(BIVN) – Members of the House Finance Committee recently visited Hawaiʻi island to tour some of priority projects and programs supported by the State Legislature. 

According to a State House news release, the visits took place from December 9th to December 11th. The lawmakers spent time in East and West Hawaiʻi. 

Representatives toured ʻĀkoʻakoʻa, a West Hawaiʻi-focused coral reef restoration initiative. From the State House news release: 

ʻĀkoʻakoʻa empowers local communities to steward reef health using tools such as coral nurseries, reef mapping, and water-quality monitoring, in partnership with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of Aquatic Resources, to support long-term restoration and care across West Hawaiʻi’s coastal areas and state parks.

State House Reps visit Hulihe‘e Palace, photo courtesy Hawaiʻi House of Representatives

House Finance Committee members were led on a tour of Huliheʻe Palace by the Daughters of Hawaii President Manu Powers and learned about the facility improvement needs required to carefully preserve this historic site.

Administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) Division of State Parks and stewarded by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, Huliheʻe palace was originally built in the nineteenth century by High Chief John Adams Kuakini, Governor of the island of Hawaiʻi. Constructed of lava rock and home to koa wood furnishings, royal portraits, featherwork, tapa, quilts, and other artifacts, Huliheʻe Palace preserves Hawaiʻi’s royal legacy and remains a vital cultural resource for the community.

State House Reps visit South Kohala District Court, photo courtesy Hawaiʻi House of Representatives

The South Kohala District Court is part of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary’s Third Circuit and is currently housed in a single-story, approximately 3,000-square-foot facility built in 1982 at the Waimea Civic Center in Kamuela. As North Hawaiʻi’s population has grown significantly since the courthouse was constructed, the Judiciary has identified major physical and operational limitations and submitted a Master Development Plan to the Legislature for a new, upgraded courthouse near the existing site.

During the 2025 legislative session, the Legislature appropriated funds for the design of a new South Kohala Courthouse, which would improve access to civil, criminal, and family court services and better serve the needs of the North Hawaiʻi community.

State House Reps visit the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo Farm, photo courtesy Hawaiʻi House of Representatives

The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Agricultural Farm Laboratory is a 110-acre facility located in Panaʻewa, south of Hilo, that provides hands-on learning opportunities for students in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resource Management by integrating classroom instruction with real-world agricultural practice. The farm includes an experimental tropical hardwood plantation, apiary, agriculture–aquaculture systems, greenhouse, and hydroponic facilities.

A $509,000 state capital improvement project is currently underway to design and develop critical infrastructure improvements, including a new well, pump, and water distribution system, as well as a modern compost facility, equine pasture, equestrian and rodeo arena, and equine surgery facility, strengthening the farm’s capacity to support education, research, and community-based agriculture.