OHA forum spotlights Maui trustee rematch between Lindsey, Kapu

News admin October 14, 2026 0 Comments

OHA forum spotlights Maui trustee rematch between Lindsey, Kapu

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – One of the closely watched races for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is a rematch for the Maui trustee seat.

Longtime trustee Carmen “Hulu” Lindsey is facing challenger Keʻeaumoku Kapu — a rematch of their 2018 race, which Lindsey won.

Candidates’ backgrounds

Lindsey has represented Maui since 2012 and served four years as board chair, where she was the leading advocate to overturn the residential ban at Kakaʻako Makai.

Kapu is a cultural practitioner and community advocate. His nonprofit, Nā ʻAikāne o Maui, was destroyed by the 2023 West Maui wildfires but is now leading efforts to restore a royal complex in Lahaina. He has also warned about reopening to visitors too soon.

The OHA trustee seat representing the island of Maui is a statewide race that everyone can vote in.

Housing for Native Hawaiians

During the OHA forum, the candidates were asked what OHA should do to enable Native Hawaiians to remain in Hawaiʻi or come back.

“We need to move beyond short-term assistance and help create a pathway to permanent home ownership,” Lindsey said.

“One area I would definitely look into is the area of our cousins from Aotearoa on how they were able to stimulate their economy by using these so-called special areas or wahi pana,” Kapu said.

Public land trust money

The candidates were also asked about the public land trust and millions owed by the state.

“OHA needs to take a more positive role on how they need to adjust to make sure that we can provide under the Office of Hawaiian Affairs housing for Native Hawaiians of lesser percentage,” Kapu said.

“I believe that the state owes us so much money that we must put all of the options on the table when negotiating with the state,” Lindsey said.