Lawmakers pass bill establishing lottery system for leasing cabins on public lands

Hawai‘i lawmakers during their 2025 legislative session passed a bill to establish a lottery system for cabin leases at Kōkeʻe-Waimea Canyon State Parks on Kaua‘i.

House Bill 1348, introduced by Kaua‘i state Rep. Dee Morikawa, requires the Hawai‘i 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.

Morikawa’s colleauge and fellow Kaua‘i state Rep. Luke Evslin was one of the measure’s co-introducers.

“By restricting the lottery to county residents, this bill will ensure that our local people have priority access to public lands,” Morikawa said in an announcement about the bill’s passage. “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 more than 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 HB 1348 has been a textbook example of collaboration between [Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks] and the community,” Kōke’e Leaseholder Association President Chipper Wichman said in the announcement. “We worked together for 5 years to come to a common vision for how this unique historic community should be managed.”

Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell called House Bill 1348 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,” Cottrell said in the announcement. “State Parks look[s] forward to implementing the lottery and extending this opportunity to our residents in the years to come.”

Division of State Parks Assistant Administrator Alan Carpenter added that the agency is excited for this next chapter of the storied historic landscape to begin.

“This bill will level the playing field for all stewards of this cabin community,” Carpenter said in the announcement. “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.”

House Bill 1348 has been sent to Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green for his consideration and is expected to become law with his signature.