Help Establish an Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission

Detailed instructions to submit testimony below

Although O‘ahu is Hawai‘i’s most populous island, the City and County of Honolulu is the only county in Hawaiʻi that does not have a functioning historic preservation commission to better ensure our historic and cultural sites are protected from irreparable harm. 

Hawaiʻi law recognizes that “the historic and cultural heritage of the State is among its important assets and that the rapid social and economic developments of contemporary society threaten to destroy the remaining vestiges of this heritage.”  Most importantly, this heritage includes iwi kūpuna and cultural sites that provide a physical and spiritual foundation for Native Hawaiian traditional values, practices, and knowledge that enabled hundreds of thousands of people to live sustainably on our islands – and that may be the key to the resilience and well-being of our current and future generations. 

To protect this heritage from irreversible loss and erasure, historic preservation and cultural resource commissions have been established in Kauaʻi, Maui, and Hawaiʻi counties, to provide consistency and specialized oversight in the protection of their respective historic sites and resources.  The Honolulu City Council also approved the creation of the Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission in 1993; however, it was never staffed, and commissioner positions have gone unfilled for decades. As a result, Honolulu currently relies on the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) to  review and determine whether to refer development proposals and permit applications to the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), which itself has extremely limited capacity to vet and, if necessary, advise on requirements and best practices to prevent or mitigate historical and cultural harms.  This has led to inconsistent and inappropriate government decisionmaking and a lack of protective conditions that has destroyed and desecrated iwi kūpuna and other sacred sites, contributing to the ongoing erasure of island’s our unique and irreplaceable heritage.   

This Wednesday, November 2, the Honolulu City Council will be voting on Bill 44 CD 1 for the last time,  this measure could finally activate the Oʻahu Historic Preservation Commission, and provide a sorely needed level of oversight and protection for the foundations of our island’s historic and cultural heritage. 

 Bill 44 CD1 will

• Add three members to the six-member Commission, whose members must have professional experience or a special interest in 9 subjects: architecture, history, archaeology, planning, architectural history, Hawaiian culture, anthropology, ethnography, and sociology;

• Retain the requirement that one member of the Commission have expertise in Native Hawaiian issues and concerns;

• Clarify that requisite expertise be shown through professional experience, educational and background, or other demonstrative experience;

• Include public advocacy as one of the commission’s duties;

• Require the commission to create an “O‘ahu historic property system,” for the survey, identification, and inventory of historic properties and archaeological sites; and

• Require the commission to review proposed projects that may adversely impact historic properties and allow the Commission to make recommendations to SHPD (instead of DPP) to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts of proposed projects on historic properties.

We hope you will join us in supporting Bill 44 CD1! You can submit written, virtual, or in person testimony (more details below).

How to submit: 

1. Go to the county testimony website here.

2. Select a Meeting: COUNCIL Meeting (Nov. 2 @ 10:00am) 

3. Select an agenda item: Bill 44 CD1

4. Submit testimony: 

   1. Your position: Support

   2. Name:

   3. Email: 

   4. Zip code: 

   5. Representing: self

   6. Submit written and/or verbal testimony. 

Sample testimony template: 

Dear Chair Waters, Vice Chair Kiaʻaina, and Members of the Council,

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in STRONG SUPPORT of Bill 44 CD1.

Oʻahu’s historic sites not only define our island’s unique heritage and cultural identity, but also serve as a living repository for values, practices and knowledge that may be critical to our future resilience. It deserves to have a functioning Historic Preservation Commission, like all of the other islands, to ensure our vital historic and cultural resources are accounted for and protected. Please pass Bill 44 CD1 to give life to the long-neglected Commission, whose duties will help to fulfill the state and county’s obligations under our Historic Preservation Laws, and protect the irreplaceable and unique  historic sites that our cultural, environmental, and social integrity all depend upon. 

Therefore, I respectfully urge you to PASS Bill 44 CD1.

Mahalo nui,

[Your name] 

Please submit written testimony by the City’s close of business, 4:30 PM on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, and sign-up for oral testimony by clicking the following link.