Community Articles
Maui’s Bus System: A Home-Grown Success Story
For many of Maui’s residents, it’s hard now to remember what life was like before the current public bus system got off the ground in 2004. That was shortly after the initial Focus Maui Nui civic engagement process had identified addressing infrastructure challenges...
Year of the Rabbit – A Symbol of Hope
The Chinese astrological symbol of the coming new year is appropriate for Maui County, Hawaii and the nation: 2011 will be the Year of the Rabbit, to be celebrated on the new moon on February 3rd. Chinese tradition holds the rabbit as a symbol of hope, an amiable,...
Putting Smiles on Keiki’s Faces This Christmas
Meeting human needs is a core Focus Maui Nui community value, and providing our less fortunate keiki with presents at Christmas time certainly meets this priority. We can take pride that our community has already proved more generous than ever this year. One of the...
Perpetuating Hawaiian Culture Through Language
“Our public schools have been a mainstay for maintaining the consciousness of Hawaiian traditions without the community knowing it,” reflects Pūlama Collier, State Resource Teacher with the Department of Education for Hawaiian Language Immersion Program at King...
Congratulations To All Candidates!
Elections represent the will of citizens and election year 2010 was no different. Congratulations are due to candidates who will be sworn in to offices in Maui County, the Hawaii State Legislature, the 5th floor of the State Capitol and in Congress, but also to the...
Changing Lives and Leading By Example
Meeting human needs and preserving local culture are twin core values espoused by our community through the Focus Maui Nui process. Sharon Balidoy, a social worker at Queen Lili`uokalani Children’s Center (QLCC) in Wailuku, is a prime example of a practitioner active...
Don’t Forget To Cast Your Vote
Just a reminder to everyone to cast your vote, either at your polling place or by absentee. Voting is an essential part of our democratic process, by which you choose the representatives in your government who make decisions that affect you, your family and your...
Abercrombie-Aiona: “A Gubernatorial Conversation” Focuses On Differing Approaches To Government
The conversation was polite, if occasionally pointed, as Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and former U.S. Congressman Neil Abercrombie made clear they agreed on defining issues even as they differed on how state government can respond. The Republican and Democratic...
Make Your Voice Heard—The Vote Early Option
Hawaii voters increasingly are taking advantage of early voting by mail or at absentee voting sites. In the 2008 General Election, 35 percent of all Maui voters were early voters—18,229 absentees to 33,810 at the polls. Statewide, 38.5 percent of voters turned in...
Arriving by Air
In the 1920s a select few well-heeled visitors came to vacation in the two or three grand hotels at Waikiki Beach. Some flew in small amphibian airplanes to see the volcanoes on the Big Island, but Maui was seldom on their itinerary. Inter-Island Airways, Ltd., (which...
Out Migration
A telling indicator of economic duress is local residents leaving Hawaii for good. At the airport, departing family members or friends look no different than other people. There is no way of knowing their reasons for pulling up stakes and leaving Hawaii. The census...
Makahiki – Hawaiian Thanksgiving
Na Huihui o Makali'i is a cluster of stars also known as the Pleaides or the Seven Sisters and is much revered in Hawaiian tradition as the place from where the first Hawaiian people came to Earth. In November the appearance of the Makali'i cluster signifies the...
Being Coastal
There are 3,140 counties in the United States. 21% (673) are classified as coastal. More than half of the U.S. population lives in a coastal county. The entire state of Hawaii is now included in the coastal zone (previously state forest reserve lands were exempt)....
Maui County General Plan
The General Plan is a term for a series of planning documents that will guide future growth and policy creation in the County. The Countywide Policy Plan acts as an overarching values statement and is an umbrella policy document for the Island and Community Plans. The...
Hanafura~Sakura
In the 18th year of Tenmon (A.D. 1549) when Francisco Xavier landed in Japan from Europe the crew of his ship had carried a set of Hombre, 48-card Portuguese playing cards, which became extremely popular with the Japanese. Through a colorful history of being banned...
A Community Conversation About Water
Water questions everywhere... Water resources and water usage are critical issues for Maui County. FOCUS MAUI NUI is a voice and a vision for Maui Nui’s future created for and by the people who live here. People like you. FOCUS MAUI NUI continues a series of...