LEGISLATURE PASSES BILL TO ESTABLISH A LOTTERY SYSTEM FOR THE LEASING OF CABINS ON PUBLIC LANDS

Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi – A bill to establish a lottery system for Kōkeʻe Cabin Leases on the island of Kauaʻi has successfully passed the 2025 Legislative Session and is expected to become law once signed by the Governor.

House Bill 1348 CD1, introduced by House Representative Dee Morikawa, requires the Board of Land and Natural Resources to lease public lands for recreation-residence use by public lottery under certain conditions and restrict participation in the public lottery to residents of the county in which the leased land is located under certain conditions.

“By restricting the lottery to county residents, this bill will ensure that our local people have priority access to public lands,” said Representative Dee Morikawa (House District 17- Ni‘ihau, portion of ‘Ōma‘o, Kōloa, Po‘ipū, Lāwa‘i, Kalāheo, Ele‘ele, Hanapēpē, Kaawanui Village, Pākalā Village, Waimea, Kekaha.) “I extend a heartfelt mahalo to all the community members who submitted their testimony in support, as well as to the House and Senate Committee Chairs and Senate President Ronald Kouchi who helped bring it to fruition.”

The historic recreational residence community within Kōkeʻe-Waimea Canyon State Parks has been a cherished resource for local families for over a century. It was created for the protection of forest resources and the watershed, but also for recreational pursuits and public access.

“The journey of HB1348 has been a textbook example of collaboration between State Parks and the community. We worked together for five years to come to a common vision for how this unique historic community should be managed. Rep. Morikawa is our hero for introducing this bill and in the 40 years that I have been working on advocating at the Legislature, this is the first time that I have seen a bill go through four public hearings and receive 100% supportive testimony from a broad segment of the public. It has been a truly remarkable process and shows that democracy is alive and well in the 50th State!” said Chipper Wichman, Kōke’e Leaseholder Association President.

“A sincere mahalo to Rep. Morikawa for introducing this measure, and to the Legislature and the community stakeholders who supported this landmark legislation. Kōke‘e State Park was established in 1952 and is one of our oldest and most venerated mauka parks, and these historic recreational cabins are unique and cherished features for our local residents to experience the forests of Kōke‘e, the vistas of Waimea Canyon and rugged pali towering above Kalalau. State Parks look forward to implementing the lottery and extending this opportunity to our residents in the years to come,” said Curt A. Cottrell, Administrator, Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks.

“Mahalo to Rep. Morikawa for championing this bill, and the overwhelming support of the Kōke‘e leaseholder community to shepherd it through the process,” said Alan B. Carpenter, Assistant Administrator, Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks. “We are excited for this next chapter in this storied historic landscape to begin. This bill will level the playing field for all stewards of this cabin community. While the next lease period is still several years off, we’ll begin working earnestly on setting up the lottery process for the next round.”

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