Piʻo Summit 2026

This year’s Piʻo Summit: ʻĀinahoʻi: Land, Law & Justice brings together aloha ʻāina, community organizers and land stewards to explore the intersections of land, law and justice in Hawaiʻi. ʻĀinahoʻi amplifies the collective movement for land back across the pae ʻāina, showcasing the innovative ways communities are both navigating and challenging existing systems through legal frameworks, nonprofit land trusts, and grassroots actions. Translations of ʻĀinahoʻi remind us it is “indeed that which feeds us” – both that land must return to community stewardship and trust, and that we must see land as ʻāina for a regenerative future. The summit features a range of models and pathways towards land back, highlighting the many ways ʻāina is being restored, reclaimed, and protected.

Our gathering focuses on highlighting micro to macro level approaches to ʻĀinahoʻi, including restoring ea, strengthening relationships to ʻāina, and advancing self-determinated governance rooted in ancestral innovation and courageousness.

Join us in engaging in crucial discussions on strategic pathways that shape land back efforts today. Throughout the summit, key conversations will include:

• Aliʻi Trusts and Land Legacy: Understanding the role of Hawaiʻi’s largest established landholders in serving Native Hawaiian communities, protecting wahi kūpuna, and shaping long-term land stewardship.
• Non-profits and Land Trusts: Gaining insights into how non-profit land trusts, community acquisition models, and innovative title solutions are returning ʻāina back into the hands of the community.
• Community Governance and Land Return: Highlighting different grassroots movements for land back, including long-standing and emerging initiatives that reclaim land at various capacities and scales of operation.

Through these conversations, attendees will gain insights into:

• Pathways for ʻĀinahoʻi, restoring land and water to community and kupaʻāina stewardship
• Strategies and roles for navigating legal and political systems involved in ʻĀinahoʻi
• Stories of successful land back efforts across the pae ʻāina
• Collective action and sustainable models of community governance and resource management

With this gathering, we bridge our individual and collective efforts to land back to forge new pathways toward community care and resilience. By coming together, we strengthen our commitment to protect, reclaim, and care for the ʻāina and wai that sustain us. We move toward a reality in which we determine the future of Hawaiʻi’s resources and people.

Mele Aloha ʻĀina: We will also be graced by the presence and leo malu aloha of Raiatea Helm, who will offer a selection of mele aloha ʻāina to ground our intentions for this gathering.

Muliwai Mixer: A chance to build and strengthen pilina with summit attendees over light pupus and refreshments.

Info: Lunch will be provided at the summit, with both vegetarian and meat options available. To ensure our team can place the food order in a timely manner, please sign up for your lunch selection by the deadline of February 18, 2026.

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Host or Publisher Pōʻai Ke Aloha ʻĀina