to post prior mapping, but I really think the processes that developed them are no longer valid.)