Who We Are
We (Hui Kahuwai) are a community-led non-profit (501c3) organization, formed by the Ka‘ūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee (KMLAC) in 2023, to implement the stewardship strategies to care for the natural and cultural resources at Ka‘ūpūlehu and Kūki‘o.
Board of Directors
Hannah Kihalani Springer
President
Hannah Kihalani Springer is a lifelong resident of Kukuiʻohiwai, her familyʻs homestead at 2,000 feet in elevation at Kaʻūpūlehu. She is a lifelong student of the cultural and natural histories of Hawaiʻi. Hannah has held a variety of elected, appointed, and volunteer positions, always bringing the good sense of a child shaped by Kaʻūpūlehu, to whatever the work before her may be.
Kaikea Nakachi
Vice President
Born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, Kaikea Nakachi has been nourished by the waters and resources of Kaʻūpūlehu since his baby lūʻau. While attending Florida Institute of Technology where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Biological Oceanography, he began joining Kaʻūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee (KMLAC) meetings and supporting the Try Wait effort. He continued the work of the KMLAC as he completed his master’s at University of Hawaii at Hilo where he adapted his family’s practice of kahu manō into a non-invasive tiger shark photo-ID methodology. In helping form Hui Kahuwai, he seeks to continue to aid Hawaiʻi and its biocultural resources to honor his moʻokūʻauhau rooted in aloha.
Nicole Tachibana
Treasurer
Growing up on Molokai Nicky fostered a deep appreciation for nature. As an adult, she perused a degree in Marine Science at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. She explored the continent for a short time but returned to Kona shortly thereafter. She has spent over a decade working on the ahupuaʻa of Kaʻūpūlehu and through her work has established a connection to place and feels rooted in her work with the people of this place.
Malia Lightner
Director
Born and raised in the ahupuaʻa of both, Puʻuanahulu and Kaʻupulehu, Malia has ancestral ties to the Kekaha lands on Hawaiʻi Island going back many generations. As a māmā of two, she frequents Kalaemanō with her children, instilling in them the importance of place, and to mālama & aloha ʻāina. Malia shares, "He ali'i ka 'aina, he kauwa ke kanaka. (#531) Mahalo to my kupuna and those who came before me and set the foundation we are blessed to be able to continue to build upon.
Where We Work
From the summit of Hualālai to the depths of Kanaloa, with a focus on the ahupuaʻa of Kaʻūpūlehu.
Kekaha wai ʻole o nā Kona
The waterless Kekaha region of Kona
North Kona, Hawaiʻi Island
We honor the interconnectedness throughout the ahupuaʻa, and our work is focused on holistic management.
Our programs are driven by our traditional values rooted in generational kuleana, to strengthen stewardship initiatives for ʻāina momona.
